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→

They say it’s the hope that kills you – but hopefully not in this case. With three effective vaccines against Covid-19 having emerged in the past few weeks and one of them already being rolled out in the UK, it doesn’t seem too giddy a prediction that by this time next year the curve of […] … learn more→

I’m here to share my top five tips for researchers who want to get confident with statistics. I know, I know – you’re really busy and statistics is one of those things that you’d love to get your head around at some point, but it’s just not your priority right now. Don’t worry. These are […] … learn more→

On 24 November, Twitter exploded with outrage at the announcement that the publisher Springer Nature plans to introduce an open access (OA) option for its Nature research journals, with an article processing charge (APC) of a whopping €9,500 (£8,290 or $11,390). Particular scorn was heaped on a subsidiary pilot scheme called “guided OA”, whereby authors can pay €2,190 in […] … learn more→

“If we cannot talk about sex, then we cannot talk about good sex,” proclaimed gynecologist Jennifer Gunter on a trailer for Jensplaining, her show on female reproductive health. Gunter is an example of a scientist using non-traditional platforms to communicate research. So excited to share the first trailer for Jensplaining with everyone! Thanks @CBC @CBClife You […] … learn more→

I’ve never heard good career news in science and academia. Even before the pandemic, every few years, the Arts Faculty of a major university would shed a huge number of jobs. Australian scientists would be subject to periodic funding cuts or reforms that frequently promise to create a “lost generation of scientists”. As another round of funding cuts looms, this time triggered by the […] … learn more→

SMOTHERING LIFE WITH PLANS WON’T WORK A lot of us in the research sector instinctively believe that we can become more efficient by careful planning. We enforce these plans by making to-do lists, deciding when we will leave the house and arrive for appointments, and by reminding ourselves (and those around us) that we have […] … learn more→

Open access (OA) has been the defining story of academic publishing for the past 15 years. The discourse has changed from whether to move to OA to how to move and, now, how fast to move. On the launch of Plan S in 2018, Science Europe president Marc Schiltz stated that “progress has been slow” […] … learn more→