Research

Short-term financial squeeze could litter sector with aborted projects and careers, report warns

Initiative may have pushed academics to ‘salami-slice’ results, new analysis finds

The Research Australia report has exposed the fault lines in health research funding, says Ross Coppel 

Managers must acknowledge that supervising some types of doctoral candidates is more labour-intensive, say Roger Watson and David Thompson

Bradley Garrett has crossed the globe to meet those who stockpile food in fortified shelters in anticipation of apocalyptic disasters. As a global pandemic seems to confirm some of their fears, he tells Jack Grove what we can learn from them – and what they’ve got wrong

Top researchers call for universities and funders to sign up to new set of principles to stamp out harassment

Springer Nature-Digital Science survey reveals that pandemic-hit researchers are more likely to return to old data, which some worry could lead to fraud

Bullying and harassment is still widespread in our institutions, and this must change, say science leaders

‘Every young student of science has had a fantasy about winning a Nobel prize,’ says one laureate – and ever more rival prizes are being established. But with a cast of thousands currently pursuing the holy grail of a vaccine for Covid-19, might awards committees finally jettison their problematic focus on lone genius, asks Jack Grove

Research leaders stress opportunities for engagement from Covid-induced adversity

Social scientists should be judged on their impact, while journals should make room for under-represented voices, say academics

Green light for international universities to operate in new National Education Policy

The halting of trials for a coronavirus treatment following the publication of dubious data highlights the perils of opacity, says Ron Iphofen

Three recent studies have unearthed interesting patterns by comparing cross-border working before and during the pandemic

Plea comes amid concerns that UK’s post-Covid research plans have yet to adequately map out non-commercial engagement  

Now is the time to build a research infrastructure that harnesses and nurtures the energy, creativity and enterprise of the third sector, says letter

Teaching-focused institutions need to concentrate on the aspects of faculty research that contribute to the student experience, says Neil Clarke

More than half of papers associated with science prizes from 1995 to 2017 relate to just five areas

While a brains trust of Australian vice-chancellors is considering how to fund research long-term, a university group says the biggest challenge is more immediate

Global ‘Journal of the Plague Year’ collaboration highlights growing use of rapid-response collecting 

This week’s deal will tip the balance back towards fundamental research – and it might not have been done at all, says Jan Palmowski 

Overseas aid cuts and changing diplomatic priorities have raised concerns that future of Global Challenges Research Fund is at risk

Insistence on ‘excellent’ research is commonplace, but Europe’s biggest funders warn that it can damage integrity and foster ruthless competition when poorly defined

Physical events are not going away but they must open up and embrace the best of the digital world, says Jim Woodgett

Plan S shift backed by European Commission will be ‘detrimental’ to researchers, says commission-created ERC

Senior scientists and sector bodies call for more ‘reasonable’ financial terms that would allow the UK to join Horizon Europe

Changes to EU plans could deter UK government by making it net contributor to Horizon Europe, UUKi director warns

Academic research is not having any significant impact on the national economy or health of society, laments Tahir Shah

Agreeing on standard translations for technical terms is a crucial tool in developing teaching and research

An oft-overlooked component of the research process is that simple little thing called leadership, says Matthew Flinders

Simplistic performance measures hold research back, says Jim McCluskey, as Melbourne becomes the first Australian university to sign up to Dora

Developer of research assessment guidelines says that while funders and journals are important, role of universities is pivotal

Beyond the challenges of Brexit and Covid-19, the UK’s new science chief is seen as likely to seek reforms to ‘workaholic’ research culture practices and the REF

Travel restrictions on Western scholars have shown how African scientists can step up to lead, global health experts believe

Scholars from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East should have new opportunities to guide internally displaced person policymaking

It is those who commit research misconduct – not those who expose them – that damage science, according to David Sanders. But while the biologist has embraced the role of data detective thrust upon him, he wishes more scientists would share the thankless, legally fraught burden

Australian decision a reminder that universities cannot impose unrealistic research requirements, academic union says

Data cleansing project for pandemic patients illustrates the side benefits of astronomy research

The cash injection announced by the government last week is the most ambitious plan of its kind Ed Byrne has seen in 40 years

Lack of enthusiasm for universities within new research ‘road map’ confirms government wish to spend funding elsewhere, says policy expert

New study shows strong link between headlines and citations, but scholars say more research needed on causality

New Downing Street unit for attracting global talent and review of immigration rules among measures to support research

Berkeley-directed outlet plans open peer reviews and cross-discipline focus

Major data analysis of authorship patterns also finds gap is largest among youngest scholars 

Unequal childcare burden blamed for fall in share of published research by women since schools shut, but funding bodies look to alleviate career impact

Female academics with children say they fear the pandemic lockdowns have affected their careers

But auditing such efforts will be difficult, while unintended consequences are always a risk, warns Athene Donald

We will need wisdom and common purpose to update multiple layers of norms, says Jinghai Li

Fee and subsidy reshuffle curbs universities’ capacity to support their research, but proposed funds could help bridge the gap

Extra funds for science are welcome, but tipping the balance towards challenge-led research must not become the new normal, warns Jan Palmowski

Leader of US’ most prominent historically black university says proper funding of such institutions will improve diversity in academia

Debate about computer programs underlying epidemiological modelling leads to wider calls for more openness

The urge to be proved right and the mantra of publish or perish amount to a toxic scholarly brew. Reflection is the best policy, says Simone Eringfeld 

Collaboration between the UK and China – and beyond – is needed more than ever to fight a pandemic in a politicised world

Support for early career scholars must be explored to avoid research being damaged in the long term, experts warn

Matthew Reisz reflects on the researchers who have brought us powerful stories about how gender manifests – from remote Himalayan villages to the nightclubs of the French Riviera

Nations are increasingly making conscious efforts to propel a subset of their universities into the global elite. But are such aspirations ever met? And, if they are, is that a blessing or a curse for those institutions denied entry to the club? Simon Baker examines the issues and the numbers

Ashley Mears brings personal experience as a model to her academic work on the gender politics of beauty. For her latest book on mega-rich men’s use of beautiful women as a form of currency, she went on more than 100 glamorous nights out – and sometimes even enjoyed it, she tells Matthew Reisz 

The global race against coronavirus to develop a vaccine cannot be won by principal investigators alone, says John Tregoning

Australian university directs academics to spend up to 80 per cent of their time teaching, despite relatively healthy financial position