AI Doom Warnings Are Getting Louder. Are They Realistic?
Researchers are increasingly sounding the alarm that artificial intelligence could end humanity. But such doomsday warnings carry their own risks.
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The Myth of STEM Only Growth Holds Back the UK
The view that STEM subjects on their own drive growth is misguided and presents a lopsided view of the value of the social sciences and humanities.
From Open Access to Preprints: Are We Repeating the Same Mistakes in Scholarly Publishing?
From Open Access to Preprints: Are We Repeating the Same Mistakes in Scholarly Publishing?
The preprint movement, once seen as a pragmatic, low-cost, researcher-driven route to openness, now faces its own moment of uncertainty.
Viewpoint: It's Time to Experiment with How Europe Funds Science
An experimental metascience unit would allow the Commission to test innovative ways of awarding research funds with immediate impact.
FP10 Should Remain Open, Excellent and Secure
Applying an ‘EU preference’ to advanced science and technology will only increase Europe’s strategic vulnerabilities.
The Time Has Come for Big Changes to Improve Research Funding
The competitive research funding system is at breaking point. This Perspective argues that innovations to address ongoing problems are needed on a grander scale than ever before, but this will not suffice. What we need is whole system transformation.
What AI Asks of Open Access
As AI systems increasingly reason from the scientific literature, the integrity signals that make research trustworthy - open data, structured metadata, robust retraction processes - matter more than ever.
Panicking Scientists, Canceled Experiments - Federal Funding Cuts Turned My Work As a Research Dean into Crisis Management
Panicking Scientists, Canceled Experiments - Federal Funding Cuts Turned My Work As a Research Dean into Crisis Management
When the Trump administration took aim at higher education and the scientific research enterprise, a university dean had to figure out on the fly how to support scientists and their work at his school.
The Real Threat to Trust in Science Isn't Outright Fraud, but the Pervasive Tweaking of Research Designs and Models
The Real Threat to Trust in Science Isn't Outright Fraud, but the Pervasive Tweaking of Research Designs and Models
Science's credibility issues stem from the deliberate manipulation of research designs and model specifications.
How to Revive Science in America
To remain cutting edge and competitive, the United States need to take tactical steps to foster better, more supportive science policy - including a strategic reset that seeks out global talent, diversifies funding sources, and clearly defines strategic priorities.
Science Communication Is Central to the Practice of Science
Explaining and defending knowledge is as essential to the scientific enterprise as publishing research.
Horizon Europe Is Now Truly Global. But What Comes Next?
As Australia agrees to associate, questions remain over whether the programme will be genuinely international, or EU-first.
China Is an Innovation Powerhouse - But It Should Do More Fundamental Research
Academic Collaboration with Industry is No Longer Optional - It is Now Essential
Academic Collaboration with Industry is No Longer Optional - It is Now Essential
With funding cuts hampering academic science budgets, industrial science can play a pivotal role in supporting research.
We Should Focus Less on Research Impact and More on Research Value
We Should Focus Less on Research Impact and More on Research Value
Institutional definitions of research impact align poorly with the practices and values of staff. Could a focus on research value lead to better outcomes?
The Role of Gossip in Scholarly Publishing
Let's say the quiet part out loud: gossip plays an important role in scholarly publishing. But is that a bad thing?
Research Integrity is Locked into an Arms Race with Agentic AI Slop
Research Integrity is Locked into an Arms Race with Agentic AI Slop
Advances in agentic AI combined with increasingly large reserves of openly accessibly and machine-readable data are creating a perfect storm for the mass-production of AI authored research papers.
The Problem With Promoting 'Gold Standard Science'
Branding scientific research with a simplified label risks misleading the public and harming scientific literacy.
Academic Freedom Under Pressure: What Academic Publishers Can Do
Academic Freedom Under Pressure: What Academic Publishers Can Do
This post is an urgent call to push back against global trends in academic censorship and threats to free speech in scholarly communications.
Why Are Scholars of Political Science Frequently Ignored?
Why Are Scholars of Political Science Frequently Ignored?
A major reason is the rise of anti-intellectualism in politics and society – the devaluation of expert knowledge, critical thinking and rigorous empirical analysis of the challenges we face.
Switzerland Hosts 'CERN of Semiconductor Research'
Swiss universities rely on open-source technology to design more efficient chips.
The Economic Benefits of Open Science
Executive summary of an independent study on the economic benefits of open science, showing how sharing research outputs enables reuse, improves efficiency, and supports innovation.
Universities Have Become Property Businesses. What Does That Mean for Research?
Podcast: Wissenschaft Unter Druck - Trumps Angriffe Auf US-Universitäten
Podcast: Wissenschaft Unter Druck - Trumps Angriffe Auf US-Universitäten
Seit Donald Trump wieder Präsident ist, hat sich die Lage an US-Universitäten drastisch verändert: Studierende fürchten Abschiebungen, Wissenschaftler verlieren ihre Stellen und wichtige Forschungsprojekte werden gestrichen.
The Unmaking of the American University
For decades, research universities have relied on federal funding, with no guarantee that it will last. Now their survival may depend on compliance with the government.
Public Health Needs Steady Budgets - and Federal Funding Uncertainty Causes Real Harms, Even if the Money is Later Restored
Public Health Needs Steady Budgets - and Federal Funding Uncertainty Causes Real Harms, Even if the Money is Later Restored
Public health depends on long-term planning, and when that planning is interrupted, some programs never recover.
Who Owns Our Knowledge? An African University Press Perspective
Who Owns Our Knowledge? An African University Press Perspective
Today's guest post asks readers to reckon with the idea that knowledge reflects power, and the global knowledge economy excludes the Global South.
Cracked, but Still There: the Glass Ceiling Persists for Senior Women in Science
Do Women Academics Need to Work 2.4 Times Harder to Succeed?
Do Women Academics Need to Work 2.4 Times Harder to Succeed?
Re-examining a 1997 paper claiming women academics need to work 2.4 times harder than their male counterparts, Ulf Sandström suggests what policymakers can learn from overreliance on single studies.
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