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University of California Challenges Elsevier over Access to Scholarly Research

University of California Challenges Elsevier over Access to Scholarly Research

University of California System is playing hardball with Elsevier in negotiations that could transform the way it pays to read and publish research. But does the UC system have the clout to pull it off?

Springer Nature and Publons Enter Wide-ranging Partnership to Bring Greater Efficiency and Recognition to Peer Review

Springer Nature and Publons Enter Wide-ranging Partnership to Bring Greater Efficiency and Recognition to Peer Review

The burden on the peer review community is increasing as the volume of published research articles grows. Research output is rising exponentially and this is putting pressure on the system, with many academics inundated with requests to peer review. The recent Global State of Peer Review report highlights a growing “reviewer fatigue”.To help address this, Springer Nature and Publons, part of Clarivate Analytics, have announced a partnership to improve the peer review process and enable peer reviewers to receive recognition for their contribution.

Outreach Events Engage Queer and Transgender Youth in STEM

Outreach Events Engage Queer and Transgender Youth in STEM

Run by queer and transgender scientists, a new program aims to help high school students of similar identities see a future for themselves in science.

Scientists Identify Vast Underground Ecosystem Containing Billions of Micro-organisms

Scientists Identify Vast Underground Ecosystem Containing Billions of Micro-organisms

Global team of scientists find ecosystem below earth that is twice the size of world's oceans

Netherlands Considers Creating Faculty Positions Based on Teaching, Not Research Metrics

Netherlands Considers Creating Faculty Positions Based on Teaching, Not Research Metrics

The Netherlands plan a shift away from evaluating faculty members only on research metrics. This move would also make it possible to be hired on the basis of teaching.

In UC's Battle with the World's Largest Scientific Publisher, the Future of Information is at Stake

In UC's Battle with the World's Largest Scientific Publisher, the Future of Information is at Stake

The University of California faces a Dec. 31 deadline to reach a renewal deal on subscriptions to 1,500 scientific journals. Here's why it might not regret letting its subscriptions lapse.

Canada, France Plan Global Panel to Study the Effects of AI

Canada, France Plan Global Panel to Study the Effects of AI

The International Panel on Artificial Intelligence will be modeled on a group formed to study climate change and recommend government policies.

ORCID Funders Open Letter

ORCID Funders Open Letter

Press release for launch of ORCID funders open letter. ORCID is pleased to announce the launch of an open letter in support of the use of ORCID identifiers (iDs) in the grant application and reporting process. Nine funding bodies around the world have signed the letter and invite others to join them.

Peer Review: How to Be a Good Referee

Peer Review: How to Be a Good Referee

Peer review is lauded in principle as the guarantor of quality in academic publishing and grant distribution. But its practice is often loathed by those on the receiving end. Here, seven academics offer their tips on good refereeing, and reflect on how it may change in the years to come

EU Grants 14 Million to Swiss Researchers

EU Grants 14 Million to Swiss Researchers

An ERC Grant is the most prestigious award for excellent European research projects. A team with three researchers from the ETH Domain had also applied for such a grant. Today, Gabriel Aeppli from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Henrik Rønnow from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne EPFL and Nicola Spaldin from ETH Zurich, together with their colleague Alexander Balatsky from Nordita, Stockholm University, received the contract signed by the EU confirming the extraordinary 14 million euro funding.

Aligning Strategies to Enable Open Access

Aligning Strategies to Enable Open Access

The 14th Berlin Open Access Conference, hosted by the Max Planck Society and organized by the Max Planck Digital Library on behalf of the Open Access 2020 Initiative (oa2020.org), has just come to an end after two intense days with 170 participants from 37 countries around the world discussing where the research organizations and their library consortia stand in their negotiations with scholarly publishers in transitioning scholarly publishing to open access. The participants represented research performing and research funding organizations, libraries and government, associations of researchers and other umbrella organizations, many of them holding high-level positions at their organizations. In his welcoming address, Max Planck Society President Martin Stratmann captured the spirit of the meeting when he stated: "Open Access is the responsibility of all of us."

Commission Frees 'Seal of Excellence' Research Projects from State Aid Unfair Competition Rules

Commission Frees 'Seal of Excellence' Research Projects from State Aid Unfair Competition Rules

The change is intended to enable researchers to access structural funds for projects reviewers say are excellent, but which don’t make the cut for Horizon Europe grants.

The Biggest Science Stories of 2018

The Biggest Science Stories of 2018

This year taught us more about distant planets and our own world, about the ways we're influencing our environment and the ways we're changing ourselves.

Sci-Hub "Pirate Bay of Science" Blocked in Russia Over Medical Studies

Sci-Hub "Pirate Bay of Science" Blocked in Russia Over Medical Studies

Many of Sci-Hub's domains have been blocked in Russia following a complaint from academic publisher Springer Nature that three studies covering heart and brain health were offered without obtaining an appropriate license.

Have University Leaders Changed After the Vice-chancellor Pay Scandal?

Have University Leaders Changed After the Vice-chancellor Pay Scandal?

After a troubled year for universities, the next generation of leaders is emerging. They're tech savvy, low ego and skilled in soft power

European Gender Scholars Unite in Resistance Against Right-wing Attacks

European Gender Scholars Unite in Resistance Against Right-wing Attacks

How are Hungarian, Polish and Swedish gender scholars responding to criticism and campaigns to discredit their work? Not only do they emphasize the intrinsic value of gender studies - they also use humour to counter the anti-gender campaigns.

A Year in ORBIT | ORCID

A Year in ORBIT | ORCID

A year ago, we launched the ORCID Reducing Burden and Improving Transparency (ORBIT) project. Find out how far we've come since then in this post by ORCID staff Josh Brown and Tom Demeranville, who are leading the project.

ESRC Wins International Awards for Videos of Research Impact - Economic and Social Research Council

ESRC Wins International Awards for Videos of Research Impact - Economic and Social Research Council

The Complexity of the Commons: Scientists Recast Social Dilemmas

The Complexity of the Commons: Scientists Recast Social Dilemmas

A new classification system adds real-world complexity to social dilemmas like the paradigmatic 'tragedy of the commons.'