Research

‘Mother of ERA’ now charting its demise, as the ‘law of diminishing returns’ prompts a rethink

Former leaders call for science and technology delivery unit to end Whitehall ‘micromanagement’ of research funding and for ‘bespoke’ research councils

University hiring professor to direct Centre for Coastal Communities, based in Essex seaside town hit by deprivation

Preventing expert reviewers from reading applicants’ CVs could damage Netherlands’ hard-won research excellence, warns senior researcher

‘Exponential growth’ in past few years sees China gain on the US in race to be the leading nation in global research output

Answering congressional call after George Floyd killing, National Academies’ expert panel sees value in pressuring those controlling resources

Government backs parliamentary committee’s calls for action but promises ‘positive partnership’ with the sector

Podcast appearances, op-eds and public lectures should all count in hiring and tenure decisions, according to new, broader definition of scholarship

New umbrella body president must safeguard world-leading institutions through a difficult time; luckily, the Neapolitan physicist is ready for a fight

Obliging everyone to undertake post-publication review would aid discoverability in a world without traditional journals, says Robert de Vries

Better alignment of pay and benefits, working cultures and expectations will clear the way for research to have impact, say nine Future Leaders fellows

Debates rage about the appropriateness of objects displayed in many anthropological exhibitions amid accusations they perpetuate poisonous imperialist narratives. However, Adam Kuper believes institutions should be wary of capitulating to activist demands, he tells Matthew Reisz

Australian regulator advises against shortcuts, such as recruiting moonlighting big hitters, as universities confront new research quality benchmarks

With AAU providing teamwork and guidance, leading subset of black-serving US institutions hopes that banding together will help overcome decades of public neglect

Cardiff University academic Flint Dibble says the popularity of Netflix show Ancient Apocalypse means non-engagement is no longer possible

Machine learning study finds university prestige and citations have no association with replicability, but author experience is key

Many sources of scrutiny already exist, but the idea of a perfect research project is an unattainable fantasy, says Andrew Barnas

CAS in danger of losing relevance as university research gains ground, study finds

When her broadcasting career took off in her mid-fifties, Mary Beard became one of Britain’s best-known and most-discussed academics. Jack Grove speaks to the retiring Cambridge classicist about her eventful career, including her run-ins with sexist TV critics, Twitter trolls and Boris Johnson

Funders should review how interviews, eligibility criteria and internal selection policies work against marginalised groups, says study co-funded by Wellcome and Oxford

But having a fellow academic as a partner helps, major study finds

Four Fields Medal winners and former European Research Council president among advisory board for independent research institute

George Freeman ‘still pushing’ and ‘still hopeful’ on association, but thinks forthcoming plan for UK global science role could be catalyst

Covid-19 trials were as well designed, if not better designed, than other, similar medical experiments, finds Oxford study

Mass polls of global scientists could help to debunk myths about extent of division on contested issues

Identifying deception often requires analysis of patterns across large collections of articles. Publishers must work together, says David McDade

But situation may change with scale-up of programme, potentially causing talent shortfall in US, authors suggest

New Research England head reflects on her roundabout route into academia and the future of research evaluation

With hostility from the Home Office over international student numbers, membership of Horizon Europe slipping away and heavy demands placed on institutions by regulators, UK university staff will be wondering how 2023 will play out. Patrick McGhee and Emma Rees read the runes

If those on both the Left and Right fail to examine basic assumptions, knowledge advancement is impaired, says Martyn Hammersley 

Researchers analysed data from 45 million papers and 4 million patents over six decades, finding less disruption and more consolidation

China gains influence over neighbour as impact of Western boycotts already visible in paper co-authorship

Some research presentations by practitioners are more akin to sales pitches than free enquiry, says Ian Pace

Systems with national hiring and promotion systems such as Italy, Poland and Spain may struggle the most with European agenda

The EU and the AU’s new innovation agenda is promising, but implementation will be a challenge, says Jan Palmowski

Science minister George Freeman launches International Science Partnerships Fund at THE event in Japan, with initial funding of £119 million

Scientific sharing trailblazer hopes detailed tracking of researcher behaviour will help identify stubborn obstacles to more cooperative environment

Bibliometric-led evaluation of research outputs unable to replicate ‘richness’ of peer-review model

But institutions will contribute much more to both their localities and their planet if they collaborate more, says Simone Buitendijk

Australian university representatives warn of unintended consequences from two-year limit in new workplace relations act

What makes a sabbatical special any more, asks professor, if it is a continuation of the demands of academic life rather than a break from them

Critics claim victory as assessment of research benefits is handed back to the experts

For collaborations to succeed, institutions ‘need to tackle’ underlying problems of uneven funding between countries

German-style political stability and long-term science funding could help mitigate the damage, say Zach Meyers and John Springford

Failure to expel crackpot social scientists from Russia’s academy has allowed dangerous dogma to dominate public discourse, says Andreas Umland

Incoming staff and students risk losing jobs and funding over delayed checks in ‘sensitive’ fields

Academic research leaders welcome shift from Trump hostilities but see unnecessary limits on foreigners in US labs, and uncertainties over unification of disclosure rules

With a Nobel for nudge theory and growing political interest in ‘choice architecture’, the future of behavioural sciences seemed bright. But its experts were often ignored – even dismissed as ‘charlatans’ – when life-or-death calls on Covid were made. Two professors reflect on where the discipline goes next

The emphasis on bringing in money above all else is killing researchers’ passion for discovery, says Aymen Idris

The world’s problems are too big for one sector to figure out: academics must team up with doers in fair, equal partnerships, says Carmen Geha

Revealing desk rejection rates, peer review processing times and other useful operational data would do more to correct slipshod journal practices than an ‘author’s bill of rights’, says Jerry Jacobs

Hepi report advocates creation of new prizes and fellowships to recognise research leadership

Earlier engagement with African research partners will lead to improved outcomes and institutional relations, says global health expert Margaret Gyapong

This year’s Maddox Prize winner shows how community-led research can help communities escape polarised debates over scientific evidence

Interdisciplinary degrees focused on sustainability challenges would excite undergraduates more than discipline-led courses, says KAUST president

As THE’s Global Sustainable Development Congress kicks off at the University of Glasgow, Oxfam’s chief executive Danny Sriskandarajah explains why universities are increasingly important in the fight against poverty and social injustice

Ambitious plans announced at China’s National Congress will push elite universities towards supporting research spin-offs and graduate start-ups, says Hao Ni

Encouraging students to embody their institution’s distinctive values will allow it to present a more rounded view of the true worth of higher education, says Claire Taylor

Changes that pretend scientists do not care about publishing in highly selective journals will end eLife’s crucial role in science publishing, says long-time supporter Paul Bieniasz

Emissions from an entire online conference similar to amount produced by a single hour-long car journey, study finds