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Researchers say the policy could intensify existing issues with research quality and misconduct. Researchers say the policy could intensify existing issues with research quality and misconduct., Author(s): Gayathri Vaidyanathan Author Affiliations: Indian payment-for-papers proposal rattles scientists Some researchers fear that the proposed scheme could make it harder for Indian scientists to publish in international journals. [see [...]

The article focuses on the impact a Russian amended law concerning state secrets is having on science publishing by Russian scientists. It states President Vladimir Putin used a decree in May 2015 expanding the scope of a law requiring scientists get permission from the Federal Security Service prior to publishing results which could have industrial or military applications. It reports Russian universities are requiring scientists seek approval to the publication of any findings without exception.

The author reflects on bibliometrics, a way of quantitatively analyzing scientific literature to assess its quality, and criticizes the way scientists are guided mainly by citation statistics. Topics include the negative effects of bibliometrics in terms of hindering the creative development of a research agenda and the need for scientists to focus on scientific merit versus journal impact factor by resisting dependence on bibliometrics in their decision-making process.

The article discusses a text analysis of biomedical papers which revealed that young researchers are much more likely than older scientists to study innovative topics. It found that senior researchers are more likely to publish when they are supervising a younger scientist. The study was conducted by Mikko Packalen of the University of Waterloo in Canada and Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University in California and published by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research in February 2015.

Advocates of homeopathy say that the rat study is evidence of the practice's efficacy, but some scientists have cast doubt on the paper. Advocates of homeopathy say that the rat study is evidence of the practice's efficacy, but some scientists have cast doubt on the paper., Author(s): Giorgia GuglielmiAuthor Affiliations:Peer-reviewed homeopathy study sparks uproar in Italy Homeopathic remedies are so heavily diluted in water or alcohol that none or only a few molecules of the active [...]

The article offers information on the ResearchGate, free social networking site for academics, which helps scientists and researchers to share papers, ask and answer questions, and find collaborators. It mentions the views of owner Ijad Madisch, physician and virologist, on the success of the ResearchGate and the academic social networks. Topics discussed include views of researchers on the service, charts and graphs on the comparison with other social networks, academic social network.

Software that uncovers suspicious papers will do little for a community that does not confront organized research fraud, says Jennifer Byrne.We need to talk about fraud in scienceSoftware that uncovers suspicious papers will do little for a community that does not confront organized research fraud, says Jennifer Byrne., Author(s): Jennifer ByrneAuthor Affiliations:We need to talk about systematic fraud From where I work at the University of Sydney, you cannot see the ocean. However, in Australia, the ocean is [...]

The article provides an overview of the scientific journal database Nature Index 2015 Global. Topics cited include the collaboration among scientists and their colleagues from other regions, dominance of Africa in terms of the level of collaboration, use of weighted fractional count to measure the performance of countries in scientific publishing, and rank of Israel in terms of research funding.

The article discusses developments in open-access research in Great Britain. Topics mentioned include the open-access publishing of research articles by publicly funded scientists, collaboration between publishers, funders, and researchers on the costs and challenges of open-access publishing, and key barriers to open-access research such as open-access licenses and use of single digital identifier.

As the physicist's collected papers reach volume 15, Andrew Robinson sifts through the quotes attributed to him. As the physicist's collected papers reach volume 15, Andrew Robinson sifts through the quotes attributed to him., Author(s): Andrew Robinson Author Affiliations: Did Einstein really say that? Albert Einstein in Caputh, Germany, in 1929. [see PDF for image] Credit: Ullsten Bild via Getty Black and white photo [...]

The global burden of neurological, neuropsychiatric, substance-use and neurodevelopmental disorders in low- and middle-income countries is worsened, not only by the lack of targeted research funding, but also by the lack of relevant in-country research capacity. Such capacity, from the individual to the national level, is necessary to address the problems within a local context. As for many health issues in these countries, the ability to address this burden requires development of research infrastructure and a trained cadre of clinicians and scientists who can ask the right questions, and conduct, manage, apply and disseminate research for practice and policy. This Review describes some of the evolving issues, knowledge and programmes focused on building research capacity in low- and middle-income countries in general and for brain and nervous system disorders in particular.This article has not been written or reviewed by Nature editors. Nature accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the need for scientific organizations to hire young scientists and retain old and well-experienced scientists.

A preview of article discussing a study on how names of reputed and well known scientist drives the list of citations, published in the periodical "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA" is presented.

