Research

Academics’ reading lists are increasingly directed by algorithms. But are the recommendation services of platforms such as Google Scholar, ResearchGate and Mendeley distorting science? And might AI ultimately lead it to a disastrous echo chamber? David Matthews reports

But journals’ open access fees are suddenly increasing researchers’ need for funding, says Adrian Furnham

With ‘storytelling’ CVs becoming crucial in hiring and funding decisions, Jack Grove explores how academics can craft compelling research statements

Abandoning measurable evaluation criteria will make judgements more political and more random, say Raymond Poot and Willem Mulder

Universities must do more to help those dissatisfied with academic life as they seek a career in industry, says Mayra Ruiz Castro

Kristian Helin, incoming head of the Institute of Cancer Research, reflects on lessons learned from pandemic

The pandemic highlighted UK creative industries’ innovative capacity. Public research spending choices should reflect that, says Andrew Thompson

Formalised defence R&D ties could recoup one-quarter of the research funds lost from Australia’s ailing international education industry

New study raises questions over validity of single studies and suggests detailed tracking of researchers’ decisions during analysis

Veterinary schools lead campaign protesting regulatory obstacles applied to an array of food-related genomic research

‘Don’t always stick with what you have,’ says science minister Amanda Solloway, as new innovation strategy points to US and German models

Ex-research council boss Douglas Kell says sector body should take action over unsolicited emails that consume academics’ time

Commission considers suggestion that ‘fire drill’ exercises could help prepare for environmental, health or economic disasters

Uncertainty should be insisted on as a mark of seriousness and honesty, say Michael Blastland and George Davey Smith

Research teams worked separately to investigate similar problems when combined studies might have delivered meaningful results

Community-led research is often seen as a social justice response to centuries of exploitative study, but exponents say it also produces better science

Publishing a well-received paper could boost a scholar’s income by $13,500, says US study

We increasingly need to protect not only our freedom of speech as scholars but also our freedom of thought, says Keith Burnett

A multidisciplinary approach to the issue of attention is an experiment in charting genuinely new intellectual territory, says Marion Thain

Editors of Journal of Controversial Ideas hope to puncture ‘cancel culture’, but other scholars warn researchers ‘can’t stop being an accountable moral agent’

Years of restrictions have stymied scholars’ work on topics such as the Algerian war of independence, and a new law could cement this lack of access

We need knowledge and content that go beyond the Western world to design a meaningful decolonised, research-led curriculum, says Masi Noor

Pandemic-related budget constraints and anti-science governments are taking their toll on researchers in their region. Ellie Bothwell reports

Latin American universities are rising, but more slowly than others 

Viruses are much more predictable than governments, summit hears

Back-to-back publication reinforces findings, and preprints could facilitate it. So why are journals still so wary of it, asks Josh Hardy 

There is still much controversy about whether the virus that causes Covid-19 was released from a laboratory. David Sanders considers the nature of ‘gain-of-function’ research, what it can teach us – and the safeguards we need to put in place

Scholars say that the new institute, whose remit describes the genocide as ‘baseless’, will lack credibility

THE forum hears Manchester v-c spotlight social sciences and humanities, plus universities’ local roles, in vision for post-pandemic future

Creation of a new international society dedicated to boredom studies suggests the subject is thriving, says founder

With social distancing scuppering traditional fieldwork, social scientists were forced to adapt their research methods. Jack Grove finds out how they managed

Senior scientists say severe shortage of junior scientists from European Union threatens quality of UK research

After FBI admissions in Tennessee case, Arizona-led survey aims to see how badly US was hurt by Trump enforcement

Chemistry laureate George Smith argues a publicly funded system would more than pay for itself by ending monopoly pricing in pharmaceuticals

Science and Technology Committee says Sir Andrew Mackenzie must improve knowledge of research issues and avoid potential conflicts of interest

Academics bemoan softly-softly reforms to ‘fundamentally broken system’

NIH data hint at the extent of bullying and emotional abuse, but barriers to tackling the issue remain high, says Joanna Buscemi

New European Research Council president has proven record of innovation and leadership, says European Commission lead for science

Performance can help explore academic questions, say advocates, but the field still lacks full acceptance in the corridors of power and policymaking

Funding is declining but business school research is as vital as science to post-pandemic economic recovery, says Zahir Irani

Boris Johnson’s new ministerial council has revived discussion over who controls science spending and whether industrial strategy requires government to start ‘picking winners’

Universities come under pressure to investigate scholars’ ties

Grand challenges won’t be solved unless disciplinary research data are opened up to all, says Nathan Cunningham

Federal prosecutor alleges that ‘Ilnur N’ passed on university information to Russian intelligence services in return for cash

Wider take-up by academics requires both relevance to specific disciplines and accessibility across disciplines, says Camille Kandiko Howson

Registered reports model produces better outcomes on all 19 criteria covering novelty, rigour, and importance

Academics need to think far more carefully about how they define and police the boundaries between legitimate and illegitimate knowledge, argues Michael D. Gordin

Ex-BHP chief executive and current Shell chair defends himself as ‘committed to net zero’ in pre-appointment hearing

Problem threatens to delay recovery after losses in grant support and obstacles for young scientists

Expert applauds new measures to boost ERA’s rigour and transparency, but questions ‘softly, softly’ approach

Boris Johnson will head new expert panel, with Sir Patrick Vallance leading Downing Street science unit

Still much to be said for old-fashioned media that operate ‘at the speed of human thinking’, book suggests

Polish professor warns of increasing ‘tension’ between national research funding and global science

Jury can’t agree on Tennessee associate professor Anming Hu after FBI admits pressure campaign to get him to spy

Data suggest research articles from commercial firms took a tumble in 2020 as academia boosted its output  

Proliferation of preprints in Covid era has led non-profit publisher to post reviews from clinicians on online papers

Rating scale for Excellence in Research for Australia to be recalibrated, with Indigenous studies incorporated as a field in its own right

Report from Clarivate also raises fundamental questions about how disciplinary priorities are shaped  

Recent examples explore everything from radical vaudeville to the legacy of slavery

Your new manager likely doesn’t have a PhD, and she’s higher on the food chain because experience is more valued than a doctorate, says Janelle Ward