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An efficient system to fund science
This paper presents a novel model of science funding that exploits the wisdom of the scientific crowd. Each researcher receives an equal, unconditional part of all available science funding on a yearly basis, but is required to individually donate to other scientists a given fraction of all they receive. Science funding thus moves from one scientist to the next in such a way that scientists who receive many donations must also redistribute the most. As the funding circulates through the scientific community it is mathematically expected to converge on a funding distribution favored by the entire scientific community. This is achieved without any proposal submissions or reviews.
Give The Public What It Pays For
When you pay for something, you expect to receive it. Whether a physical good or a service, there is the rightful expectation that you will receive something in exchange for your money. The same should be true for scientific research.
Digital Science Reveals Catalyst Grant Winners
Etalia, Simiary and Writefull, three companies aiming to disrupt the academic space, are the latest recipients of the Catalyst Grant award for innovative startups.
Figshare Partners with The Royal Society
Figshare Partners with The Royal Society
Figshare announced a new partnership with Royal Society to increase research data discoverability.
Advice for early-career peer reviewers
The peer-review system, despite its flaws, is a central component of the publication process. However, relatively little guidance is provided for early-career scientists on 2 important aspects of peer review:
Why we have set publisher requirements
Robert Kiley, our Head of Digital Services, explains why Wellcome has introduced a set of publisher requirements for open access publications.
Reforming migration policy on international students
The government's policy focus on reducing net migration is causing unnecessary harm to the UK s international education sector one of the UK s biggest services exports This report asks how through better informed policy the UK can attract more students in a growing and increasingly competitive global marketplace
Commission Mandates Open Data From January 2017
A recent statement from Carlos Moedas told us that “as of the Work Programme 2017, the current Open Research Data Pilot will be extended to cover all thematic areas of Horizon 2020, making open research data the default setting. This means that as of January 1st 2017, all funded proposals will need to make all of the data and digital research outputs they generate openly available.
A Primer on How (Not) to Normalize
Citation metrics are very influential and their normalization is a contentious issue. Each normalization approach has advantages and disadvantages that need to be understood for proper use of these metrics.
Why academics are losing relevance in society – and how to stop it
Academics are getting out of touch with the rest of society. This helps explains the sorry state of our public discourse on science.
Female Scientists Turn to Data to Fight Lack of Representation on Panels
One day in August 2015, the Princeton University neuroscientist Yael Niv saw an email notice of a conference on deep brain stimulation, a hot topic in treatment for depression and other mental disorders. Dr. Niv noticed that none of the 21 scientists scheduled to speak were women.This was not the first time Dr. Niv had lamented a skewed lineup.
66 out of the 100 most cited papers are paywalled
The web was built specifically to share research papers amongst scientists. Despite this being the first goal of the modern web, most research is still published behind a paywall. We have recently highlighted famous math papers that reside behind a pa
Survey on challenges faced by young scientists
Weâre interested in hearing about the challenges faced by early-career scientists worldwide, especially if you've recently started your own lab, are struggling to maintain a lab, or have left research. We want to hear your stories. Your answers may feature in articles published by Nature's news team.
The science–policy interface
How do we ensure the effective role of science in public policy-making? This well-worn, long-standing question reflects the fact that the answer is not simple. Later this month in Brussels, scientists and policy-makers will convene at the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) Forum to consider the most promising ways forward.
London's biomedical behemoth opens its doors
This week, the first of 1500 researchers and support staff begin moving into the largest biomedical research building in Europe, the £650 million Francis Crick Institute in London.
The long march to open science
Many researchers are positive about the new, burgeoning science culture, but they still hesitate to enter into an open exchange of knowledge. There are many reasons why – such as a lack of knowledge about data management and the fear of intellectual property theft.
Elsevier’s New Patent for Online Peer Review Throws a Scare Into Open-Source Advocates
Elsevier’s New Patent for Online Peer Review Throws a Scare Into Open-Source Advocates
The giant journal company said it was merely protecting its own proprietary system. But a wave of critics on social media said they were suspicious of its motives.
Professor turns to novel writing as his research ‘had no impact’
Welfare state expert Peter Taylor-Gooby cheerfully admits his research has had no real-world influence – but hopes a book might.
How has publishing changed in the last 20 years?
It is useful to consider the trajectory of both scientific and literary publishing on the grid-group plane defined by Mary Douglas which arranges attitudes along two axes: one ranging from the hierarchical to the egalitarian, and the other spanning individualistic to communitarian. I would contend that, in both cases, there has been a move from the hierarchical/communitarian quadrant towards the egalitarian/individualistic zone.
Elsevier Awarded U.S. Patent For “Online Peer Review System and Method”
A few hours ago, 50 months after Elsevier submitted a patent application for an “Online peer review system and method” the patent was awarded to the company.
Stop ignoring misconduct
Efforts to reduce irreproducibility in research must also tackle the temptation to cheat.
Good Enough Practices in Scientific Computing
We present a set of computing tools and techniques that every researcher can and should adopt. These recommendations synthesize inspiration from our own work, from the experiences of the thousands of people who have taken part in Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry workshops over the past six years, and from a variety of other guides. Unlike some other guides, our recommendations are aimed specifically at people who are new to research computing.