Features

Tanya Bunsell’s immersion in the world of weightlifting yielded insights into steroid use and ‘muscle worship’

Five students on how doctoral study changed them and their futures

The two winning entries in our competition explore the arguments for and against independence and what it might mean for the academy

We must change the way we educate students to counter rising scientific misconduct, say Tim Birkhead and Bob Montgomerie

Reconsider long working hours, says Patience Schell, for leisure is vital for mind, body and productivity

Elisabeth Kendall’s work on jihadist poetry led to tribespeople seeking her expertise

Academics who have made disclosures reflect on the long-term impact on their careers

Uncapped student numbers will test the relationship between universities and their local communities

Scholarly superheroes and campus life often feature in comics, but do they capture the real-life dramas of academia?

Matthew Reisz reports on Anglo-Israeli scientific collaborations against the backdrop of a campaign for a boycott

Five youthful institutions that have jettisoned tired thinking are blazing their own paths ahead

Is it time to stop picking over the scandals of Paul de Man’s life and focus on his critical work? asks Martin McQuillan

We asked scholars about the topics they find hardest to teach

A $1 billion buyout of a UK biotech firm netted founder David S. Latchman just $709. He offers advice on seeking investors

What happens to scholars’ papers and unfinished works when they die? Matthew Reisz on the guardian’s dilemma

A. W. Purdue on the battles among academics over the conflict’s place in history

Six academics share their experiences of university life overseas

The power of immersive research, and what it is like to be an academic who spends months at sea

David Mould on fine-tuning the work of a global group of novice researchers

The provost-elect of Gresham College examines the institution’s long and surprising history

Whatever the result of the referendum, the impact on Scottish higher education will be considerable. David Matthews talks to advocates for both sides

Bradley Garrett, whose fieldwork was seized and used in court against the urban explorers he studied, says researchers need clear support

While a legal fight led to the unravelling of promises of confidentiality, some researchers argue that there is a silver lining

Tim Birkhead offers hosts a 10-step guide on how not to behave

The capital’s lure is irresistible, but with its unique attractions come unique challenges

Academics hit their creative peak in their fifties. Amanda Goodall and John Montgomery say universities must adapt

A postcolonial scholar began a troubling quest after learning about his father’s role in counterinsurgency in India

How are universities dealing with upheavals in the training of key workers, from teachers and nurses to police officers and social workers?

Can students teach their lecturers a thing or two? Austin Fitzhenry thinks so

A leading light in the study of culture fought many battles that now need to be fought again

Universities’ zeal for student feedback centres on NSS surveys and best-practice audits; those expressing critical views are increasingly unwelcome

Recreational deprivation has been linked to criminality, obesity and declining creativity. Rob Parr asks why having fun is not taken more seriously

Extremists silenced institutions and scientists for years, but researchers are now willing to speak up for good practice and valuable results

The story of an unlikely branch campus in Cyprus and higher education on a divided island

Universities should not acquiesce in a system that perpetuates inequality - they must take a stand against it, argues Thomas Docherty

As students’ associations change and rely more on grants from universities, is their independence at risk?

How are universities faring after the first full year of operating under the £9,000 fees regime?

As lecturers in the UK prepare for the UCU’s marking boycott, US campuses are experiencing a surge of unionisation

Archie Brown on lessons for universities from political leadership

Exasperated by a profusion of loose thinking, the philosopher tackles the assertion that the self is only a manifestation of the physical body

What’s behind the big rises for vice-chancellors? Plus, academic pay across the UK

The academic who says riding the waves can boost cross-cultural communication and sustainable tourism

Academics discuss how supervisors shaped their teaching

Does research assessment discriminate against female academics? asks Barbara Graziosi

The stealthy rise of private pre-degree courses

The perils of life on a contract with no guarantee of work

Despite the snobbery of Oxford, a young literary scholar found the liberty to know and speak his mind

Some think claims of a serious lack of STEM graduates are exaggerated

Veteran academic authors share their hard-won tips

Research heads and other university staff on the burdens of submitting to the inaugural research excellence framework

Andy Westwood, former New Labour special adviser, asks what went wrong with skills policy

Do your eyes glaze over or does your brain fill with fog when you are presented with reams of raw data? You are not alone.

Courses led by interdisciplinary groups can energise teachers and students, says Robert Zaretsky

Poor theses often betray inexpert supervision, say external examiners David Alexander and Ian Davis

Why classroom veteran Dale Salwak waited 17 years to join the digital pedagogues

Could England force a similar reversal? Howard Hotson asks

How does a tiny institution create such outsized impact?

Historian Barbara Taylor’s account of the asylum system is woven into a memoir of breakdown and recovery aided by a ‘safe haven’, analysis and friendship

Find out how academics and professional and support staff feel about working in UK higher education

Research is like a baby - insistently demanding and on its own timetable, as Rebecca Braun found on maternity leave