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A newsletter and curated collection of 15459 articles on science policy
Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation
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News
History
Open Access

Germany's Scientific Texts Were Made Free During and After WWII; Analyzing Them Today Shows the Negative Effect of Paywalls on Science

boingboing
History
Open Access

Germany's Scientific Texts Were Made Free During and After WWII; Analyzing Them Today Shows the Negative Effect of Paywalls on Science

In 1942, the US Book Republication Program permitted American publishers to reprint "exact reproductions" of Germany's scientific texts without payment; seventy-five years later, the fate of this scientific knowledge forms the basis of a "natural experiment" analysed by Barbara Biasi and Petra Moser.

boingboing
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Publications

Researchers and their long-term career development

europa

Researchers and their long-term career development

Completing a Marie Curie Fellowship does have beneficial impacts on a researcher’s career prospects. These positive effects are more marked for academic researchers, while there is room for improving collaboration and mutual benefits with the private sector.

europa
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Publications
Funding
Foresight

Contest Models Highlight Inefficiencies of Scientific Funding

arxiv
Funding
Foresight

Contest Models Highlight Inefficiencies of Scientific Funding

The effort researchers waste in writing proposals may be comparable to the total scientific value of the additional funding, especially when only a small percentage of proposals are funded.

arxiv
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Web
Survey

Infographic captures how researchers really feel about the peer-review process

elsevier
Survey

Infographic captures how researchers really feel about the peer-review process

More than 2,000 researchers from a variety of disciplines contributed to a survey conducted by Elsevier and the Publishing Research Consortium.

elsevier
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Publications

Why science does not work as it should and what to do about it

scienceintransition

Why science does not work as it should and what to do about it

Report based on four workshops organized by the initiators of Science in Transition in the spring of 2013.

scienceintransition
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Opinion
Reproducibility

We Should Not Accept Scientific Results That Have Not Been Repeated

nautil
Reproducibility

We Should Not Accept Scientific Results That Have Not Been Repeated

The inconvenient truth is that scientists can achieve fame and advance their careers through accomplishments that do not prioritize the quality of their work.

nautil
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News
Careers

Young scientists need to fight for their employment rights

theguardian
Careers

Young scientists need to fight for their employment rights

Like junior doctors, early career biomedical researchers have an issue with contracts (or lack of them). So why don’t we strike too?

theguardian
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Publications
Equality

Men Ask More Questions Than Women at a Scientific Conference

plosone
Equality

Men Ask More Questions Than Women at a Scientific Conference

Accounting for audience gender ratio, men asked 1.8 questions for each question asked by a woman.

plosone
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Publications
Communication

What Scientific Term or Concept Ought to Be More Widely Known?

web
Communication

What Scientific Term or Concept Ought to Be More Widely Known?

Answers of the annual Edge.org question posed to leading thinkers and scientists.
 

web
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Opinion
Impact
Innovation

Why Scientists Should Learn to Love Reddit

theguardian
Impact
Innovation

Why Scientists Should Learn to Love Reddit

You’ll find communities thirsty for your findings – and a space to demonstrate measurable ‘impact’ to your heart’s content.

theguardian
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Opinion
Integrity

Integrity or impact? Confessions of an early career researcher

royalsociety
Integrity

Integrity or impact? Confessions of an early career researcher

The reality of academia is stifling the passion and creativity needed both to enjoy science, and to do it well.

royalsociety
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Web
Impact
Metrics
Publishing

Citations Cartels An Emerging Problem in Scientific Publishing

frontiersin
Impact
Metrics
Publishing

Citations Cartels An Emerging Problem in Scientific Publishing

Groups of authors citing each other is becoming an issue in scientific publishing. With a new approach, researchers discuss how to identify the problem.

frontiersin
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Publications

Global-level data sets may be more highly cited than most journal articles

lse

Global-level data sets may be more highly cited than most journal articles

The production, archival, and sharing of data may actually be a more effective way to contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge.

lse
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Publications
COVID-19
Open Science

Open Science Saves Lives: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

biorxiv
COVID-19
Open Science

Open Science Saves Lives: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the last decade Open Science principles, such as Open Access, study preregistration, use of preprints, making available data and code, and open peer review, have been successfully advocated for and are being slowly adopted in many different research communities. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic many publishers and researchers have sped up their adoption of some of these Open Science practices, sometimes embracing them fully and sometimes partially or in a sub-optimal manner. In this article, we express concerns about the violation of some of the Open Science principles and its potential impact on the quality of research output. We provide evidence of the misuses of these principles at different stages of the scientific process. We call for a wider adoption of Open Science practices in the hope that this work will encourage a broader endorsement of Open Science principles and serve as a reminder that science should always be a rigorous process, reliable and transparent, especially in the context of a pandemic where research findings are being translated into practice even more rapidly. We provide all data and scripts at . ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

biorxiv
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Publications
Early Career Researchers
Careers

