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This January will not only mark a new year but a new administration and with that over 4000 new presidential appointees across the federal government. One appointment that has the potential to either hinder or benefit the biomedical research community is that of the director of the National Institutes of Health.
Open access publishing that permits commercial reuse enables the kinds of public-private partnerships that are essential to scientific innovation.
The Journal Impact Factor (JIF) has been heavily criticized over decades. This opinion piece argues that the JIF should not be demonized. It still can be employed for research evaluation purposes by carefully considering the context and academic environment.
Why does a mole rat live 30 years but a mouse only three? With $1.5 billion in the bank, Google’s anti-aging spinout Calico is rich enough to find out.
A perspective by Kathy L. Hudson and Francis S. Collins on the 21st Century Cures Act.
Elsevier explains the thought process behind its new journal impact metrics.
Sociologist Matthijs Rooduijn explains why the darkening political mood must force academics to step up and choose sides.
The measurement of Impact Factor – how many citations a publication or a researcher is able to attract, is one of the most controversial yet most widely used quality indicators in science.
How to address high tech’s missing XX factor
Promises made by researchers to participants to elicit the truth may not be worth the paper their written on if the courts can bulldoze though them.
Writers from the Guardian’s science blog network pick out the books from across the cultural spectrum that delighted them most this year
Fellow Congress members should rely on peer-reviewed science, not fake news.
Dwindling gains in science, medicine and technology hold back growth; is America too risk-averse?
Scientists should challenge online falsehoods and inaccuracies — and harness the collective power of the Internet to fight back, argues Phil Williamson.
Technology and practice can help shy and introverted researchers to succeed when reticence is risky.
To claim credit for a discovery, we publish it in a peer-reviewed journal; to get a job in academia or money to run a lab, we present piles of these published papers to universities and funding agencies. Publishing is so embedded in the practice of science that whoever controls the journals controls access to the entire profession. It is, therefore, worth examining to whom we have entrusted the keys to the kingdom of science.
The quality of scientific publications will benefit from a revolution in the peer review models.
Women are still underrepresented in terms of authorships, including first and/or last authorships (whichever is more prestigious), coauthorships, and in the granting of scientific prizes.
Science fraud draws attention, but most scientists think it’s a far lesser threat to their field than the many times researchers cut corners.
In an era of online discussion, debate must remain nuanced and courteous.
From clarity to confusion, Rebecca Pool looks at the highs and lows of data sharing in scholarly publishing
