Science

Government-led review of ‘low-performing’ research system will increase pressure to reform the role of France’s biggest scientific agency

Judge papers on a case-by-case basis, says author of study that found most ‘unusually high levels’ of self-citations are explained by legitimate reasons

Alliances with university colleagues can be inspiring and life-affirming but may also be grounded in little more than ambition or survival instinct. Six writers reflect on the joys and challenges of having friends in academia

Document disappoints campaigners with lack of detail or targets after major funder promised overhaul during Black Lives Matter protests

Study finds trainee doctors become cynical, emotionally distanced and desensitised towards their patients

Editorial team at NeuroImage will work with MIT Press to establish new non-profit journal

Ministers’ blueprint for Horizon alternative will be seen by Brussels as a ‘paper tiger’, warns Crick director

Imperial president reflects on his institution’s role in UK growth and the importance of collaboration within Horizon Europe 

Britain’s claims to ‘science superpower’ status look shaky as it is being outperformed by smaller nations on top-rated papers, says study lead

When Purdue biologist David Sanders ran for election to Indiana’s senate last autumn, he assumed a commitment to evidence and personal engagement would give him traction. But while his pitch was well received on doorsteps, the system’s dark arts fended him away from the legislature’s threshold

Attempt to balance interests of employers and researchers pleases no one, and weekend Twitter storm forces the plan ‘back to the assembly hall’

Clarivate’s delisting of academic publications will send a message that research integrity is paramount, says campaigner

Flaws in reporting health intervention studies mean years of research have ‘limited scientific use’, says University of Cambridge study

Three-year scheme will support institutional projects that address racism and racial inequalities

Postgraduate training likely to be concentrated in larger universities as EPSRC and Wellcome make cuts

In the week his sister should have graduated in Kabul as a doctor, PhD student Naimat Zafary describes the reality for Afghan women denied their degrees

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pioneering conference for leading black cancer scientists is part of drive to diversify UK science

Compelling stories of how foreign-born founders drive economic prosperity are more likely to convince policymakers about the need to embrace overseas students, says Alice Gast, who recently stepped down as president of Imperial College London

The Italian physicist known for making complex science intelligible explains how radical student politics, hallucinogenic drugs and hitch-hiking around America helped him become one of science’s foremost thinkers

Spin-off companies from Russell Group universities boast largest annual turnovers, data reveal

Backed by state government, an ambitious university-led initiative is aiming to restore the Ruhr Valley’s former industrial glory. John Morgan meets academics behind the experiment in driving regional renewal by building a reputation for world-class science

The University of Northampton’s outgoing vice-chancellor reflects on how lessons from punk rock led him to survive in academia and deliver one of UK higher education’s most ambitious campus projects. Jack Grove reports

Unbounded discussions develop the critical but playful thinking that allows people to safely challenge and be challenged, says Lee Cronin

Whitehall advisor who devised alternative Horizon programme says stablisation funds should be released immediately while talks over UK membership continue

More innovative screening of grant applications that avoid full peer review could remove red tape burden on researchers, says Adam Tickell

Formula-driven funding for those hardest hit by deadlock with EU and more fellowship money unveiled under ‘Plan B’ road map

Rapid erosion of value of £9,250 is ‘stretching unit of resource to breaking point’ and will require new legislation, says Jo Johnson

‘Unclear’ status of main UK science funder has led to slow decision-making, inefficiency and limited cross-disciplinary research, finds report

Ilan Gur and Matt Clifford will lead UK’s new ‘high risk, high reward’ scientific research agency

Long-term settlement for Francis Crick Institute announced by PM ‘maintains current levels of activity’

Empty podiums, low engagement from speakers and higher costs have led events large and small to rethink combining online and physical gatherings

Companies built on university-based research twice as likely to succeed if they receive Innovate UK backing, study suggests

Large-scale study finds younger, female supervisors are more likely to produce PhD graduates who publish successfully

‘DragonBear’ alliance may force Western universities to cancel research partnerships with China, says former science minister Lord Johnson

The Canadian botanist who discovered the ‘wisdom of trees’ reflects on the growing enthusiasm for her work and why scientists should get emotional about their research

After years of resisting university managers determined to graduate students at all costs, one US professor decided it was time to quit

New citation study overturns long-held belief that science is no laughing matter

Temporary deal arrives on day of UK’s new open access policy, but raises issue of paying high price for ‘ego trip’ of Nature publication

Only a handful of UK universities maximised their public profiles during the pandemic because press officers were diverted towards internal crises or social media engagement, says Fiona Fox

Widespread withholding of potentially negative results has allowed misleading evidence reviews to gain traction, says study author

The ambitious goals of online education cannot be achieved unless universities prioritise student mentoring and pastoral support, says Chandralekha Singh

Complicity of Russian universities in the savage assault on Ukraine must lead to severe punishments, write four Ukrainian academics

Younger learners seeking to reskill and upskill brighten UK online education provider’s fortunes, says new CEO Andy Hancock

The Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology president discusses project-based learning, securing government funding and demographic decline

The pandemic has demonstrated that there are broad deficiencies in quantitative reasoning skills even within the academy, says David Sanders

A push to end the habit of assessing researchers by their publication metrics is gaining momentum. But are journal impact factors really as meaningless as is claimed? And will requiring scientists to describe their various contributions really improve fairness and rigour – or just bureaucracy? Jack Grove reports

Geoffrey Cantor has mixed feelings about a bold attempt to put a 14th-century friar at the heart of our understanding of science

The European Commission must resist the temptation to overload nascent university alliances with its own strategic priorities, says Jan Palmowski

Imperial College London president Alice Gast explains why she wants an open dialogue about the ‘complex, brilliant and sometimes flawed’ individuals who shaped the institution she leads

Spending commitments on Aria, Horizon Europe and UKRI should be welcomed – as should the Treasury’s growing scrutiny of UK and EU research structures, says John Womersley

Universities must give credit for the broadened skill sets that the pandemic has prompted academics to acquire, says John Tregoning

Environment-linked discoveries dominating Nobel Prize list demonstrate enduring need to support fundamental science, say experts

Comedian and radio presenter embarks on a 100-bookshop tour to make ‘scientific curiosity’ accessible to everyone

Australian universities make strong progress in both subjects, while Californian institutions are on the rise in computer science