Gone is the solitary genius – science today is a group effort
Where once scientists used to be solitary creatures, today science is a highly collaborative affair, and the latest research in ecology is no exception.
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Where once scientists used to be solitary creatures, today science is a highly collaborative affair, and the latest research in ecology is no exception.
Scientific publishing has undergone a revolution in recent years - largely due to the internet. And it shows no sign of letting up as a growing number of countries attempt to ensure that research papers are made freely available. Publishers are struggling to adapt their business models to the new challenges.
The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has gone to a researcher who spent her entire career researching traditional Chinese medicine...
The lead paper describing Homo naledi has been viewed more than 170,000 times in one week.
We need to ensure the reward and support structures in academia promote the best practices rather than corner cutting.
Contrary to what some think, the battle against sexism in STEM has not been won, let alone reversed in favor of women.
Many academics have internalised the pressure to police disciplinary boundaries, and keep their heads down and in their faculties.
What if I told you that half of the studies published in scientific journals today - the ones upon which news coverage of medical advances is often based - won't hold up under scrutiny?
Working longer hours leads to poorer productivity. If you’re trying to impress people and move up the ranks, the solution isn’t to work longer, but to work smarter.
Investigating fraud is hard work, and it is easier for journal editors to ignore the problem and perpetuate the myth that peer review of trial reports ensures their scientific quality.
Enough with the long author lists - we are running out of space.
In academia, strong hierarchies and nepotism compound problems associated with biases.
The internet has radically changed most forms of communication, government and business – why not science and research funding too?
In recent years science has entered a crisis of trust. The results of many scientific experiments appear to be surprisingly hard to reproduce, while mistakes have highlighted flaws in the peer review system.
Professors issue warning over obsession with performance management and research excellence.
The research excellence of academics is often measured by the quantity and quality of their scholarly publications. But how do we know that all authors listed on a publication have actually been involved in the research?
While The Conversation is built around a journalistic model, there is a big growth in online, open-access journals each with different approaches to peer review.
Problems and limitations of the traditional and alternative peer review methods.
Overly optimistic investments in scientific fields, research methods and technologies generate episodes comparable to those experienced by financial markets prior to crashing.
Interview with Walter Gilbert, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
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
The rate of retractions of scientific papers has been growing over the past decade, suggestive to some of a crisis of confidence in science. Can we no longer trust the scientific literature?
Scientists need ways to evaluate themselves and their colleagues. These evaluations are necessary for better everyday management: hiring, promotions, awarding grants and so on. One evaluation metric has dominated these decisions, and that is doing more harm than good.
Most academic papers today are published only after some academic peers have had a chance to review the merits and limitations of the work. This seems like a good idea, but there is a growing movement that wants to retort as Albert Einstein did to such a review process.
Higher education needs to break down the barriers that block pathways to cross-subject study.
Although approximately 50% of PhD students and postdoctoral scientists are female, males run the majority of research laboratories. Despite some reform over the past three decades, there is still an exodus of female scientists from academic research at the transitional stage between a postdoctoral researcher and laboratory head.
With only one in five National Health and Medical Research Council ( NHMRC) grant applications successful, and a similar rate for Australian Research Council ( ARC) Discovery grants, it's little wonder researchers are looking to alternate forms of funding - one of which being crowdfunding.