Research

Helping Americans understand and value science is vital to nation’s continued supremacy, conference hears

Even those in maths and statistics misunderstood the method blamed for the reproducibility crisis, research in China finds

But government says it will seek to participate in Erasmus+ only ‘on a time-limited basis’

PhD students seen as being particularly at risk, in wake of murder of Giulio Regeni and detention of Matthew Hedges

Canada’s excess of directive funding programmes risks hobbling scientific imagination and progress, says Jim Woodgett

Brussels wants to create centre hosting ‘the best talents in the field’, but some researchers doubt that a single organisation can tackle all the challenges

Leading university networks in Africa and Europe say a body based on the European Research Council is needed to boost African research

Impersonating the Messiah is apparently a necessity for funding success – but it’s hell, says Piers Kelly

Toby Ord urges academics to reflect far more deeply on the risks of everything from asteroids to rogue artificial intelligence

Online conferences can engage new audiences but present significant organisational challenges. Jack Grove speaks to a scientist to find out how it is done

During his time as a graffiti writer, Stefano Bloch was chased by the police, threatened by gangsters and witnessed savage violence. He tells Jack Grove about how he has incorporated such experiences in a powerful memoir that also makes an important contribution to research on urban life

UK academics love the ERC, but selective participation in Horizon Europe is unlikely to be on the table, says John Womersley

Researchers support funder’s random allocation of research grants by a two-to-one margin, study says

Lawyer investigating Charles Lieber case and US admissions bribery scandal focuses on legal transgressions and disregards policy ambiguity

UKRI and other funders must prevent good intentions on open access from undermining good science, says Lee Cronin 

Danish-Australian paper finds researchers unconsciously adjust to accommodate assessment exercise

Analysis of 17,000 articles in the field finds lack of integration between different areas of study

In 1920, psychologist John Watson described his infamous experiments on an infant in a bid to show that the human mind is a blank slate. A hundred years on, Antonio Melechi examines the rise and fall of behaviourism, and the utopian – or dystopian – reflexes that it conditioned

Politicians, funders and university leaders all intone the mantra of interdisciplinarity. But what does the concept really mean? Will it really yield the insights it promises? And how best can it be fostered? Ellie Bothwell reports

German research institute aims to reshape academic incentives with cash bonuses

The UK’s structures for supporting and nurturing research leaders are woefully underdeveloped, says Matthew Flinders

Even as medics scramble to address the coronavirus, research into its social and political entanglements is vital, says Robert Peckham 

Harvard case was meant to get academia’s attention, and did, prosecutors proclaim

Academics studying gender-based violence highlight emotional impact of their work

Observatory looks beyond politics to psychology and ergonomics for ways to boost voters’ democratic participation

Scientists warily await details of Harvard chemistry chair’s case

Excessive criticism reflects a dearth of research funding and space in top journals. But peers needn’t play ball, says an anonymous academic

Debate over status of new agency for ‘high-risk, high-payoff research’ is non-issue compared with its direction and leadership, others suggest

A feudal approach to intellectual property has turned the academy into a modern police state, says Steve Fuller

Furore over Oxford doctoral student’s journal article reignites debate over the limits of free speech

The hunt for a new UK research supremo continues, apparently after the shortlisted candidates failed to pass muster

Dutch virologist says partnerships are vital in race to develop vaccines

Huge rewards could ensue if governments bankroll the systematic sharing of research data, but experts warn of unintended consequences

Announcements on visas, funding and bureaucracy seen as sign of growing influence of Dominic Cummings

‘Commercial entanglements’ a deadweight on prosperity, Australian university insists

With careers riding on young scientists’ position in author lists, friction is all too common. A snowballing initiative to list authors’ contributions aims to make sure credit is always given where it is due. But will it be enough to ease the angst? Jack Grove is first author

Joybrato Mukherjee says Chinese researchers ‘not always on the same page’ over IP – and looks forward to a VR-enabled ‘entirely virtual semester abroad’

Center for Open Science project will pass judgment on journals’ commitment to research transparency

UKRI’s decision to axe the impact sections of grant applications could hobble consideration of the process and politics of research, says Jude Fransman

Research-intensive university groups ask funders to provide additional support for data management

The Buckingham education professor’s musings on educational decline are a mainstay of the British press. But is academia right to be dismissive of his views and unusual modus operandi?

Reversing the relationship between authors and publishers would ease perverse incentives that impede progress, say Hilal Lashuel and Benjamin Stecher

UK Research and Innovation to manage uncapped visa programme

Universities minister says north-south divide cannot be solved ‘in a top-down way, driven by central government diktat’

Inability to begin reruns of experiments highlights the problem of weak methodologies of journal papers, say Center for Open Science director

A growing number of data detectives are on the hunt for sloppy science and dodgy statistics. Jack Grove examines the methods they use

As we enter REF submission year, Nicholas Stern and David Sweeney urge universities to broaden their conception of a good submission

Union condemns ‘short-sighted’ suspension of institution-funded research leave, saying move amounts to ‘institutional self-sabotage’

Yukon University will offer its own degrees and combine Western and Indigenous approaches to science

Share of country’s research involving international collaboration more than halves as domestic publications surge

New organisation should help build partnerships between academics and content developers

In an era of anti-expert populism, it is more important than ever to stand up for scientific truth. But it is also harder, coming with a high risk of personal attack. Anna McKie speaks to those who have paid a high price for their advocacy, and draws out the lessons for those who want to take up the cause

Poll of 4,000 researchers reveals half have sought or wanted help for mental health problems, and four in 10 are victims of bullying or harassment

Academics are taking advantage of their freedom to launch new research, but question how long this will last

Experts say Derry-Donegal institution could support access and post-Brexit research collaboration

Stanford scholars hope common usage agreements might ease long hold-ups in obtaining corporate and government information

Matthew Reisz considers the researchers who keep on top of the issues we most want to avoid

Scientific excellence is not the only relevant criterion – either morally or legally, says Alex Conway 

Reverse culture shock is among the tricky situations that scholars may face when returning to their native country for research fieldwork, says Olga Burlyuk

Anne-Kathrin Kreft tells Matthew Reisz how interviews with Colombian women’s activists left her mentally and physically exhausted – and ideologically transformed