opinion articles

Send us a link

Subscribe to our newsletter

Can New Models of Publishing Better Salvage the Benefits of Peer Review?

Can New Models of Publishing Better Salvage the Benefits of Peer Review?

Do journals do a good job of finding appropriate peers to review papers? Are editors always in the best place to decide the fate of a paper based on a severely limited sampling of peer reports?

President Trump and Science: 10 Things to Look for (and Fear?)

President Trump and Science: 10 Things to Look for (and Fear?)

U.S. scientists wait anxiously for the new administration to flesh out its policies.

Moral Dilemma: Should We Reshape Society Because We Can?

Moral Dilemma: Should We Reshape Society Because We Can?

Traditional values will not serve us well when it comes to debating the ethics of novel technologies such as self-driving cars. We need a new moral code.

Advice on how to write effective tenure-review letters

Advice on how to write effective tenure-review letters

Many professors frequently write tenure-review letters, but as a community, we’re not regularly discussing how we should be doing so, argues Eric Goldman.

For U.S. Science Policy, Big Shift Ahead

For U.S. Science Policy, Big Shift Ahead

How Congress and Trump could affect the chemistry enterprise.

Scientific 'Cartels' Band Together to Cite Each Others' Work

Scientific 'Cartels' Band Together to Cite Each Others' Work

A small number of scientists band together to reference each other’s work, gaming the citation system to make their studies appear to be more important.

Where Science and Nonsense Collide

Where Science and Nonsense Collide

After a decade of progress, Argentina’s scientists are battling a government bent on twisting public conceptions of their role.

Why STEM Majors Need the Humanities

Why STEM Majors Need the Humanities

It’s often argued that studying the liberal arts will enrich the life of the mind. For STEM majors, it can also give them a practical advantage in their careers.

Scientists Loved and Loathedby an Agrochemical Giant

Scientists Loved and Loathedby an Agrochemical Giant

With corporate funding of research, “there’s no scientist who comes out of this unscathed.”

Does Peer Review Help Weed Out Bad Science?

Does Peer Review Help Weed Out Bad Science?

Peer-review had a role to play when journals were all in print and competing for subscription real estate, but today it may be little more than a vestige of the print era.

Scientific Papers Need Better Feedback Systems. Here's Why

Scientific Papers Need Better Feedback Systems. Here's Why

The current peer-review system is limited to asking two people for their opinions - this is not enough.

Why Scientists Must Learn to Communicate With the Public

Why Scientists Must Learn to Communicate With the Public

Evading science communication simply because it is difficult, time-consuming or not important enough reflects more on how much scientists value their own work and its place in posterity.

Scientists should not resign themselves to Brexit

Scientists should not resign themselves to Brexit

Leaving the European Union is not yet a done deal, and UK researchers must look past a pay-off and take a stand, says Colin Macilwain.

Why Researchers Should Resolve to Engage in 2017

Why Researchers Should Resolve to Engage in 2017

Debates over climate change and genome editing present the need for researchers to venture beyond their comfort zones to engage with citizens — and they should receive credit for doing so.