Features

Who is the online you - hand-coded pages of hobbies and family photos, terse departmental entries or slickly branded media portals? Zoe Corbyn surveys the world of academics' personal websites

Taking a leaf out of the River Cottage cookbook and fermenting it, Chris Jones lauds the foraging lifestyle and encourages his own 'Generation Roadkill' to reconsider their place in the food chain

Breaking out of the academy may seem daunting, but scholars' skills transfer to many other jobs. Matthew Reisz talks to four who made it to the other side. But then there is the final move out of the world of work - plan well, recommend Caroline Lodge and Eileen Carnell

Literary journalism and the best book reviews both value the subjective but tie it to hard facts. Susan Greenberg describes how truth can be as creative as fiction, while Christopher Phelps offers 10 tips to keep the critics honest

Mary Evans laments the growing use of 'university-speak' in the academy - otherwise known as a part of the 'knowledge economy'

Producing graduates who are critical thinkers requires teachers who can bring scholarship and leadership to the academy. It is vital that we find them, says Paul Ramsden

It is a familiar lament: teaching excellence is doomed never to be rewarded as handsomely as research success - if at all. But some institutions are determined to tackle the pedagogical deficit. Rebecca Attwood reports

Be it on the pitch or on the stage, performance is king and the passion it arouses is key to why Dominic Shellard loves the theatre - and football

Many academics feel anxious about approaching and working with a publisher. Katharine Reeve, who has been on both sides of the fence, dispels myths about the publishing process and offers advice on getting into the good books

Climate change is serious business - in more ways than one. Martin Cohen describes how capitalist 'bootleggers' have co-opted the environmental 'Baptists' to fulfil their raison d'etre - making money. Thanks to the 'greenwash', the solutions could be worse than the problems

How seriously are we to take the meaning of poetry? George Watson considers the costs of seeing poetry as largely spontaneous and self-expressive

Clive Bloom sheds few tears for Middlesex's strangely underpopulated philosophy department - or any other corners of an academy short on recruits and long overdue for the axe. He argues that to save money and raise standards, the weakest institutions must close

The researchers have been exonerated, but details revealed in Climategate led some to demand radical reform of the culture of science. Adam Corner argues that although there is scope for more openness, the peer-review based system, flawed as it is, remains the best we have, while Darrell Ince considers the ethics of judging a paper by its authors

A paper scrutinising the academic credentials of people on both sides of the climate change debate has riled almost everyone. Darrell Ince considers the faults of a nonetheless important work

The British landscape and representations of it in art give rise to a happy patriotic glow in many people. Fred Inglis shares that fervour

Few scholarly works can communicate with non-specialists, if they even attempt to. But academics in all fields may need to make their writing more accessible to satisfy demands for impact and interdisciplinarity. Matthew Reisz considers the obfuscatory malaise and how to beat it

Keep it visual, asserts Peter Hill. It is imperative that candidates for studio-based arts PhDs present their research using the physicality of their chosen medium

In a chilly economic climate, business schools' ability to deliver research with real-world relevance is essential. Tracey Hudson asks whether they can find the right academics to deliver those goals

International comparisons of universities still have their detractors, but the appetite for them continues to grow. Phil Baty traces their roots and looks at how they are increasing in number and quality, while Ellen Hazelkorn considers their impact and value

League tables occupy the minds of vice-chancellors, politicians, academics and students, but Ellen Hazelkorn advises them not to draw hasty conclusions

Shadowing the speed-dating expats who recruit for British universities, Caroline Knowles finds that their hypermobile lives parallel those of the students they pursue

Gallifrey's most famous son offers enjoyment to millions, his intelligent and compassionate approach to crises is a welcome relief in a violent, cynical world. David Sheff takes a trip on board the Tardis. Destination? Anywhere...

What makes for an outstanding university? Graeme Harper reveals his obsessive 10-year mission to capture the essence of greatness

Death and taxes: even nature is in on the act. Omar Malik discusses entropy's effects on human organisations ... and what can be done to combat the constant risk of system failure

As cash-strapped UK science increasingly looks to Europe for funding, Yorick Wilks warns of a rotten framework of red tape, intellectual corruption and cronyism driven by bureaucrats in pursuit of personal agendas

Employers say the USS pension scheme must change to prevent financial crisis and government intervention. The UCU argues that proposed changes go far beyond what is needed. Ahead of a showdown meeting, John Morgan looks at the pressures on the system

Zombies are all the rage. They are the perfect postmodern symbol, a bloody canvas on to which any fear may be inscribed - but it's not all gloom and doom. It's the end of the world as we know it, and Clive Bloom feels fine

If you are a connoisseur of fortified wines, you are likely to be over 50. Enthusiast Aldwyn Cooper has enjoyed expanding his knowledge of the finest wines and can't understand why the young haven't cottoned on

