Research

Colleagues may look askance at ‘the death squad’, but while teaching and research into one of life’s only two certainties may be taxing, it is also vital, Matthew Reisz hears

Data suggest that single authorship is continuing to decline across the world, but will it always have a place?

In Russia and Indonesia, more than a third of research produced without international collaboration fails to gain single citation

Budget restrictions, a focus on teaching and a paucity of internationalisation all hold back Turkish research, says Hakan Ergin

With such wide disagreements in grading, the research excellence framework’s gravity for careers is unjustifiable, says Philip Moriarty

New centre vows to tackle ‘loss of trust’ driven by technological change

New scorecards demonstrate the payoffs from international collaboration

Analysis of more than 120 million academic publications since the beginning of the 19th century shows more is more as academics compete for attention

Promotion criteria requiring top researchers to also be good teachers and managers undermine the nature of universities, says Andrew Oswald

Large universities drop down list looking at high quality research once overall natural science output is taken into account

Raising UK outlay to international levels will reap rich technological, social and political rewards for the next Conservative Party leader, says Sarah Main 

Embedded integrity practices sustained knowledge systems that have evolved for millennia, says RMIT leader

Treating the sciences and the humanities as separate worlds does employers and students no favours, says award-winning interdisciplinarian

‘Reviewer 2’ is blamed by many academics for much of the stress and anxiety of publication – but the fightback is under way

There is nothing devilish about government oversight of research, but the Haldane Principle checks more sulphurous instincts, says Paul Jump

Last year’s scandal over the ministerial vetoing of Australian research grants coincided with the centenary of the fabled principle that politicians should keep out of such decisions. But with governments becoming increasingly ideological and desperate for innovation-fuelled growth, does scientific autonomy have a future? Rachael Pells investigates 

Brexit or no Brexit, scientists across the continent have an obligation to keep standing up for ideals such as integrity, trust and cooperation, writes the European Union’s former director-general of research, Robert-Jan Smits

Increasing lead over US and Europe may raise questions over who controls future of green technology

Study of grant funding in Australia suggests that collaboration across STEM and non-STEM divide is not the norm

Researcher hopes showing at United Nations will spur further action to help the most disadvantaged artisans

Western ‘settler’ nations such as Canada and Australia are wrestling with how to redress historical injustices visited on their native populations. One proposal is for universities to embrace Indigenous knowledge. But what does that mean in practice? Will it achieve its aims? And where does it leave science? Matthew Reisz considers the arguments

‘Science diplomacy’ is seen as a crucial way to build international trust, but the idea is undergoing a radical rethink

Revive your interest in universities, businesses told, as interest rate hits historic low

Institutions Down Under do not have the resources to lead the world across the board, says former vice-chancellor

After crackdowns on campus, members of Congress move to coordinate policy for universities

Leap in proportion of ‘above world standard’ research may reflect decline in average citation rates around the globe

New institute intends to marshal all academic fields to nudge artificial intelligence and its uses to more positive place

The adoption of an Athena SWAN-style initiative is undermined by a failure to meaningfully consult Indigenous Peoples, say Karen Lawford and Jamie Lundine

Surveys reveal complex mix of concerns about misuse of research results

King’s College London moves opens debate over role of such knowledge in countries without significant Aboriginal populations

The new president of the Royal Economic Society on the need for economists to be more engaging and why being a woman is an advantage in the field

White House promising consolidated approach to suspicions of espionage in labs

Former chief defence scientist of Australia says universities may be forced to bar Chinese nationals from conducting research in sensitive areas

Matthew Reisz reflects on the advantages and disadvantages of detachment for those pursuing ghostly research

Be kind, be constructive and go easy on the free booze, conference veterans advise new and returning attendees

Neil Dagnall and Ken Drinkwater tell Matthew Reisz about the rare pleasures of teaching and researching belief in ghosts, alien abductions and conspiracy theories

Senator suggests that universities might want to keep more of their findings to themselves

Advocacy groups demand action from next government

CBI warns country will not spend 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product on research and development until 2053

Data on the growth of scholarly collaboration across Asia, the Middle East and eastern Europe suggest Beijing’s grand strategy could be having an impact

A review following the latest iteration of the PBRF could lead to radical changes that undermine the gains made, warns Roger Smyth

Peter Ridd’s victory in unfair dismissal case raises questions about limits of scientific consensus

Fragmentary, first-person accounts are challenging the staid traditions of the monograph, event hears

Leading professor who backs creation of ‘Cern for AI’ calls lack of decisive government action ‘disturbing’

Facilitating flexible working hours and showing gratitude towards team members are among the musts for all labs, according to Fernando Maestre

The unfettered pursuit of knowledge is every university’s core value – even if management doesn’t always see it that way, says Dennis Hayes

International conferences are a huge boon to academics, allowing them to hear about new findings, make new connections and, above all, enjoy the physical manifestation of their virtual global community. But is all that footfall worth the huge carbon footprint it leaves? Joanna Kidman is increasingly unsure 

Improving the culture surrounding mental health for postgraduates and PhD students also crucial to maintaining a healthy research system, Chris Skidmore tells leaders

Academics say evaluation conducted to decide distribution of Performance-Based Research Fund is no longer helpful

Kelvin Droegemeier tells researchers that openness is ‘part of our value system’

The use of VR in psychology experiments is being driven not just by increasingly affordable technology but also by concerns about the reproducibility of many real-world studies. But do humans really behave in the virtual world as they do in reality? And does it matter? David Matthews investigates

Minister tells THE summit that space project on which she works typifies national priority to diversify economy

Research agency stresses workforce risk in low number of emerging researchers

When credible concerns emerge about research validity, universities and journals must move quickly, writes John Ross

Survey of non-native English-speakers suggests that, even in natural sciences, other languages play key role 

The expert on ancient Syria was forced to flee his homeland – but has been able to continue his work thanks to a German scholarship

Matthew Reisz discovers what anthropologist Ruben Andersson learned behind bunkers in Bamako

Analysis of nine European universities finds the ‘innovation’ agenda has taken root – often pushed by students who want to solve the world’s problems

The quality of Indian higher education outside a few elite institutions is notoriously poor, and a slew of initiatives aimed at addressing it have made little impact so far. Simon Baker analyses the data to assess the scale of the challenge and asks what more could and should be done

Western countries’ determination to tackle the migration crisis without taking any risks with their own personnel is wasteful and counterproductive, the Oxford anthropologist tells Matthew Reisz