What if we let social media rate research?
With citation indexes being routinely questioned, ‘alternative metrics’ could gain ground as a new indicator of research success. But can they be trusted?
Statisticians Found One Thing They Can Agree On: It’s Time To Stop Misusing P-Values
The p-value was never intended to be a substitute for scientific reasoning.
Patients, Scientists Fight Over Research-Data Access
Patients, Scientists Fight Over Research-Data Access
A controversy surrounding a study of chronic fatigue syndrome is prompting some scientists to push back against demands that they make medical research data more widely available to other researchers and patients.
Staying Afloat in the Rising Tide of Science
New York Times columnist and science writer Carl Zimmer discusses the challenges of effectively communicating with the public about science.
Should All Research Papers Be Free?
Drawing comparisons to Edward Snowden, a graduate student from Kazakhstan named Alexandra Elbakyan is believed to be hiding out in Russia after illegally leaking millions of documents.
Which degrees give the best financial return?
If you had a university degree back in 1972, you were likely to earn 20% more than those without one. Today, that number has soared to 70%. But not all degrees will give you the same retu...
More women publishing top medical papers
Female researchers now account for 37 per cent of first authors in medicine’s top journals, says US study
MIT Media Lab’s Journal of Design and Science Is a Radical New Kind of Publication
The MIT Media Lab has launched a new kind of academic journal that embodies its "antidisciplinary" ethos.
DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis on how AI will shape the future
DeepMind’s stunning victories over Go legend Lee Se-dol have stoked excitement over artificial intelligence’s potential more than any event in recent memory.
Science and democracy: a peculiarly British disease?
Two recent programmes on BBC Radio 4 highlight a worrying anti-democratic bias in discussions of science and technology.
Aussie research the biggest loser
A BRAIN drain has stripped Australia of one in four of its scientific leaders and 671 research positions as our best and brightest head overseas.
Mismeasurement and Mismanagement Are Impeding Scientific Research
The near-romantic spirit of adventure and exploration that inspired young scientists of my own and earlier generations has become tarnished.
How many replication studies are enough?
Researchers on social media ask at what point replication efforts go from useful to wasteful.
Science vs. Science News: (Un)Warranted Distrust
Our reverence for science has led to a culture of "new findings" and sensationalistic headlines.
As Wearables in Workplace Spread, So Do Legal Concerns
As wearable devices in the workplace spread, so do the legal concerns. Companies can now use the devices to monitor their employees’ health and track their locations. How should such technology be used to avoid legal problems?
Sci-Hub: research piracy and the public good
The release of millions of journal papers online reflects impatience with an outdated publishing model, says John Willinsky
She Figures: Women and Science 2015
Under-representation of women in science greater in Switzerland than in Europe.
The scientist's dilemma: can you be a parent, a partner, a friend #AndAScientist?
The Royal Society’s new campaign highlights the importance of life outside the laboratory
Credit where credit is due
When a commercial publisher re-uses images from your blog without permission or attribution.
Plan for peer review based research funding opposed
A proposal for a more peer review based funding of Swedish research prepared by the Swedish Research Council has been rejected by a majority of Swedish universities.
The NHS is a much bigger challenge for DeepMind than Go
Training a computer to play Go is an impressive achievement, but AlphaGo may be a long way from being a useful product.
The Government seem more interested in our genes than our voices
Policymakers are moving forward with plans to turn our genetic information into potentially lucrative data. Drawing on recent Freedom of Information disclosures, Edward Hockings and Lewis Coyne ask whether we can trust our institutions with our genomes.
Fermat's Last Theorem proof secures mathematics' top prize for Sir Andrew Wiles
The solution to a 300-year-old mystery has landed Oxford University Professor Sir Andrew Wiles the top international prize for mathematics.