Research

Outgoing vice-provost David Price reflects on changes during his 15-year tenure, plus how the REF and scholarly publishing should change

The passions roused by the culture wars show that people care deeply about history and culture right now, says Edward Harcourt

Analysis of 20 million papers suggests global science powerhouses are increasingly benefiting from biased citation practices

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

Survey of more than 9,000 prizewinners reiterates ‘urgent’ need to tackle gender representation, authors say 

Oxford professor says dismissive attitudes to Covid case studies meant evidence that mask wearing saved lives was overlooked

Nieces of nation’s incoming justice minister accused of faking research papers to help gain Ivy League admission

Aims to move away from metrics-based evaluations floundering, study finds

James Wilsdon says he is open-minded about including more metrics in future research assessments

Long timelines, siloed training and the prioritisation of drug development make life-saving advances in detection less likely, says David Crosby

Review to revisit conclusions of 2015’s The Metric Tide

Russell Group head says window for association is ‘closing fast’ as political row rolls on

There is no evidence in art and design that the REF drives a wedge between research and students' interests, says Victoria Kelley

The Cambridge-based US philosopher explains how his father’s vexed relationship with Catholicism led him to philosophy and why the student idealism he witnessed in West Germany in 1968 caused him to leave America

The REF may no longer be the only game in town, but it remains a dominant force in UK research. So as the REF 2021 results are released, is it still fit for purpose?

The latest iteration of the UK’s national research audit has fulfilled its aim to identify research quality across the whole system, says David Sweeney

Universities must ‘recalibrate promotion criteria’ to place more value on teaching, says scholar

Linking impact to funding is breeding mistrust, apathy and unrest. Researchers must be free to do the work they find most meaningful, says Mark Reed

UK will give up its leadership role in EU-wide research projects for a back seat if association impasse drags on, warns Liverpool science chief

Politicians’ false claims to be implementing evidence-based policy risk undermining academia’s reputation, says Gary Thomas

Thinking in terms of disembodied abilities undermines again well-rounded learning and secure employment, says Gavin Moodie

US project leaders with history of China collaboration ‘saw dent to citations’

Kremlin’s push on technological sovereignty met with scepticism as West shuns partnerships over Ukraine war

Covid vaccine successes notwithstanding, researchers should remain wary of corporate capture, says Tahir Shah 

Science minister suggests disagreements with Michael Gove over role of Oxford, Cambridge and London institutions

Universities have the connections and resources for sophisticated risk management, not just ‘bureaucratic box-ticking’, says British-Australian academic

Academics warn against ‘technocratic’ solution when venues for publishing in languages other than English are struggling

A mixture of privacy concerns and managerialism prevents universities from making good use of their research expertise, says Sunil Mitra Kumar

Multiple small grants from trusts and charities can lend research projects credibility, opening bigger doors down the line, says Sophia Labadi

Conservative thinktank calls for creation of new study centre to address failure of universities to study radical ideologies

Melbourne institute’s mission to heal relations with India clashes with academics’ desire to spotlight subcontinent abuses

Universities’ intellectual property is seen as key to successful knowledge economies. But what is the best way to turn ideas into marketable products? Is it realistic to expect major commercial success? And how much of a stake should universities take in the process – and the proceeds? Jack Grove reports

Squeamish western Europe should take a more integrated approach to understanding war, says Ukrainian academic

If good collegial practice is recognised, shared and rewarded, universities will be more enjoyable places to work, says Rachel Norman

Crowds in cafeterias help, but those in hallways do not, when it comes to breaking up scientific silos, MIT analysis finds

Study finds little ‘substantive’ change between 2002 and 2019 

Worldwide survey of scientists suggests almost two-thirds are now positive about their use

Presidents of 65 top-ranked institutions embark on joint quest to create shared research culture through tenure and promotion practices

Funder admits it contacted universities over critical tweets relating to impact platform but did not factor this into grant-awarding decisions

The University of Leeds vice-chancellor discusses why UK higher education should go Dutch and the national scandal that drew her to academia

Discontent about the shortage of university posts and funding will also continue regardless of how people are judged, says Jan Palmowski

Compromise between egalitarian and competitive ideals could usher in bigger university groupings and more interdisciplinary evaluation

In developing nations deemed too rich for fee waivers, subscription journals are the only publishing option, say three Brazilian scientists

Approval of Jean-Eric Paquet’s transfer to Japan ambassador would create space for a more evangelical approach, observers say

With emphasis on research commercialisation and limited gains in aid, higher education senses lost opportunity in Liberal-NDP team

Franklin Feng Tao found guilty despite lack of evidence of payment and Biden commitment to halt Trump-era crackdown

If authors had to find the money themselves, they would have a big incentive to check their sources thoroughly, says James Stacey Taylor

Australian universities face more restrictions on their foreign collaboration, no matter who wins the coming election

Links to journals’ genuine websites should be added to the government’s database of reputable publishing outlets, says Rameez Mahesar

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

Legitimate concerns about publishers’ grip on the academy will not be addressed if open access debate remains so polarised, says Amy Brand

Cutting-edge facilities are welcome but they achieve little without people to run them, science advocates point out

As president vows to lower drug prices, academia sides with corporates against allowing waivers to legislation credited with driving US innovation

Tyler Prize winner talks about a career combating climate change scepticism and why he is skipping his award ceremony

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

Identification of new species ‘a beautiful example of the impact indigenous culture and science can have when combined’

Universities and colleges have such a range of histories, missions and demographics that proposing single solutions is misguided, says Harvey Graff

Members lack expertise and groupthink is a constant peril. Better to entrust scrutiny to expert lawyers and ethicists, says Adrian Furnham

Culture change becomes a numbers game as agreement drafters try to pin down progress without spooking major players