To Move Research from Quantity to Quality, Go Beyond Good Intentions
Australian chief scientist Alan Finkel calls for formal action to bake in better research practices.
Send us a link
The Dos and Don'ts of Influencing Policy: a Systematic Review of Advice to Academics
The Dos and Don'ts of Influencing Policy: a Systematic Review of Advice to Academics
Many academics have strong incentives to influence policymaking, but may not know where to start. Recent research has examined the ‘how to’ advice in the academic peer-reviewed and grey literatures.
Indian Payment-for-Papers Proposal Rattles Scientists
Researchers say the policy could intensify existing issues with research quality and misconduct.
Rare Trial of Open Peer Review Allays Common Concerns
A new study suggests that making reviewers' reports freely readable doesn't compromise the peer-review process.
Gravitational-wave Observatory LIGO Set to Double Its Detecting Power
Gravitational-wave Observatory LIGO Set to Double Its Detecting Power
A planned $35-million upgrade could enable LIGO to spot one black-hole merger per day by the mid-2020s.
What Scientists Need to Know About FAIR Data
Following these guiding principles for sharing data can help researchers get ahead.
Ukraine's Science Revolution Stumbles Five Years on
On the five-year anniversary of an uprising that propelled Ukraine away from Russia and towards Europe, scientists say things are improving too slowly.
Overdue: a US Advisory Board for Research Integrity
Research needs an authoritative forum to hash out collective problems, argue C. K. Gunsalus, Marcia K. McNutt and colleagues.
Q&A Adam Russell: The Search for Automated Tools to Rate Research Reproducibility
Q&A Adam Russell: The Search for Automated Tools to Rate Research Reproducibility
A US project is exploring the use of software to assign confidence levels to published research.
We Need to Talk About Fraud in Science
Unlike most faulty research practices, fraud actively evades detection. It is also overlooked because the scientific community has been unwilling to have frank and open discussions about it.
Thousands of Scientists Run Up Against Elsevier's Paywall
Researchers have been left without access to new papers as libraries and the major publisher fail to agree on subscription deals.
Responding to the Call of Home
Why some scientists choose to forgo promising careers abroad to return to their countries of birth.
How Brexit Threatens Irish Science's Cross-Border Collaboration
Peace and EU membership have allowed scientists in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to build a unique, cross-border research system.
Extreme Chemistry: Experiments at the Edge of the Periodic Table
As the chase for new elements slows, scientists focus on deepening their understanding of the superheavy ones they already know.
To Learn Inclusion Skills, Make It Personal
Laboratory heads need training, support and accountability to connect people across cultures.
Celebrate the Women Behind the Periodic Table
Brigitte Van Tiggelen and Annette Lykknes spotlight female researchers who discovered elements and their properties.
What BioRxiv's First 30,000 Preprints Reveal About Biologists
More than 1 million studies are now downloaded from the site every month, mostly in neuroscience, bioinformatics and genomics.
Tenure Denial, and How Early-career Researchers Can Survive It
Scientists with first-hand experience of rejection offer their advice.
Shutdown Will Cast a Long Shadow over Research
The sudden halt to US government functions leaves me worried about the effects on science for years to come, says Anne Jefferson.
How UK Scientists Are Preparing for a Chaotic No-Deal Brexit
Lab gloves, fly food and charter planes - UK research institutes are preparing for a possible snap departure from the European Union in just 10 weeks.
The Effect of Publishing Peer Review Reports on Referee Behavior in Five Scholarly Journals
The Effect of Publishing Peer Review Reports on Referee Behavior in Five Scholarly Journals
To increase transparency in science, some scholarly journals have begun publishing peer review reports. Here, the authors show how this policy shift affects reviewer behavior by analyzing data from five journals piloting open peer review.
Women Who Win Prizes Get Less Money and Prestige
A new analysis of biomedical awards over five decades shows men receive more cash and more respect for their research than women do, report Brian Uzzi and colleagues.
Payouts Push Professors Towards Predatory Journals
If South Africa truly wants to encourage good research, it must stop paying academics by the paper.
How Much Can Forests Fight Climate Change?
Trees are supposed to slow global warming, but growing evidence suggests they might not always be climate saviours.
Crowdfunding Research Flips Science's Traditional Reward Model
Scientists who have historically been at a disadvantage when pursuing traditional funding sources are now the most successful at sourcing money from the public.
What Scientists Searched for in 2018
The most-searched keywords in the Scopus database and on Google, revealed.
×