The Life of P.I. - Transitions to Independence in Academia

biorxiv
Early Career Researchers
Careers

The Life of P.I. - Transitions to Independence in Academia

The data in this report summarises the responses gathered from 365 principle investigators of academic laboratories, who started their independent positions in the UK within the last 6 years up to 2018. We find that too many new investigators express frustration and poor optimism for the future. These data also reveal, that many of these individuals lack the support required to make a successful transition to independence and that simple measures could be put in place by both funders and universities in order to better support these early career researchers. We use these data to make both recommendations of good practice and for changes to policies that would make significant improvements to those currently finding independence challenging. We find that some new investigators face significant obstacles when building momentum and hiring a research team. In particular, access to PhD students. We also find some important areas such as starting salaries where significant gender differences persist, which cannot be explained by seniority. Our data also underlines the importance of support networks, within and outside the department, and the positive influence of good mentorship through this difficult career stage.

biorxiv
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Publications
Peer Review

Open Up: a Survey on Open and Non-anonymized Peer Reviewing

web
Peer Review

Open Up: a Survey on Open and Non-anonymized Peer Reviewing

Our aim is to highlight the benefits and limitations of open and non-anonymized peer review. Our argument is based on the literature and on responses to a survey on the reviewing process of alt.chi, a more or less open review track within the so-called Computer Human Interaction (CHI) conference, the predominant conference in the field of human-computer interaction. This track currently is the only implementation of an open peer review process in the field of human-computer interaction while, with the recent increase in interest in open scientific practices, open review is now being considered and used in other fields. We ran an online survey with 30 responses from alt.chi authors and reviewers, collecting quantitative data using multiple-choice questions and Likert scales. Qualitative data were collected using open questions. Our main quantitative result is that respondents are more positive to open and non-anonymous reviewing for alt.chi than for other parts of the CHI conference. The qualitative data specifically highlight the benefits of open and transparent academic discussions. The data and scripts are available on https://osf.io/vuw7h/ , and the figures and follow-up work on http://tiny.cc/OpenReviews . While the benefits are quite clear and the system is generally well-liked by alt.chi participants, they remain reluctant to see it used in other venues. This concurs with a number of recent studies that suggest a divergence between support for a more open review process and its practical implementation.

web
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Web
Open Source
Collaboration

10 Simple Rules to Run an Open and Inclusive Project Online

zenodo
Open Source
Collaboration

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.

zenodo
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The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited

The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited

Download a PDF of "The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited" by the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine for free. Description: The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited builds on the 2000 report Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience for Scientists and Engineers. That ground-breaking report assessed the postdoctoral experience and provided principles, action points, and recommendations to enhance that experience. Since the publication of the 2000 report, the postdoctoral landscape has changed considerably. The percentage of PhDs who pursue postdoctoral training is growing steadily and spreading from the biomedical and physical sciences to engineering and the social sciences. The average length of time spent in postdoctoral positions seems to be increasing. The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited reexamines postdoctoral programs in the United States, focusing on how postdocs are being guided and managed, how institutional practices have changed, and what happens to postdocs after they complete their programs. This book explores important changes that have occurred in postdoctoral practices and the research ecosystem and assesses how well current practices meet the needs of these fledgling scientists and engineers and of the research enterprise. The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited takes a fresh look at current postdoctoral fellows - how many there are, where they are working, in what fields, and for how many years. This book makes recommendations to improve aspects of programs - postdoctoral period of service, title and role, career development, compensation and benefits, and mentoring. Current data on demographics, career aspirations, and career outcomes for postdocs are limited. This report makes the case for better data collection by research institution and data sharing. A larger goal of this study is not only to propose ways to make the postdoctoral system better for the postdoctoral researchers themselves but also to better understand the role that postdoctoral training plays in the research enterprise. It is also to ask whether there are alternative ways to satisfy some of the research and career development needs of postdoctoral researchers that are now being met with several years of advanced training. Postdoctoral researchers are the future of the research enterprise. The discussion and recommendations of The Postdoctoral Experience Revisited will stimulate action toward clarifying the role of postdoctoral researchers and improving their status and experience.

