Arbeitserfahrungen im Ausland gelten in der Wissenschaft als Tugend - Doch viele Forscher kehren nach Jahren des Wanderns nicht mehr zurück.

Es ist höchst eigenartig: Die Schweiz driftet, seit dem 9. Februar mit erhöhter Geschwindigkeit, auf eine gewaltige Bewährungsprobe zu, doch die politischen Parteien bleiben weitgehend stumm.

Scientific publishers producing model copyright licences will make it harder for academic research to be a "first class citizen of the web".

Women continue to face serious obstacles when pursuing a scientific career in Switzerland, with the juggle of family life and research particularly difficult.

Google is allegedly working on a free, open access platform for the research, collaboration and publishing of peer-reviewed scientific journals. At least, that is apparently what one individual wants us to believe.

Something is rotten in the state of academic publishing. But even those of us in the thick of it find it hard to pinpoint exactly what is wrong.

The increasing pace of human discovery is a curse – we need to rethink what it means to publish the results of research.

We need to deal swiftly with fraud when it is identified. But time after time I have watched not only the accused, but everyone around them, be treated with such sanctimonious disdain. by Michael Eisen

Research funding will continue to be haphazard if an anecdotal approach continues to be taken. by Julia Lane

Considering the future of science journalism.

When universities become corporatized, as has been happening quite systematically over the last generation as part of the general neoliberal assault on the population, their business model means that what matters is the bottom line.

Many factors influence success in a science career. Hard work, ambition, flair, and luck played a role in the success of Tim Hunt, who won a share of the 2001 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. Hunt's career demonstrates the importance of two additional success factors: playfulness and early independence.

The release of the 2014 Impact Factor Report was being awaited, as usual, with some anticipation. Yet this comes at a time when there is an ever-rising tide of contestation about its value in a radically changing research environment, especially in the developing world.

Researchers working at the interface of disciplines can pursue insights without sacrificing career progress.

It has been a busy couple of weeks across the European Union, but what does that mean for science?

Under current scientific publishing norms, most research – including, but not limited to, the analysis of thin circular objects – is accessible only to high-paying institutions.

According to a study published last year, “most investigators who engage in wrongdoing, even serious wrongdoing, continue to conduct research at their institutions.”

Commenters on post-publication peer review sites such as PubPeer are catching errors that traditional peer reviewers have missed.

The changing nature of research evaluation in UK higher education is creating perverse and damaging consequences that reinforce an excessively narrow definition of what counts as "high-quality" research.

Kein Wissenschaftler sieht sich gern als bestechlich an. Doch Manipulation und Einflussnahme laufen sehr subtil ab, erklärt Professor Thomas Kliche in der "duz". Der Trick: Auch Korruption kann zu Beginn noch ganz moralisch wirken.

Every year, thousands of scientists leave Europe for jobs elsewhere, notably the United States. The Old World is trying to get them back.

Scientists could achieve more fulfilled professional lives by embracing the skills needed for effective interaction with the public.

Nature, the pre-eminent journal for reporting scientific research, has had to retract two papers it published in January after mistakes were spotted in the figures, some of the methods descriptions were found to be plagiarised and early attempts to replicate the work failed.

Bernard Guetta is known as France's most respected geopolitical analyst. On his show on the public radio station France Inter, with its audience of 1.8 million, he deftly discusses the challenges Europe faces in the era of globalization.

Weakened by the economic crisis, European science faces increased competition from emerging countries. Helga Nowotny shares her vision for the future of European research.

Immer wieder geht das Schlagwort vom künstlichen Organismus um, wenn von der synthetischen Biologie die Rede ist. Doch wie künstlich ist das Leben, das diese Ingenieurs- disziplin der Biologie «schafft»?

Nachwuchsforscher stehen unter hohem Druck: Gefragt sind Publikationen und Mobilität, Freiräume dagegen sind rar. Die Akademien der Wissenschaften der Schweiz machen die schwierige Situation zum Thema einer Tagung an der Universität Zürich.

Measures of research impact are improving, but universities should be wary of their limits.

If everyone likes your research, you can be certain that you have not done anything important. That is the first thing to grasp. Conflict goes with the territory. Innovation comes when universities encourage risk-taking, says Andrew Oswald.

In an era of large collaborations, multi-authored papers, and enormous datasets, is there still room for the single creative idea that proves to be a gamechanger?