The traditional mode of publishing scientific research faces much criticism – primarily for being too slow and sometimes shoddily done. Maybe fewer publications of higher quality is the way forward.
We don’t need fancy gadgets to improve our brain power.
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The American Sociological Association is starting a conversation to include “public communication” – work often largely ignored – in the assessment of a scholar’s contributions. Why does it matter?
What are the implications of peer review on competition in science?
PROChristian Guthier
Peer review is a crucial part of the academic publication system. It is also a critical part of the hiring and evaluation process. What’s the problem with peer review?
Sampling is a powerful scientific tool - when it’s used honestly.
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Some water researchers are ignoring the evidence offered by sampling if it doesn’t fit their preconceived notions. But science should always be honest and open.
Researchers at a fertility clinic in Athens appear to have reversed the menopause in a small group of women – but will the science stand up to scrutiny?
Professor Peter Higgs, joint winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Russell Cheyne/Reuters
The unavoidable regime of publication pervades contemporary academic life across the world. While presented as a virtuous thing, it can actually suffocate the academic profession.
Biomedical scientist Dong Pyou-Han was sentenced to 57 months in prison for falsifying data in HIV vaccine trials.
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Peter C. Doherty, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
Peer review is not infallible, but it’s central to how science works. In this extract from Peter Doherty’s new book, The Knowledge Wars, he explains how it works in practice.
Open access allows users to download, copy, print and distribute works, without the need to ask for permission or to pay.
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To the mark the eighth annual Open Access Week, we asked our readers what they wanted to know about the initiative. Here are their questions with answers from our experts.
Which of these researchers has fudged their results to get ahead?
wavebreakmedia
Why do predatory and vanity academic publishers and conferences exist? Why are they flourishing now? And what can they tell us about the failings of academia?
What? Eating chocolate doesn’t help lose weight? But I read it in the newspaper!
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A recent hoax study suggesting chocolate helps people lose weight highlights many problems with the way science is conducted and reported by the media.
The call for a male author on a paper was met with outrage from within the scientific community and the general public.
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Putting the power of the crowd to work could raise more money for scientific research.
New data reveals no evidence of gravitational waves in the early universe, as observed by the BICEP2 radio telescope (pictured) near the South Pole.
teffen Richter, Harvard University
One of this century’s greatest potential discoveries concerning the origins of the universe has now fallen to galactic dust. That’s according to a new joint-analysis of all the existing data – including…
Do all authors listed on any published work actually contribute to the research?
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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…