Surprising responses to Hamlet Africa tour Researcher finds reactions to Shakespeare performance vary wildly across continent By Matthew Reisz 21 May
Rejected MA was too critical of white establishment, says academic Black scholar at UCL claims that he lost out on a permanent job after his proposed course ‘scared’ the academy By Jack Grove 21 May
The secrets to successful interdisciplinary work Researchers are advised to learn how to manage their own expectations and to be synergistic. Plus the latest higher education appointments By Matthew Reisz 21 May
AHRC chief Rick Rylance to head London’s Institute of English Studies The head of a research council is leaving to take up a position at a London university By Holly Else 20 May
Interdisciplinary research: study launched by British Academy The British Academy has launched a call for evidence on a new project exploring the nature and challenges of interdisciplinary research. By Matthew Reisz 17 May
Pint of Science festival launches across the UK Next week will see scientists in 12 UK cities – and 8 other countries – presenting their research to audiences in pubs. By Matthew Reisz 16 May
Home Office taken to court over Imperial animal research investigation The High Court has ruled that an animal rights organisation can bring a judicial review against the Home Office By Holly Else 15 May
Fear and loathing in Shagaluf: the Brit scholar abroad To study mass tourism, Hazel Andrews entered a world of binge-drinking, sexism and racism. She describes why she did it and what she learned By Matthew Reisz 14 May
Is DC Comics’ Batgirl hiding a secret academic identity? Scholar Will Brooker says comic-book giant’s new-look superheroine seems to share traits with his own series By Matthew Reisz 7 May
REF tactics: can you win by fielding the whole team? Universities, and especially the research elite, faced a choice between aiming for highest quality scores and the greatest number of staff submitted By Paul Jump 7 May
Universities must reconnect with the outside world, says UCL professor Michael Stewart uses inaugural lecture to criticise social sciences and arts in particular for being too insular By Chris Parr 4 May
Royalties claim over Nazi’s writings raises fears for scholarship Historians await legal judgment over heirs’ demands for payments from academics citing Joseph Goebbels’ diaries By Matthew Reisz 30 April
Would John Williams’ Stoner survive today? A tale of quiet devotion to scholarship seems all the more poignant given the relentless nature of today’s academy, says Rachel Carey 30 April
Help your research to hit the headlines Journalists who set the news agenda have short attention spans. By helping them, researchers can help to get coverage for their work By Holly Else 30 April
Europe investment scheme projects announced Move angers universities, who say plan to take funds from research pot have yet to be approved by European Parliament By Holly Else 23 April
EU commissioner to mine untapped research riches Carlos Moedas says gender and international diversity will yield gold By Holly Else 23 April
UK’s big guns make a stand for research in Europe Mass lobby in Brussels for Horizon 2020 funding ‘draws line in the sand’ on cuts By Jack Grove 23 April
Does politics matter? Answers on a beer mat, please University of Sheffield project to leave 4,000 coasters in bars to gather data on public attitudes to politics and democracy By Matthew Reisz 23 April
Outsider adds perspective to play marking Oklahoma bombing Scholar from Northumbria University created verbatim play to mark 20th anniversary using dialogue from a wide range of people By Matthew Reisz 16 April
UK v-cs lobby in Brussels on EU research cuts Proposed Horizon 2020 changes could mean millions lost, says delegation By Jack Grove 16 April
Sabbaticals: no longer so open-ended or available? Five academics detail how taking leave of the grind has turbocharged their work – but can everyone get a break? By Holly Else 16 April
Irish scientists protest ‘funding apartheid’ Hundreds of researchers sign letter warning of cost of focusing exclusively on business-led priorities By Paul Jump 16 April
V-cs go to Brussels to lobby against cuts Around 30 UK vice-chancellors have travelled to Brussels to lobby European policymakers against potential cuts to research funding. By Jack Grove 13 April
N8 remains optimistic despite REF slide The director of a partnership of research-intensive universities is upbeat about future outlook By Holly Else 9 April
Overseas academics ‘should have REF input’ LSE pro-director also calls for metrics to measure impact By Holly Else 3 April
REF 2014: impact element cost £55 million Findings reveal the total cost to institutions of attempting to articulate impact By Paul Jump 2 April
Whose side are you on? You may have little choice Academics find complicity with neoliberal values hard to avoid, forum hears By Matthew Reisz 2 April
Tempest-tossed data show conferences’ impact When Hurricane Isaac forced the cancellation of a political science conference, researchers were able to pinpoint the value of presenting papers By Matthew Reisz 2 April
Funding shift will amplify bang for buck, says commissioner Diverting Horizon cash to investment fund will boost financial ‘firepower’, says Carlos Moedas By Holly Else 2 April
