16 January
Lack of academic freedom when politicians want to control research
New research institutions are employing loyal employees who lack academic qualifications in Hungary. And the government is appointing financial supervisors at the universities. The aim is to get rid of free-thinking researchers, asserts Andrea Petö, a professor of Gender Studies in Budapest. In Sweden, too, political forces that question certain research are appearing.
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As a nerd, one wants to find out everything there is to know in one’s field, such as the science behind zombies, aliens and superheroes. This drive is something that teachers and research communicators should use more, argues Raychelle Burks, a chemistry researcher at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas.
Peer review – collegial scrutiny of scientific articles – is a cornerstone of academic publishing. Yet the work is usually unpaid, and is also carried out anonymously. Now the Swedish editors of an international journal have instituted a prize to celebrate the best review of the year.
The organisation Addgene wants to make it easier for researchers in genetics to share material for basic research. They believe in a change, where more researchers are working towards a more open research culture.
Plan S is a European initiative, aimed at speeding up research results being openly accessible to all. According to the plan, all scientific results produced with the support of public funding bodies as from 2020 shall be published openly without delay. But the tight timeframe has been criticised.
Around 3.5 per cent of EU research funds come to Sweden. But, according to experts Curie has spoken to, this could be increased with more knowledge of the review process and better formulated applications.
The publishing giant Elsevier charges for both reading access and open publication online. For Swedish HEIs, this results in escalating costs. Talks broke down in May, and libraries have been excluded from reading since 1st July.