Asian higher education is on the rise in a success story that is shaking up the global order. Simon Marginson explains the importance of the Confucian model to the region's progress, while Philip Altbach discusses the systemic problems that could limit its advances

Although his reforms have attracted criticism, Richard Descoings, the head of Sciences Po, tells Atossa Araxia Abrahamian that he is determined to fashion a modern, outward-looking institution with a diverse student body

In an austere climate for publishing, one innovation is booming: brief studies of single films or TV shows. Diane Negra considers the commercial and scholarly implications

Part-timers have it hard: more commitments and responsibilities but much less support than full-timers, as the biggest survey of their lot to date shows. But changes in the political agenda could improve matters. Rebecca Attwood reports

Sustainability on campus is a vital issue, and in a climate of austerity it also makes financial sense. That fiscal impetus is good news, because as the Green League table shows, the sector still has much to do. Hannah Fearn reports

Rick Rylance finds the enquiring attentiveness to what one might discover while diving is similar to the process of conducting research - without the corresponding need to write about it

Being brilliant academically isn't enough any more - if you want your career to soar you need to cultivate your erotic capital assets. Catherine Hakim advises scholars to use everything they've got

Rebellion was everywhere in the 1960s, recalls Sally Feldman, but Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch made the most audacious demand of all: for a feminist revolution that was personal and political

Tino Sehgal's art installation This Progress offered something rare: a space where participating academics could converse without goals in mind. Rachel Adams on a precious experience

Which universities have the X factor that attracts applicants? Rebecca Attwood gets the lowdown from students and brand experts in the UK

What turns US students' heads? An urban vibe, celebrity alumni, top sports teams, high-profile leaders. Oh, and academic reputation. Jon Marcus runs through the student checklist

Theories with wonderful names are emerging to describe our post-postmodern culture and society. Alan Kirby is fascinated by the 'cultural dominant's' shadow

Michael Bérubé on the life lessons to be found in uncompetitive sport - and a fiercely competitive son with Down's syndrome

Many mission statements are leaden rather than inspirational. Matthew Reisz asks if they can justify the time and money spent on them

Politicians expect Welsh universities to deliver social justice and economic growth. Is this an opportunity for the sector finally to fulfil its potential, or a blow to its research strength? Hannah Fearn reports

It takes courage to stand against accepted dogma. Barbara Oakley has risked her life, literally and academically, but believes the search for truth will ultimately be supported and be successful

Many academics view the loss of their 'solitary cells' as a threat to their autonomy, while managers promote places of 'communal engagement' that foster intellectual interaction. Matthew Reisz looks at the tensions arising in the redevelopment of the UK's ivory towers

Most humanities 'research' is the self-indulgent pursuit of obscure hobbies that neither need nor merit funding, and produces only unsold, unread and unreadable books, argues Clive Bloom

Crystal N. Feimster has a live-in Zen master: her four-year-old son Charles, who constantly reminds her of the joys of living in the now

Aids denialism is estimated to have killed many thousands. Jon Cartwright asks if scientists should be held accountable, while overleaf Bruce Charlton defends his decision to publish the work of an Aids sceptic, which sparked a row that has led to his being sacked and his journal abandoning its raison d'etre: presenting controversial ideas for scientific debate

A conversation in a Dublin bar in 1987 proved crucial to Sir Ian Wilmut's research and led ultimately to the first clone of an adult animal

Why do scholars enjoy exploring their academic genealogies? Jon Adams believes it is a desire to be associated with a dynastic intellectual legacy

Beset by the twin pressures of democratisation and 'impact', the study of the past faces an uncertain future. Richard Overy analyses the threats and offers hope that history will triumph

Paris is not the only thing that France and Texas have in common: both have been subject to heavy-handed efforts to turn history to ideological ends. Robert Zaretsky considers the republics' revisionism

Engineering's decline in popularity could be reversed by showing potential students its power to tackle global challenges ranging from sustainability to energy security, says J.D. Turner

Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? David J. Gunkel mourns the betrayal of his Cold War boyhood's dreams of jetpacks, lunar adventure and the futuristic allure of the metric system

His research into Soviet and Stasi operatives and their sympathisers in the academy led Anthony Glees to see the risks posed today by Islamic terrorists on campus

The title could describe the feelings of overseas students in Australia and also the universities that enrol them. Phil Baty examines how violence against foreigners has put institutions' reliance on and treatment of international students under scrutiny

After an earlier plan was scrapped by an incoming Labor government, Australia is finally set to launch its scheme to assess the quality of all academic departments. Zoë Corbyn reports

You don't have to be a devout believer to study the Bible - its insights into the human condition are enlightening for everyone, writes Dale Salwak

The London Met crisis has left university mergers and governance under scrutiny. Melanie Newman recaps the debacle and gauges its effects

People are beginning to ask how long Scotland can go without asking students to contribute something towards the cost of their university education. Hannah Fearn reports