Should Scientists Run the Country?
Covid has put academics at the heart of policymaking, but electing better politicians could be the answer.
Two-stage Calls - A real improvement in times of low success rates?
The relatively low success rates for applicants in most parts of Horizon 2020 have been heavily and unanimously criticized by the stakeholders. In response, the European Commission introduced more generally a proposal evaluation in two stages, in order to ease the burden of unsuccessful applicants during the first stage. This approach received a very positive feedback from the scientific communities.
Research funding should be 'simpler'
UK Minister for Universities and Science Jo Johnson wants to see a "simpler" research funding system as well as faster routes for private provider "challenger institutions" to enter higher education.
Authors Overestimate Their Contribution to Scientific Work, Demonstrating a Strong Bias
Authors Overestimate Their Contribution to Scientific Work, Demonstrating a Strong Bias
Teamwork is an essential component of science. It affords the exchange of ideas and the execution of research that can entail high levels of complexity and scope.
The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill
All pandemic long, scientists brawled over how the virus spreads. Droplets! No, aerosols! At the heart of the fight was a teensy error with huge consequences.
Bringing the Power of LaTeX and Git to All Researchers
Authorea seeks to marry the ease of writing on Word or Google Docs with the power of LaTeX, HTML, and Git.
Russian Labs Run out of Equipment As Sanctions Begin to Bite
Russian researchers are losing access to vital lab equipment and computing power as western sanctions against the country begin to bite, potentially crippling Russia's scientific base.
Sci-Hub: What It Is and Why It Matters
The controversies surrounding Sci-Hub touch on many hot-button topics in librarianship. This primer lays out multiple perspectives on the issues.
Why an Age of Machine Learning Needs the Humanities
Why an Age of Machine Learning Needs the Humanities
If democracy depends on informed citizens, democracy is in trouble. This is a moment of crisis for many institutions, including higher education, especially in disciplines such as English, philosophy, and history, which promise to prepare students as citizens. To prepare students for a world where information is filtered by computers, we will need a stronger alliance between the humanities and math. This alliance has two reciprocal parts: cultural criticism of the mathematical models shaping our world, and mathematical inquiry about culture.
PhDs: the Tortuous Truth
Nature's survey of more than 6,000 graduate students reveals the turbulent nature of doctoral research. The mental health of PhD researchers demands urgent attention.
Can AI Make Research More Open?
Generative AI tools could have a transformative effect on open science by prompting the creation and publication of open datasets.
The Proposed Publishers Right Is an Attack on the Public Domain
Traditionally, at the beginning of the new year we celebrated what is known as Public Domain Day: on the first of January of any given year the works of authors who have been dead for more than 70 years enter the public domain. As this is a decisive year for copyright reform in the European Union, it seems much more important to highlight the dangers for the public domain that we are facing in the context of the copyright reform process.
The Text and Data Mining Exception in the Proposal for a Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market: Why It Is Not What Eu Copyright Law Needs?
Suggestions to increase participation
Suggestions to increase participation
An increasing number of publishers and funding agencies require public data archiving (PDA) in open-access databases. PDA has obvious group benefits for the scientific community, but many researchers are reluctant to share their data publicly because of real or perceived individual costs.
A world where everyone has a robot: why 2040 could blow your mind
Technological change is accelerating today at an unprecedented speed and could create a world we can barely begin to imagine.
A Brief Guide To Writing Your First Scientific Manuscript
Some thoughts on how to approach writing manuscripts based on original biomedical research.
University of California Reaches Groundbreaking Open Access Deal with Leading Global Publisher
University of California Reaches Groundbreaking Open Access Deal with Leading Global Publisher
The University of California today (June 16) announced a transformative open access publishing agreement that will make more of the University's research freely and immediately available to individuals and researchers across the globe.
Birds Are Dying in the United States and No One Knows Why
There's a new epidemic, this time among birds. An illness is infecting them in the US capital ― and it's spreading. Experts say the cause is unknown.
Researchers Warn Against Securitized Response to Global Biodiversity Loss
Researchers Warn Against Securitized Response to Global Biodiversity Loss
Scientists have warned that a new UK Government report risks distorting evidence and driving ineffective policy by framing ecological degradation and its impacts on migration as a security threat.
Citizen Science Isn’t Just About Collecting Data
Nonscientists should take part in discussions about research priorities and more.
Universities Must Lead in Reclaiming Scientific Sovereignty
Africa's limited control over its own research priorities, publishing platforms, and funding streams has left the continent vulnerable to external i...
What does scientific reproducibility mean, anyway?
The current movement to replicate results is crippled by a lack of agreement about the very nature of the word “replication” and its synonyms.
Creating Research Value Needs More Than Just Science - Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences Can Help
Creating Research Value Needs More Than Just Science - Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences Can Help
Mobilising value from science and technology needs help from thinkers, designers, makers, policymakers, and enablers - and this expertise often sits in the humanities, arts and social sciences domain.
Why Is It So Expensive to Read Academic Research?
Content piracy may be illegal, but price gouging is at least as despicable.
Why Plan S is Not Unethical
The claim that Plan S is unethical derives from an understanding of academic freedom that appears to rest on foundations that, if not shaky, are at least highly questionable.
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