The Conversation

U.S. Presidents Have Long Touted the Joys of Junior Colleges
Higher Education Reform
February 4, 2015

U.S. Presidents Have Long Touted the Joys of Junior Colleges

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In the Anthropocene, Every Discipline Has a Role
Interdisciplinarity
January 29, 2015

In the Anthropocene, Every Discipline Has a Role

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MOOCs + Meetups = Better Learning
Higher Education Reform
January 22, 2015

MOOCs + Meetups = Better Learning

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Make a Charitable Donation of Your Personal Data
Public Policy
January 13, 2015

Make a Charitable Donation of Your Personal Data

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When Chasing Prestige Becomes the Prize

When Chasing Prestige Becomes the Prize

A survey by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics suggests that researchers appreciate the benefits of competition but also fear how it can emphasize prestige over quality

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Colin Firth: Author, Actually

Colin Firth: Author, Actually

Authorship of an article seems like it ought to be straightforward, but of course it’s not. Even with greater scrutiny, abuse of the process — both adding the wrong people and subtracting the right ones — continues.

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Playing the Game of REF

Playing the Game of REF

A very strong overall REF performance signifies a large concentration of outstanding work. It is an unambiguous plus. All the same, precise league table positions in the REF, indicator by indicator, should be taken with a grain of salt.

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With the REF, We Can Evaluate the Impact of Impact

With the REF, We Can Evaluate the Impact of Impact

Measuring impact was a key feature of the just-released Research Education Framework in the UK. But ‘impact’ isn’t as fair a measurement as we could hope.

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The Social Science of Climate Change Believers’ Denial

The Social Science of Climate Change Believers’ Denial

Consciously we might be talking about the impending sustainability crisis, but unconsciously we find ways to actually maintain the status quo.

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Peer Review Has Problems. Let’s Fix Them

Peer Review Has Problems. Let’s Fix Them

In a conclusion to his two earlier articles on post-publication peer review, Andy Tattersall argues that while new ways to measure scholarly value may not be perfect yet, it’s still high time to start introducing them more widely.

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A Few Caveats for Budding Social Media Research Mavens

A Few Caveats for Budding Social Media Research Mavens

Behavioral scientists have seized on social media and their massive data sets as a way to quickly and cheaply figure out what people are thinking and doing. But some of those tweets and thumbs ups can be misleading.

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Is Everything a Scholar Writes Automatically Scholarly?

Is Everything a Scholar Writes Automatically Scholarly?

It’s not necessarily the type of peer review that makes an academic article scholarly, argues Christoper Sampson, but the transparency of how the conclusions were reached.

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