Slow-burn impact The history of binary arithmetic shows that we should be concerned about pressure to demonstrate the immediate value of discoveries, says Lloyd Strickland By Lloyd Strickland 2 April
‘Grotesque’ flow of QR cash to minnows could sink REF, scholar warns Funding gains for smaller universities ‘risks UK research quality’ By Paul Jump 2 April
Georgian papers to be digitised The Royal Archives have launched a major project to make their complete collection of Georgian papers available online By Matthew Reisz 1 April
New global HE research centre wins funding Partnership between UCL IoE, Lancaster and Sheffield aims to boost research in the field By John Morgan 27 March
REF 2014 impact case studies: government policy cited most Informing government policy was the most common kind of impact submitted to the 2014 research excellence framework, a study has found By Paul Jump 26 March
ESRC: fine-tuning is nothing for fledgling scholars to fear Research council chief insists the benefits of narrowing funding range for grants scheme outweigh risks By Paul Jump 19 March
Want to believe? Go on, it will make you happier Goldsmiths occultism conference hears defence of irrationality By Matthew Reisz 19 March
Why publish and be so damned hard to find? Outdated practices and lack of simplicity result in ‘unfindable’ work, Carole Goble tells Jisc Digital Festival 2015 By Chris Parr 19 March
Self-reflective study: the rise of ‘mesearch’ Emma Rees investigates research where selfhood and scholarship are intertwined 19 March
Two tribes? Science and art are more like than unalike The case for research funding in the humanities is stronger if we recognise the similarities, argues David Eastwood 19 March
It’s time to retire the ABS guide to journal quality This flawed publication is symptomatic of a deeper malaise in business and management studies, says Dennis Tourish By Dennis Tourish 19 March
Public research spending ‘falls below 0.5% of GDP’ Scientists are being urged to lobby MPs and parliamentary candidates to back an increase in the UK’s level of public investment in research By Paul Jump 13 March
60 seconds to digest drug review Concerns over open access publisher as journal containing ‘world’s shortest review’ disappears from Pharma Research Library list By Paul Jump 12 March
Press didn’t sway case, says Yale ‘Management review’ led to removal of academic who harassed researcher By Paul Jump 12 March
Will double-blind reviewing bring quality into focus? Nature is offering anonymity for both reviewer and reviewed, but questions remain about value and effectiveness of the approach By Paul Jump 12 March
Universal case studies would lighten the REF load Dominic Dean has a plan to make future assessment exercises easier, quicker and better By Dominic Dean 12 March
Greg Clark: research should not just rely on science budget The Haldane principle must not be a “prison” that stops research from accessing “substantial sums of money” from areas outside the science budget By Holly Else 10 March
Edinburgh and other research-intensives lose out in funding reshuffle A major reorganisation of quality-related funding in Scotland will take money away from the “ancient” universities and hand it to newer institutions By Chris Havergal 6 March
EPSRC funding shifts power up energy research Analysis reveals the winners and losers under ‘shaping capabilities’ programme By Paul Jump 5 March
How to cultivate the Commons touch Seeking impact? Undertake research that prepares the ground for key political debates, says ex-Westminster insider Meg Russell By Matthew Reisz 5 March
V-c-governor relationships make the stage Judith Ackroyd and Jill Robinson explain why they are dramatising material from confidential interviews with university leaders 5 March
Dementia care research becomes basis for touring play A play based on an academic study of the stresses and satisfactions of care work in dementia wards has now set off on a six-venue tour By Matthew Reisz 1 March
Advisory board to help steer Nurse review of research councils Group will be made up of experts and prominent figures from across higher education By Paul Jump 26 February
Journal editor’s self-citation rate under scrutiny Oxford blogger publishes citation count for autism expert, who ran two Elsevier titles By Paul Jump 26 February
Reform of research funding formula will benefit elites, says REF critic Division as scholars analyse Hefce’s system for dividing £1 billion QR pot By Holly Else 26 February
Is the journal ratings game good for researchers? The Association of Business Schools has released its latest ranking of periodicals, but not everyone welcomes it By Chris Havergal 26 February
Research funding formula tweaked after REF 2014 results England’s funding council has changed the formula for distributing quality-related research funding following the research excellence framework By Holly Else 20 February
‘Macho’ university culture mirrors banks’ mistakes Professors issue warning over obsession with performance management and research excellence By Chris Havergal 19 February
Journal board in the dark over £1m surplus Keele-based title applied for charitable status after audit revealed assets By Paul Jump 19 February
University of Manchester: Building an ‘arts lab’ fuelled by the appliance of science The John Rylands Research Institute pairs collections and curators with scholars and scientists By Paul Jump 19 February
