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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.
Gene editing can drive science to openness
The fast-moving field of gene-drive research provides an opportunity to rewrite the rules of the science, says Kevin Esvelt.
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.
In praise of solitude in science
Solitude often holds negative connotations. Yet, solitude in science it is not necessarily a bad thing.
Let's talk about preprint servers
After ASAPbio, Cell Press CEO Emilie Marcus was left with many questions about preprint servers and her company's policy towards them.
EU’s Bold Open Science Recommendations Strike a Nerve
In their response to the EU’s Competitiveness Council’s Conclusions of May 27, 2016, the publishers expressed numerous deep concerns.
The developing world needs basic research too
The establishment of an agency in Indonesia that will support 'frontier research' is a welcome development, argues Dyna Rochmyaningsih.
What does scientific reproducibility mean, anyway?
The current movement to replicate results is crippled by a lack of agreement about the very nature of the word “replication” and its synonyms.
Does mobility boost early scientific careers?
Young scientists are expected to change country and jobs every few years on average to get a chance to progress their academic career. Mobility in science stems from a long tradition. It is favoured for bringing very enriching experiences. But post docs and their scientific work do not always benefit from mobility. Here, EuroScientist looks into how being on the move every few years affects the life of researchers and looks at ways of enhancing work/life balance.
Why aren’t there more women in science? The industry structure is sexist
Women outnumber men in a raft of science courses – but when they start their careers, they find many insurmountable barriers.
Sci-Hub: What It Is and Why It Matters
The controversies surrounding Sci-Hub touch on many hot-button topics in librarianship. This primer lays out multiple perspectives on the issues.
SAGE Open five years on
Lessons learned and future thoughts on open access in humanities and social sciences.
Money back guarantees for non-reproducible results?
There are better solutions to the “reproducibility crisis” in research
The 10 commandments for influencing policymakers
Nick Hillman offers academics advice on managing expectations and ensuring that their research has a big impact
Should researchers publish their findings before peer review?
Scientists, journal editors, and funders of research are talking about a once-heretical idea: preprint publishing for biologists.
Tim Berners-Lee on the Future of Book Publishing
How might Web technology change the publishing industry? Ask the inventor of the World Wide Web.
Integrity or impact? Confessions of an early career researcher
The reality of academia is stifling the passion and creativity needed both to enjoy science, and to do it well.
Crunch time
Overtime pay for postdoctoral scientists is welcome — but could mean fewer positions.
Elsevier denies it will force SSRN users on to other services
Purchase of research repository has horrified open access advocates who fear acquisition marks attempt to maintain control over publishing
Writing book reviews during your PhD
Steph Wright wonders if it is better to speak your mind or to hold your tongue
Second thoughts: Nature Editorial
Revisiting the past can help to inform ideas of the present: science without consensus would be chaos. But the price of consensus is eternal vigilance against complacency, and a willingness to contemplate the road otherwise not travelled.
CVs of failure in academia do not tell the whole story
Being open about failure is one thing, but we must also look at how we define success, says Shahidha Bari
Scientists Are Just as Confused About the Ethics of Big-Data Research as You
Preprints for the life sciences
Piece reflecting the opinions of researchers, funders, and journals.
Academic Publishing: Toward a New Model
To make research more accessible, separate the review and dissemination processes.