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UK Priorities for Science, Research and Innovation

UK Priorities for Science, Research and Innovation

The UK is focusing on international partnerships and ground-breaking sector deals in order to remain a global leader in science

Boosting Culture, Heritage, Science and Innovation in the Netherlands

Boosting Culture, Heritage, Science and Innovation in the Netherlands

The Government of the Netherlands has launched a funding drive to support culture and heritage sectors, as well as in science and innovation.

How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

New documents show that the M.I.T. Media Lab was aware of Epstein's status as a convicted sex offender, and that Epstein directed contributions to the lab far exceeding the amounts M.I.T. has publicly admitted.

Scientists Must Act on Our Own Warnings to Humanity

Scientists Must Act on Our Own Warnings to Humanity

We face interconnected planetary emergencies threatening our climate and ecosystems. Scientists should join civil disobedience movements to fight these unprecedented crises.

Too Much Emphasis on Implicit Bias Impedes Gender Equality Efforts in Academia

Too Much Emphasis on Implicit Bias Impedes Gender Equality Efforts in Academia

Implicit bias - the presence of prejudices and stereotypes in the workplace - has been a topic of discussion both within and outside academia. Does this lead to a focus on the individual that masks embedded structures inhibiting gender equality?

NOAA Staff Warned in Sept. 1 Directive Against Contradicting Trump

NOAA Staff Warned in Sept. 1 Directive Against Contradicting Trump

Nearly a week before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publicly backed President Trump over its own scientists, a top NOAA official warned its staff against contradicting the president. This happened hours after Trump asserted, with no evidence, that Alabama "would most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated" by hurricane Dorian, and days before he showed a hurricane map modified with a hand-drawn, half-circle around Alabama.

Journals' Instructions to Authors: A Cross-sectional Study Across Scientific Disciplines

Journals' Instructions to Authors: A Cross-sectional Study Across Scientific Disciplines

Study investigated 19 topics related to transparency in reporting and research integrity. Only three topics were addressed in more than one third of scientific journals' Instructions to Authors.

Engaging Policy in Science Writing: Patterns and Strategies

Engaging Policy in Science Writing: Patterns and Strategies

Translating scientific research and findings into policy discussion often requires an understanding of the institutional complexities of policy processes. This study developed a set of metrics to examine how researchers have undertaken that challenge.

Institutional Report Cards for Gender Equality: Lessons Learned from Benchmarking Efforts for Women in STEM

Institutional Report Cards for Gender Equality: Lessons Learned from Benchmarking Efforts for Women in STEM

The outcomes of a 4-year pilot phase which gathered information from over 500 institutions are discussed, outlining future directions for efforts to promote gender equity in STEM.

Legal Compendium on Open Science: Guideline Answers Legal Questions

Legal Compendium on Open Science: Guideline Answers Legal Questions

 With this compendium, the Hamburg Open Science Programme aims to provide practical support for practitioners of open science and to help remove existing obstacles on the way to greater transparency in science.

The Future of European Research Must Be Inclusive

The Future of European Research Must Be Inclusive

With Europe facing significant challenges over the next decade, it is vital that the EU's research activities are designed not just by bureaucrats but by a wide range of voices to ensure that they're fit for purpose, according to Jean-Eric Paquet, the European Commission's Director General for Research and Innovation.

The Global Landscape of AI Ethics Guidelines

The Global Landscape of AI Ethics Guidelines

As AI technology develops rapidly, it is widely recognized that ethical guidelines are required for safe and fair implementation in society. But is it possible to agree on what is 'ethical AI'? A detailed analysis of 84 AI ethics reports around the world, from national and international organizations, companies and institutes, explores this question, finding a convergence around core principles but substantial divergence on practical implementation.

Researchers Awarded Prize for Promotion of Alternatives to Animal Experiments

Researchers Awarded Prize for Promotion of Alternatives to Animal Experiments

Researchers at Eawag have been awarded the 3R Swiss Competence Centre award for their outstanding research work representing a milestone in the promotion of alternatives to animal experiments.

Stalled in Hawaii, Giant Telescope Faces Roadblocks at Its Backup Site in the Canary Islands

Stalled in Hawaii, Giant Telescope Faces Roadblocks at Its Backup Site in the Canary Islands

The Native Hawaiian protesters blocking the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea appear to have settled in for the long haul.

Democrats More Supportive Than Republicans of Federal Spending for Scientific Research

Democrats More Supportive Than Republicans of Federal Spending for Scientific Research

Around six-in-ten Democrats support increased spending for scientific research, compared with 40% of Republicans, a gap that has grown over time.

New Dimensions Partnership with ISSI Makes It Easy (and Free!) for Researchers to Study the Science of Science

New Dimensions Partnership with ISSI Makes It Easy (and Free!) for Researchers to Study the Science of Science

 International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics (ISSI) and Digital Science have joined forces to make Dimensions and Altmetric data available to ISSI members at scale, and at no cost for scientometric research purposes. 

10 Simple Rules to Run an Open and Inclusive Project Online

10 Simple Rules to Run an Open and Inclusive Project Online

Abstract: There are many reasons why open source projects have difficulty attracting contributors. Current academic incentive structures are some of the strongest. Wanting to maintain a competitive advantage, too great a focus on novelty when publishing papers, and too little credit given to writing documentation and tutorials, all encourage researchers to reinvent the wheel in a closed team. Although I will discuss these barriers, my talk will focus on some challenges that are much easier to overcome. Not knowing where to start. "Imposter syndrome" and the various intersecting biases that accompany (and often underpin) it. Being unsure as to whether a project even wants any contributions. These can all be addressed with 10 simple rules. From laying out your welcome mat, through setting explicit expectations, to the graceful death of your project, these steps will will help you build and run an open and inclusive community-driven project online. (Breaking down capitalism may have to wait for another day.) Bio: Kirstie Whitaker is a research fellow at the Alan Turing Institute (London, UK) and senior research associate in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge. Her work covers a broad range of interests and methods, but the driving principle is to improve the lives of neurodivergent people and people with mental health conditions. Dr Whitaker uses magnetic resonance imaging to study child and adolescent brain development and participatory citizen science to educate non-autistic people about how they can better support autistic friends and colleagues. She is the lead developer of "The Turing Way", an openly developed educational resource to enable more reproducible data science. Kirstie is a passionate advocate for making science "open for all" by promoting equity and inclusion for people from diverse backgrounds, and by changing the academic incentive structure to reward collaborative working. She is the chair of the Turing Institute's Ethics Advisory Group, a Fulbright scholarship alumna and was a 2016/17 Mozilla Fellow for Science. Kirstie was named, with her collaborator Petra Vertes, as a 2016 Global Thinker by Foreign Policy magazine. You can find more information at her lab website: whitakerlab.github.io.

Make Science PhDs More Than Just a Training Path for Academia

Make Science PhDs More Than Just a Training Path for Academia

Science PhD programmes cater almost exclusively to students bound for academia, but they don't have to.

Committees with Implicit Biases Promote Fewer Women when They Do Not Believe Gender Bias Exists

Committees with Implicit Biases Promote Fewer Women when They Do Not Believe Gender Bias Exists

In a nationwide competition for elite research positions, committees that hold strong implicit gender biases and doubt that women face external barriers to their success are observed to promote fewer women.

How the Trump Administration Limited the Scope of the USDA's 2020 Dietary Guidelines

How the Trump Administration Limited the Scope of the USDA's 2020 Dietary Guidelines

The Trump administration is limiting scientific input to the 2020 dietary guidelines, raising concerns among nutrition advocates and independent experts about industry influence over healthy eating recommendations for all Americans.