The Still Unsustainable Goal of University Ranking
The new and improved Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2020 were published this week with as much online fanfare as THE could muster. Unfortunately,
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Scholarly Publishers Are Working Together to Maximize Efficiency During COVID-19 Pandemic
Scholarly Publishers Are Working Together to Maximize Efficiency During COVID-19 Pandemic
Scholarly publishers are working together to maximize the efficiency of peer review, ensuring that key work related to COVID-19 is reviewed and published as quickly and openly as possible. The group of publishers and scholarly communications organizations - initially comprising eLife, Hindawi, PeerJ, PLOS, Royal Society, F1000 Research, FAIRsharing, Outbreak Science, and PREreview - is... Read full article >
Women Academics Seem to Be Submitting Fewer Papers During Coronavirus
Editors of academic journals have started noticing a trend: Women - who inevitably shoulder a greater share of family responsibilities - seem to be submitting fewer papers, while men are submitting up to 50 percent more than they usually would.
EU Covid-19 Recovery Plan Should Prioritise R&D
The European Commission is working on an investment plan to fuel the EU’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, which Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said must increase the “firepower” of the bloc’s 2021-27 budget, and R&D commissioner Mariya Gabriel has said must prioritise investment in R&D.
Arbitrariness in the Peer Review Process
The study replicates the NIPS experiment of 2014, showing that the ratings of peer review are not robust, and that altering reviewers leads to a dramatic impact on the ranking of the papers. This paper also shows that innovative works are not highly ranked in the existing peer review process, and in consequence are often rejected.
Delineating COVID-19 and Coronavirus Research
Many initiatives are keeping track of research on COVID-19 and coronaviruses. These initiatives, while valuable because they allow for fast access to relevant research, pose the question of subject delineation. We analyse here one such initiative, the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19).
Listserv For Scientists
A public forum for researchers to discuss the science of science, current events, and science policy issues.
The Purpose of Publications in a Pandemic and Beyond
For Elizabeth Gadd, the Covid-19 pandemic makes it clear that long standing issues with academic publications need to be addressed quickly and definitively.
Extraordinary Diseases Require Extraordinary Solutions
The world is experiencing a major pandemic with a high mor-tality. One can hope that the outbreak will end spontaneously aftermost people are infected, but the SARS-2 coronavirus may becomeendemic and continue to cause cycles of respiratory disease andfatal pneumonias.
WHO Warns That Few Have Developed Antibodies to Covid-19
Herd immunity hopes dealt blow by report suggesting only 2%-3% of people have been infected
The Pandemic Isn't a Black Swan but a Portent of a More Fragile Global System
The Pandemic Isn't a Black Swan but a Portent of a More Fragile Global System
Nassim Nicholas Taleb is frustrated whenever the coronavirus crisis is referred to by the term he coined for an unpredictable, rare catastrophe.
EPFL and ETH Zurich Advance Digital Contact Tracing Project
Secure contact tracing could be a powerful tool to fight the spread of COVID-19. A unique, decentralized system developed as part of an international consortium, including EPFL and ETH Zurich, will soon be launched with the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.
Universities Must Help Shape the Post-COVID-19 World
To create a better post-COVID-19 world requires democratic civic universities dedicated to producing knowledge and educating ethical, empathetic stude...
NIH to Launch Public-private Partnership to Speed COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Options
NIH to Launch Public-private Partnership to Speed COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Options
Health agencies, leading pharmaceutical companies to join forces to accelerate pandemic response.
Corona As Curator: How Museums Are Responding to the Pandemic
Corona As Curator: How Museums Are Responding to the Pandemic
The current COVID-19 crisis has prompted hand-wringing and self-reflection among some museum professionals. What, they are asking, is the point of a museum that remains closed to the public?
Coronavirus Distancing May Need to Continue Until 2022, Say Experts
Scientists say one-time lockdown will not bring pandemic under control.
Projecting the Transmission Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Through the Postpandemic Period
Projecting the Transmission Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Through the Postpandemic Period
It is urgent to understand the future of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. This research group used estimates of seasonality, immunity, and cross-immunity for betacoronaviruses OC43 and HKU1 from time series data from the USA to inform a model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
There's Been a Spike in People Dying at Home in Several Cities. That…
Coronavirus death counts are based on positive tests and driven by hospital deaths. But data from major metropolitan areas shows a spike in at-home deaths, prompting one expert to say current numbers were just "the tip of the iceberg."
Ending Coronavirus Lockdowns Will Be a Dangerous Process of Trial and Error
There's no scientific consensus on when it's safe to reopen schools, businesses, restaurants, and bars
This Study on Flower Resilience is the Most Beautiful Thing I've Read During the Pandemic
This Study on Flower Resilience is the Most Beautiful Thing I've Read During the Pandemic
What plants can teach us about surviving a pandemic.
ETH4D Research Challenges
The goal of the ETH4D Research Challenges is to enable collaborations on project-based research between ETH researchers, non-academic partners and partners from the Global South to develop effective solutions for poverty reduction combining technologies, policies and a profound understanding of human behaviour.
Masks for All? The Science Says Yes. · Fast.ai
Confused about mask wearing? Sure, it’s complicated. But not as complicated as some people imply.
Decades of Science Denial Related to Climate Change Has Led to Denial of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Resignation of Mauro Ferrari - Statement by the Scientific Council
The ERC's Scientific Council notes with regret the statement made by Mauro Ferrari concerning his resignation on 7 April. We here present the facts of the situation. On Friday 27 March, all 19 active members of the ERC's Scientific Council individually and unanimously requested that Mauro Ferrari resign from his position as ERC's President.
Springer Nautre Commits to 'Transformative Journal' Criteria from COAlition S
Springer Nautre Commits to 'Transformative Journal' Criteria from COAlition S
Revised ‘Transformative Journal’ criteria from cOAlition S are “challenging” but Springer Nature commits to transition majority of journals, including Nature. Approach means Plan S-funded authors will be able to continue to submit research to these journals.
COVID-19 and the Future of Open Access
A systematic focus on governance – instead of, or at least alongside, open access – is vital for the future of publishing. Even if the for-profit publishing model is not going to be ‘killed’ any time soon, governance may still allow us to assert some control over it. Coupled with the publishing futures already being created and nurtured by library publishers, university presses and scholar-led collectives, we may be able to imagine a world that isn’t trapped in the logic of COVID-19.
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