Academic life

Modern universities do not always allow the necessary time for scholars’ intellectual pursuits, but slow philosophy can help address this unhappy situation, says Michelle Bolous Walker

Efforts by granddaughter of William Carlos Williams to persuade the Nobel Foundation to acknowledge the US poet could open door for other disciplines

Kingsley Purdam on the relentless need to gather feedback – and why the results of doing so are not always of much value

Long-running legal saga involving US academic and Sir Peter Scott concludes after court verdict

Bone cutters, a trepanning tool and a cloth used to wrap King George II are among the discoveries on a Halloween tour of St George's in London, explains Carly Manson

Stephen Halliday used to hate pointless meetings until he found a way to exploit the tedium

Turkey’s president was unwise to evoke Animal Farm when his attack on academics has eerie echoes of George Orwell’s novel, says Umut Özkirımli

Professor allegedly demanded ‘superhuman commitment’ from doctoral students, allowing them barely any holiday and setting meetings that ran past midnight

Robert MacIntosh explains how academics should tackle their first university administrative role

UK researcher who travelled to predatory conference in Denmark calls for greater awareness of problem

The scholarly better halves of literary sleuths flatter academic readers’ egos with their virtue, says Emily Michelson

Universities not doing enough to protect staff from harm, researchers say

New Zealand-based academic and Australian citizen Vicki Spencer on being refused entry to the US – despite complying with all visa regulations

Focusing on your own priorities makes it possible to enjoy an easier and more productive working life, says Mark Reed

Academic work is typically all-consuming, but some scholars still manage to combine some eye-catching sidelines with their day jobs. Here, five tell their stories

Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture recognises lifetime achievement in philosophy and public service

From neuroscience to philosophy and economics, seven scholars relate what work in their disciplines reveals about the search for #HEhappiness

A hurricane strike last year brought home to Zachary Michael Jack the academy's failure to live up to its compassionate values  

However you handle them, emails are a source of stress. But there are ways to minimise it, says Emma Russell

Having caused a scandal over research assessment back in the 1990s, Lincoln Allison is well placed to give an overview of its impact, and still finds it wanting

What brings joy? This week, as part of our week of articles on #HEhappiness, academics from five disciplines address this most difficult of questions

What brings joy? This week, as part of our week of articles on #HEhappiness, academics from five disciplines address this most difficult of questions

What brings joy? This week, as part of our week of articles on #HEhappiness, academics from five disciplines address this most difficult of questions

The necessity of regular publication curbs the freedom that can make scholarly work original and important, says Shahidha Bari

The Coventry chancellor talks about being inspired by protest, managing a rap artist and being a pioneer as a black woman in law

Move comes after country’s top anti-corruption chief turns attention to Italy’s universities

Chelsea Manning case brings calls in US to acknowledge attempts from right to silence campus free speech

The way in which academic departments are typically formed creates more barriers than benefits, says Zahir Irani

Book and exhibition by one of the UK’s most renowned photographers stem from unprecedented access to elite university

The bullying and subsequent suicide of a talented Ivy League scientist exposes ugly truths about the cruelty and dysfunction at the heart of academic science

Glasgow vice-chancellor Sir Anton Muscatelli defends ‘cost-efficient’ sector driving UK growth

Universities’ shabby treatment of casual academics flies in the face of their professed commitment to education and dignity, says Jedidiah Evans

Digital media democracy expert on tension between control and engagement, and need for less interesting research in his field

Eric Royal Lybeck says the Russell Group and UUK do not represent academics and calls for a comprehensive voice representing the professional interests of scholars

Less than 10 per cent of tweets on journal articles represent genuine engagement with content, finds study

The ex-footballer explains why his PhD means more than his Wales cap, and how his Cardiff Met team reached the verge of Europe

The radio show In Our Time is a sort of academic seminar on the airwaves. Its presenter tells Matthew Reisz about bringing scholars to the public, and the risks UK academia faces

A survey of 50 laureates is full of insight, warnings and the can-do attitudes powering ‘beautiful minds’

Seven top universities establish political monitoring units in response to state ‘rectification reports’

Penn and San Diego law academics’ opinion piece, arguing ‘all cultures are not equal’, brings calls for institutions to speak out

More work is needed to understand the mental health needs of researchers, say Susan Guthrie and Catie Lichten

Instagram posts aim to overcome perception that researchers are typically male and white

Singaporeans are starting to question the benefit of recruiting so much global research talent, say Pang Eng Fong and Linda Lim

It is time to consider how we can stop senior academics bullying their way on to research papers, says Trisha Greenhalgh

Brain-boosting drugs can help students and academics alike to unlock their potential, says Hemmel Amrania

Scholars divulge which treasured possession they would rescue from their office before heading for the emergency exit if a fire broke out on campus

Sword-fighting, drinking, history and camaraderie: struggling to recruit, ancient brotherhoods mull their image problem

Lack of job security, limited support from management and weight of work-related demands on time among risk factors

Southampton Solent University’s Tere Daly responds to the former political adviser’s article in today’s Daily Telegraph

The academic psychologist talks testosterone, gender and the joy of being paid to read and write

Kurdistan shows that post-conflict countries can build a thriving higher education sector by working with foreign partners, says Dlawer Ala’Aldeen

Spreading the word on social media about research can help academics get ahead, but is it too much of a distraction, asks Brooke Erin Duffy

Dame Sue Black’s pioneering work has taken her to war zones and the aftermath of natural disasters. She explains the scientific rigour required in the field

Universities used to be thought unsinkable, but the unthinkable – an institution going to the wall – is now a genuine, if yet remote, prospect

The Italian scholar discusses how Machiavelli might have appraised current politics, the benefits of birdwatching and discovering Stevie Wonder

Many an academic will be dragged to the cinema this summer by bored offspring determined to see the latest superhero film. But what kind of childhood heroes did scholars themselves have? Here, five reveal who and what inspired their career choices

Study finds that students who witness lecturers misbehaving are more likely to display incivility in lectures or seminars

Vitriol directed at Cambridge professor of Classics on Twitter is part of wider battle to politicise diversity, says Conrad Brunstrom

Expanding degree apprenticeships will strengthen universities’ important role in improving their local communities, says Dawn Morley