On the 18th of July 2018, I got a message, through the contact form on my website, from Richard Phillips who had a University of Sheffield email address. The message was brief, and said: “Dear Helen, I would like to explore the possibility of involving you in a workshop on creative writing and social research, and […] … learn more→

There was a poem published by Damian Barr in the midst of the pandemic that contained a line that resonated with many: We are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm. Our research suggests this is true for academia, too. Over the past six months the De Gruyter insights team […] … learn more→

The molecular biologist Margarita Salas , one of the most important Spanish scientists of all time, said that there was a time when, despite having already started her scientific career, some colleagues referred to her as ‘Eladio’s wife’. “I knew what it was to be discriminated against or, what’s more, to be invisible,” she declared. Something that, although it […] … learn more→

In this review, I will evaluate the current literature on microRNAs or other non-coding RNAs and ovarian cancer in males. Wait a minute. Ovarian cancer in males? That’s ludicrous, you say. Well, I can cite not one but two “peer-reviewed” articles that identify among their patients (detailed in tables) numerous males with ovarian cancer. Both […] … learn more→

  Most academics regularly submit papers and compete for grants and promotions. These endeavours are necessary for their success but often end in rejection. Responses to rejection in academia have typically been individually focused. Most discussions of the topic describe what academics themselves can do to cope with rejection. For example, in a watershed tweet […] … learn more→

  Had someone asked, when I defended my PhD, what my biggest aspiration was, my answer would have been “to get a professorship”. To get there, however, I had to survive my “transitional years” and build a profile. Everyone told me how important it was to show a successful funding track-record and publish well. Accordingly, […] … learn more→

Today, women outnumber men in higher education. However, they remain strongly under-represented in the fields which use mathematics the most. This under-representation contributes to inequalities in the labor market since scientific fields lead on average to better paid jobs . It is also likely to represent a potential loss of talent in areas of high skill demand such as IT and AI. Finally, we know that algorithms […] … learn more→

Academics are increasingly expected to share their research widely beyond academia. However, our recent study of academics in Australia and Japan suggests Australian universities are still very much focused on supporting the production of scholarly outputs. They offer relatively limited support for researchers’ efforts to engage with the many non-academics who can benefit from our research. One reason engagement is expected […] … learn more→

Following Brexit, the UK will no longer take part in the Europe-wide student exchange programme, Erasmus+. Instead, some UK students will have access to a new programme, the Turing scheme. This overseas study and work placement initiative is intended to offer young people a period abroad at a range of global, rather than European, destinations. Reaping rewards The […] … learn more→

For all its faults, 2020 appears to have locked in momentum for the open access movement. But it is time to ask whether providing free access to published research is enough – and whether equitable access to not just reading but also making knowledge should be the global goal. An explanation of open access and […] … learn more→