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News
Open Access
Open Data

Why Openly Available Abstracts Are Important 

medium
Open Access
Open Data

Why Openly Available Abstracts Are Important 

The value of open and interoperable metadata of scientific articles is increasingly being recognized, as demonstrated by the work of several organizations, funding agencies, and initiatives.

medium
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Opinion
Research
Innovation
Equality

Science Europe Outlines Six Bottlenecks to a More Equal European R&I Landscape

sciencebusiness
Research
Innovation
Equality

Science Europe Outlines Six Bottlenecks to a More Equal European R&I Landscape

Increasing investments, transforming research culture and boosting talent attraction - these are the recommendations for a more equal European R&I landscape outlined in a new paper by Science Europe.

sciencebusiness
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Opinion
Science
Funding
Partnerships

Public-private Partnerships Should Be Preserved in FP10, Says Eszter Lakos

sciencebusiness
Science
Funding
Partnerships

Public-private Partnerships Should Be Preserved in FP10, Says Eszter Lakos

Research and innovation is shaping up to have a central role in the EU's new competitiveness agenda, but Hungarian MEP Eszter Lakos, who was involved in the negotiations for Horizon Europe, is worried about what this will mean for its successor scheme, framework programme 10 (FP10).
sciencebusiness
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News
Early Career Researchers
Funding

Funding Radar: This Week's Ten Most Interesting Calls Targeted at Young Researchers

sciencebusiness
Early Career Researchers
Funding

Funding Radar: This Week's Ten Most Interesting Calls Targeted at Young Researchers

The EU recognises the role of young researchers in shaping the future research and innovation landscape and throughout the years policymakers have pushed for better career paths and put in place specific funding programmes in support of this.
sciencebusiness
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News
AI
Innovation

If AI Becomes Conscious: Here's How Researchers Will Know

nature
AI
Innovation

If AI Becomes Conscious: Here's How Researchers Will Know

Many researchers say that AI systems aren’t yet at the point of consciousness, but that the pace of AI evolution has got them pondering: how would we know if they were? A checklist derived from six neuroscience-based theories could aid in the assessment. 

nature
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Web
Citations

Careless Citations Don't Just Spread Scientific Myths - They Can Make Them Stronger

web
Citations

Careless Citations Don't Just Spread Scientific Myths - They Can Make Them Stronger

How misconceptions persist and proliferate within the scientific literature.

web
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Opinion
Early Career Researchers

The double-glazed ceiling: new PIs face continuing precarity

web
Early Career Researchers

The double-glazed ceiling: new PIs face continuing precarity

Early career researchers’ path to independence is unnecessarily bumpy

web
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Web
Peer Review

Amidst Criticism of the Peer Review Process, the Valuable Contributions of Reviewers Should Be Defended

lse
Peer Review

Amidst Criticism of the Peer Review Process, the Valuable Contributions of Reviewers Should Be Defended

As flaws in the peer review process are highlighted and calls for reform become more frequent, it may be tempting for some to denigrate and dismiss the contributions of the reviewers themselves.

lse
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Opinion
Careers
Science
Metrics

Why It's Time to Bin Recommendation Letters in Science Job Applications

nature
Careers
Science
Metrics

Why It's Time to Bin Recommendation Letters in Science Job Applications

If hiring organizations must ask for references, they should do so closer to the end of the process.

nature
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News
Technology

Ultra-thin Film Could One Day Turn Regular Glasses into Night Vision Goggles, Researchers Say

theguardian
Technology

Ultra-thin Film Could One Day Turn Regular Glasses into Night Vision Goggles, Researchers Say

Developed by Australian and European researchers, the film works by converting infrared light into light visible to the human eye

theguardian
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News
Early Career Researchers
Careers

How Junior Scientists Can Land a Seat at the Leadership Table

nature
Early Career Researchers
Careers

How Junior Scientists Can Land a Seat at the Leadership Table

Early-career researchers bring energy, talent and diverse voices to leadership and advisory roles.

nature
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News
Europe
Funding
ERC

ERC Awards over €600 Million to Europe's Top Researchers

web
Europe
Funding
ERC

ERC Awards over €600 Million to Europe's Top Researchers

How will climate change shape the Earth's surface? What are the long-term health effects of food additives? How can online tools change political advocacy and what does this mean for democracy? These are just some of the questions that researchers from around Europe have proposed to explore, and will now be able to, thanks to newly-awarded EU funding.

web
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