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Do scientific fraudsters deserve a second chance?

Do scientific fraudsters deserve a second chance?

Can scientists who commit research fraud be rehabilitated? One program is trying to keep ex-fraudsters from falling off the wagon.

What’s next? 5 Brexit lessons for European research

What’s next? 5 Brexit lessons for European research

Focus on bridge-building, open the science cloud, clarify the rules – these are among the steps that the EU should now take to turn the UK’s departure from disaster to opportunity.

Brexit would open a can of worms for research policy in Europe

Brexit would open a can of worms for research policy in Europe

Even the best-case scenario for a UK withdrawal from the EU would be hugely disruptive, both domestically and across the continent, says Peter Fisch.

The ups and downs of data sharing in science

The ups and downs of data sharing in science

Pooling clinical details helps doctors to diagnose rare diseases — but more sharing is needed.

Does a journal of homeopathy belong in science?

Does a journal of homeopathy belong in science?

A homeopathy journal was recently booted from the list of respectable scientific titles — but why was it among the ranks in the first place?

To Advance Science, It's Time to Tackle Unconscious Bias

To Advance Science, It's Time to Tackle Unconscious Bias

Gender and race bias aren't the only ways humans subconsciously skew which science projects get funded and published. Various types of implicit bias can undermine important research.

Brexit: Turning point

Brexit: Turning point

The result of next week’s crucial UK referendum on whether or not to remain in the European Union will have worldwide repercussions.

A code of conduct for data on epidemics

A code of conduct for data on epidemics

As a long-term champion of open-access research data on pandemic viruses and a member of the Italian Parliament, I urge Brazil to hasten the reform of its current biosecurity legislation. This would enable sharing of vital Zika virus samples and information, as recently called for by the World Health Organization…

Predatory journals: Ban predators from the scientific record

Predatory journals: Ban predators from the scientific record

Universities and colleges should stop using the quantity of published articles as a measure of academic performance. Researchers and respectable journals should not cite articles from predatory journals, and academic library databases should exclude metadata for such publications.

Boon or burden: what has the EU ever done for science?

Boon or burden: what has the EU ever done for science?

More than 500 million people and 28 nations make up the European Union. It will lose one of its richest, most populous members, if the United Kingdom votes to leave on 23 June. Ahead of a possible ‘Brexit’, Nature examines five core ways that the EU shapes the course of research.

Should All Academic Research Be Free And What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About Publishing

Should All Academic Research Be Free And What Wikipedia Can Teach Us About Publishing

It is remarkable that the sharing of academic research was the genesis of the modern web, yet today remains one of the last bastions of non-free content on the web.

How should we treat science’s growing pains?

How should we treat science’s growing pains?

Jerome Ravetz has been one of the UK’s foremost philosophers of science for more than 50 years. Here, he reflects on the troubles facing contemporary science. He argues that the roots of science’s crisis have been ignored for too long. Quality control has failed to keep pace with the growth of science.

Why Academic Leaders Are Afraid of Free Speech

Why Academic Leaders Are Afraid of Free Speech

The coddling of students' minds has resulted in grave restrictions on their peers' First Amendment rights—and university administrators are too fearful to do anything about it.

The fool’s gold of Ph.D. employment data

The fool’s gold of Ph.D. employment data

Making proclamations about the scientific enterprise based on sparse employment and career data about junior scientists has become a common endeavor. But this approach is fundamentally flawed.

Scientists aren’t gods. They deserve the same scrutiny as anyone else

Scientists aren’t gods. They deserve the same scrutiny as anyone else

Experts preaching the ‘truth’ on healthy eating or cancer cures are not immune to the murky worlds of politics and commerce.