Research

Efforts to trumpet the value of social science can misrepresent important controversies and subtleties, says Martyn Hammersley

The European Commission’s former chief scientific adviser has spoken out about the ‘push back’ she said she received against her role in Brussels

A selection of impact statements submitted by medical schools to the 2014 research excellence framework has been published in a new report

The government has effectively confirmed that England’s quality-related research budget will still be distributed on the basis on 3* and 4* research.

Jargon demanded by REF ‘risks isolating universities from rest of society’

Apartment block may have had large role in the early Cambridge University Press

Emergency services from around the world come to train at the small village with a unique connection to Texas A&M

Report finds new measures did make exercise more inclusive but panels differed in numbers of scholars submitted with reduced outputs

Papers from Birkbeck master’s research group among ‘an unspecified number’ being looked at by University College London

As Burns Night is celebrated around the world, the work of Scotland’s national poet is being brought to a new audience

Pan-Europe organisations attack Commission plans to move money for strategic investment fund

Professor’s dream as a student is realised as library launches first five volumes in bilingual series

Submission patterns reveal how institutions responded to rules

Jack Grove reports from Moscow on bold plans to revive the country’s ailing higher education sector

Belinda Jack examines the growing field and considers the therapeutic effects of poetry

First global health research ranking suggests only five UK institutions make major investment   

Medical students must learn to think critically, an academic physician who became the first professor of complementary medicine has warned.

Britain’s research libraries can do far more to help their “unique” collections serve the needs of scholars, their universities and communities

Donna Yates is tackling the illicit trade in antiquities, and although it can be dangerous, the archaeologist says it’s a world away from Lara Croft

A perverse focus on research cash and high-impact publications threatens academics’ careers and the aims of science itself, says Dorothy Bishop

The British Library has announced an ambitious “vision for its future development” over the next eight years

Jonathan Shepherd, Cardiff medical scholar and ‘What Works’ pioneer, urges researchers to keep it brief and abandon obfuscation

Study finds variations by seniority, subject and institutional mission in scholars’ published opinions on the research excellence framework

REF analysis suggests that new system for allocating funds has ‘no correspondence with excellence in research impact’

New professors in digital history and digital humanities are examples of institution performing its ‘national role’

The comedy of Borat and Ali G creator Sacha Baron Cohen is to be the subject of an in-depth study by university scholars

The exercise was robust and positive, says Willy Maley, who found work on the English subpanel to be like ‘a well-run exam board’

Uplift in research quality in main panel A raises fears that funding could be concentrated at a handful of universities

How do rankings shift when institutions are compared on research intensity, which takes into account percentage of staff submitted, rather than on standard GPA alone?

Paper from Science Europe says not enough done at EU level for fundamental interdisciplinary research

The results of the research excellence framework have triggered claims that London universities are challenging the longstanding dominance of Oxbridge

Rising quality leads to questions about future QR formula

A London university has created a website to give the public information about its research on animals

The budget of the European Union’s flagship research and innovation programme should be ring fenced, an association of research funders has said.

As the results of the research excellence framework approach, Emma Rees’ sleep-deprived imagination runs riot

David Willetts calls for academics to work together during a debate on the REF and the state of higher education

The flawed research excellence framework is not a process of peer review in any meaningful sense, argues Derek Sayer, who appealed against his inclusion in the exercise

Shunmay Yeung of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine describes her part in fighting the viral outbreak in Sierra Leone

A research council is laying the groundwork that would enable it to give two of its research centres charitable status

Controversial capabilities policy retained as one of three strands in research council’s new plan

Survey finds that many academics who develop their own software have had no formal training

Mark Israel’s book Research Ethics and Integrity for Social Science looks at need for nuance in applying guidelines and protocols

Work by Nuffield Council on Bioethics reveals pressure on researchers to compromise on integrity and mistrust of the REF

Former government adviser deplores missed chance to gather valuable data

Richard Black on data manipulation and the problems with multidisciplinary subpanels

Academics’ engagement activities are valuable, says Alison Phipps. But a public profile comes at a price, especially for women who study gender

Trust director Jeremy Farrar says more fellowships and seed grants will address pinch points

Research team hopes that predictions will help to clarify the value of metrics in assessment

An academic talks about her experience, the impact on her work and the long road to recovery

Energy engineering professor Paul Younger says that the accusations of a conflict of interests are ‘beyond risible’

Senior lecturer William Brown awaits professional conduct verdict as an earlier inquiry on a retracted paper is queried

The London university, which was awarded £114 million, heads the list of grant winners in a ‘difficult funding climate’

Fewer applications prompt concerns over drop in funding and inflationary pressures

More football, less theory, says heroin scholar at the head of new hub

Early career researchers among those targeted for extra support

Classicists and archaeologists are benefiting from technology remarkably similar to that used on the module that landed on Comet 67P

Overhaul of NHS regulation may fail to prevent another Northwick Park incident

The process may mean greater scrutiny but is it legally viable?

Hefce submissions call for less onerous approach to research assessment

Move follows dip in success rates to 11 per cent in most recent grant call