Academic life

It’s easy to say academics should be kinder and more giving to students, but they already face myriad other demands and must mind professional boundaries

Despite his stressful sudden exit from Papua New Guinea, John Warren insists that Western universities must continue to send staff to institutions in the developing world

Depositories of original sources were once bulging with academics, but few scholars seem to have time to visit them now, says Arnold Harvey

If those researching topics disliked by politicians can’t make a living in universities, scholarship will be impoverished, says Mark Steven

Dutch figures show just how little time professors get for their own research. It may be easier to pursue your intellectual interests outside the university system, says THE reporter David Matthews

If you want your manuscript to be accepted, pepper it with formulaic neologisms, irrelevant but impressive references and suitably indented vulgarity, advises Janelle Ward

If women in particular must watch what they say for fear of a social media mauling, public scholarly fora will be the poorer, warns Charlotte Galpin

Sir John Kingman hints that research councils could withhold funding in cases where universities do not address unfair treatment of staff

Too many institutions fail to abide by their own statements of values, leaders warn

After a rare, chance encounter with an enthusiast for one of his books, Felipe Fernández-Armesto reflects on why so few academics gain any sort of celebrity 

Younger academics spending far less time on scholarship than in leading nations, analysis suggests

Intimate teacher-student relationships must be off-limits even if consent is not an issue, says Agnieszka Piotrowska – who has personal experience of student vulnerability in such asymmetrical relationships

A new teaching year has just begun in the northern hemisphere. Eight academics reflect on their experience of lecturing, and offer their tips on opening students’ eyes – and keeping them open

New rules requiring a female presence on doctoral defence panels at the University of Glasgow will push more ‘unrewarded’ academic tasks on to women, critics claim

Lawyer of former university president imprisoned in Turkey gives glimpse into courtroom practices faced by persecuted academics

Many retired academics embrace the freedom to fully embody their view of the serious scholar, says Bruce Macfarlane

Restricting access to university property is a sorry symptom of commercialisation that is making students poorer, laments Les Back

Right-wing intellectuals who fetishise ‘facts’ frustrate rather than further intellectual debate, says Ryan Coogan

Data unclear on whether older scholars are keeping younger researchers out of jobs

The Migration Advisory Committee review showed little interest in understanding international students or how the UK labour market works, says Stanley Ipkiss

Gender bias in the academy is all too real, but we should be just as wary of confirmation bias, says Terri Apter 

Canadian study finds that short-term contracts are ‘discouraging and demoralising’

Written articles may usually be the most appropriate scholarly medium, but why are the alternatives so undervalued, asks Paul Craddock

Sexual harassment of female lecturers by their students is one of the less discussed aspects of the interplay between gender and power in academia. Kate Cantrell tells her story

Independent research institutes are hailed as hothouses for cutting-edge science, but they seem to be falling out of fashion. Rachael Pells asks if concentrating research in universities is a better strategy

Error on Wikipedia page meant St Petersburg statue used likeness of Thomas Thomson instead of French architect

‘Dominant discourse of the censor’ must not trump free expression on campus, UWA head says

Discussions with students about how marijuana can affect studies and health and talks about its place on campus are needed before the drug becomes legal in Canada, say Alexandra Burnett, Rodney A. Clifton and Gabor Csepregi

Matthew Reisz meets Andrea Pető, recent recipient of the Madame de Staël prize, a scholar at Hungary’s Central European University whose feminist probing into the dark corners of Hungary’s past is provoking strong reactions in the ‘illiberal democracy’

Cutting partner labs out of awarded grant budgets is a common but destructive phenomenon in modern academia, says Anne Carpenter

He may once have disdained older scholars, but, having reached seniority in a managerialist age, John Brinnamoor now values their ability to say what others can’t

Senior management has its perks but it also comes with a host of new practical, philosophical, psychological and even physical challenges. Here, seven people who have lived through that fiery baptism tell their tales

Ad hoc approaches inadequate to deal with a widespread issue, campaigners say

Precarity is a significant feature of the academy worldwide, creating a feeling of ‘academic apartheid’ as it grows. Ellie Bothwell explores its impact

Lincoln Allison was inspired to teach by academics who loved what they did and communicated this to students. But has all passion for teaching been eliminated by creeping assessment and instrumentalism?

Scotland’s first black professor talks about life as an immigrant, his experiences of racism and why ‘better science makes better’

Vice-chancellor says university is committed to improving staff well-being

José Ibarra said he could not afford to repair his shoes on his professor’s salary

Australian sector adopts ‘united viewpoint’ against unequal relationships

Partisan social media posts typically get more attention, but dispassionate analyses are what academics are valued for, says Stuart Brown 

Pakistani lecturers and students tend to be similar in age, which makes romances inevitable. Universities must do more to raise awareness of the potential fallout of such relationships, say Abur Rehman Cheema and Mehvish Riaz

University of El Salvador rector Roger Arias calls on parliamentary groups to reconsider privatisation of water services

Neoliberalism is many academics’ bête noire, but it is also a litmus test of their democratic sensibilities, says Steve Fuller

With about one-third of Earth’s 7 billion inhabitants on a social network, it is an inevitable part of scholars’ lives. While many academics find Twitter and Facebook useful means of disseminating their research, Sara Custer finds that the addictive seeking of ‘likes’ has its perils

Scholars at greater risk of stress-related illness than police, medics and local authority staff, research suggests

Undead professor deployed as critique of managerialism and teaching evaluation at a UK conference

When the alt-right made highly dubious claims about historical Irish slavery, Natalie Zacek realised that a rebuttal from an expert would make no difference

Abandoning her hyperactive approach to lecturing opened the way to creativity, introspection and compassion for Patricia Owen-Smith 

In the wake of Malcolm Anderson’s death, universities need to wake up to the need to take better care of their senior lecturers, says Andrew Oswald

Open prejudice against his sexuality has seen the career of one academic slowly wither

Do you feel you’re just winging it, waiting for the day when your incompetence is exposed? Six academics show that you’re far from alone

Janet Todd’s memoir considers the humiliations of illness and admits to ‘some embarrassment at not being dead’

Researchers criticise focus on aftercare for stressed staff members and urge leaders to tackle workload pressures head-on

Determination to make your own way is key to success in academia, but scholars’ research, teaching and even their lives can be transformed by a chance encounter or event

Former director of fair access tops list alongside Sheffield Hallam vice-chancellor Chris Husbands

A home-grown alternative to the research assessment exercise would better reflect local practice and sit better with the special administrative region’s new political reality, says Michael O’Sullivan

As exam marking season gets under way, seven academics offer their advice on assessing your students

A university career can be lonely, anxious and narrow. But those who learn from their regrets can avoid unnecessary stress, says Michael Marinetto

Focusing on values and priorities while learning from failures is the key to maintaining scholarly well-being, say Alexander Clark and Bailey Sousa

The new UK home secretary must reinstate workers’ right to participate in industrial action regardless of national origin, says Shreya Atrey