Much less is known about the development of the social sciences as a complete discipline group than about the previously dominant STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) discipline group. Patrick Dunleavy, Simon Bastow and Jane Tinkler set out some key … Continue reading →
Category: Government
“Nudging” researchers toward Gold Open Access will delay the shift to wider access of research.
UK research is being conceived by the UK Government as if it were primarily an investment in the journal publishing industry rather than in research productivity and impact, argues Stevan Harnad. Since the new UK open access policy was announced, … Continue reading →
The marketisation of our universities is fragmenting the academic workforce at the students’ expense.
Business criteria, not education or the public good, drive what marketised universities do, writes Luke Martell. Universities are restructuring for the new era, ploughing money into marketing and glitzy buildings, designed to appeal to applicants as much as function for those that use them. It’s … Continue reading →
As the REF submission period ends, mismatched publishing incentives signal challenging times ahead in academia.
Academics are frequently subject to new types of evaluations. November marks the end of the submission process for the UK funding council’s evaluation, the Research Excellence Framework (REF). John Hudson discusses some of the shortcomings of the REF and the methods … Continue reading →
A more inclusive approach to citizen engagement methods will strengthen policy-making and its underpinning evidence.
For just under a decade, a significant experiment in citizen participation in government has been taking place in the shape of Sciencewise. In recent years, the agency has not only survived a change of Government, but – according to Helen Pallett … Continue reading →
Finch Group reviews progress in implementing open access transition amid ongoing criticisms.
The working group which first released the Finch Report on expanding access to published research in June 2012 has issued a new progress update. Following the UK government’s unilateral acceptance of these recommendations, criticisms have mounted against this so-called ‘push for … Continue reading →
The availability of open data and new trends in data visualisation will transform how we understand our cities.
Due to the increasing availability of large urban datasets, it is now becoming easier to produce online visualisations that capture and help interpret the complex spatial dynamics of cities. Duncan A. Smith argues that as further open datasets are made available, … Continue reading →
Five recommendations for maximising the relevance of social science research for policy-making in the big data era
The quantity and influence of generalisable data presents challenges and opportunities for public policy making. Helen Margetts discusses how social scientists can help policy-makers in this changed environment, ensuring that social science research remains relevant, and warns that social science … Continue reading →
A replicated study on nuclear proliferation shows the critical necessity of reviewing accepted scientific results.
In replicating a 2009 study on the role of asymmetric nuclear weapons possession, Mark Bell and Nicholas Miller found that a computational error led to the overestimation of the deterrent effect of nuclear weapons by a factor of several million. It is … Continue reading →
Impact-monitoring research leads to clear EU policy recommendations to improve services for children of prisoners.
In England and Wales there are an estimated 200,000 children with a parent in prison, and on any given day, an estimated 800,000 children have a parent in prison in the European Union. The COPING team argue that this area … Continue reading →