The article focuses on the culture, rules and expectations of retirement among scientists in five nations. It comments on Hans-Hilger Ropers in Germany who was able to gain extensions to work until 71 years and talks about the impact mandatory retirement for public employees in some European nations. It mentions physicist Mark Adams in Illinois voluntarily retired at 59 due to concerns about state pension reforms. It talks about Hélène Delisle of Canada who chose to retire at 70.

The article discusses some recommendations on how colleges can accommodate the increasing number of postdoctoral researchers. Topics mentioned include the implementation of five-year term limits by universities, transition of permadocs into stable-better paid positions, creation of senior staff scientist or superdoc positions, and change in the size of laboratories with a higher ratio of permanent staff scientists to trainees.

The article features 10 people who made significant contributions to science in 2014. They include Andrea Accomazzo who led the team that steered the interplanetary mission Rosetta to its rendezvous with the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August 2014, Suzanne Topalian who pioneered cancer immunotherapy, and Sheik Humarr Khan who was part of the team that performed the first genetic sequencing studies of the Ebola virus in his country Sierra Leone.

The article presents corrections for two articles which was published in a 2014 issue of the journal including "Scientists and the social network" and "Health check for deep-sea mining"

The article focuses on the leisure activities and hobbies that scientists partake in. The author discusses the competitive nature of job promotions and funding within the field of science, explores why interests outside of scientific work is important to a scientist's work-life balance, and examines several hobbies, including boxing, mountain climbing, and stand-up comedy. INSET: NOBLE PASTIMES: The secret lives of polymaths.

The article shares professional and personal goals of several scientists for 2015. Topics noted include National Aeronautic Space Administration chief scientist Ellen R. Stofan's goal of sending humans to Mars safely to inspire a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, British chief medical officer Sally Davies' mention of her desire to see international initiative on antimicrobial resistance, and chemistry professor Yi Xie's mention of collaborations across disciplines.

Small teams might be more likely to produce 'disruptive research', but science needs a wide range of group sizes to truly flourish. Small teams might be more likely to produce 'disruptive research', but science needs a wide range of group sizes to truly flourish., Author Affiliations: Embrace teams large and small to foster the health of research Small research teams are more likely to publish papers that pose new ideas, as opposed to elaborating [...]

The scientific community must take measures to keep preprints from distorting the public's understanding of science, says Tom Sheldon.The scientific community must take measures to keep preprints from distorting the public's understanding of science, says Tom Sheldon., Author(s): Tom SheldonAuthor Affiliations:Preprints could promote confusion and distortion Thousands of papers are submitted every month to the platforms arXiv and bioRxiv, which make manuscripts available before they have been [...]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses a report in the journal on the need for perseverance among young scientists and the increase in competition for paid positions in research, and recommends young scientists to read Peter Medawar's "Advice to a Young Scientist."

The article focuses on the popularity of cloud computing among U.S. scientists. Topics discussed include the benefits posed by the technology to scientists, ways on how scientists can build a cloud environment for their own research group or laboratory, and security concerns about cloud computing. Platforms recommended for scientists are cited.

The article reports that science leaders in Australia are opting for collaborations to overcome funding crisis faced by the industry. Topics discussed include reduction in government funds for research and development (R&D), decline in funds provided by the Australian Research Council (ARC), ranking of research-intensive universities by the periodical, life science research in the country and efforts of the country's chief scientist Ian Chubb for collaborations such as Asian Research Zone.

The article discusses the formation of the European Research Area (ERA), an entity through which European researchers will be able to exchange ideas. Topics discussed include disparities in standards of research, collaboration between European scientists and increased academic mobility in the scientific community. It is observed that wealthy European national economies progress in research and innovation. Gender gap in grants from the European Research Council is noted.

The article discusses the role of scientists in demonstrating the societal impact of scientific research. According to the author, many early-career scientists only have experience in academia, making it difficult for them to understand the needs of the industry and policy sectors. It is suggested that academic performance metrics discourage scientists from exploring nonlinear career tracks or conducting interdisciplinary research. Particular focus is given to academic research in Great Britain.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an obituary published in a previous issue for British physicist Henry Moseley, who studied X-ray spectra of atoms and was killed in World War I, and how it may have impacted government policy regarding the military enlistment of scientists.

The article emphasizes the need for the science system in Ukraine to encourage young scientists and reward those young scientists with international expertise and allow them to lead research teams.

The article reports that researchers of all types rallied behind the hashtag #IAmAScientistBecause# to share their scientific inspirations.

The article presents an obituary for cancer research scientist/hematologist Donald Metcalf.

The article discusses the reaction to the article by Steven McKnight, president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), which complained on the quality of scientists on grant-review committees of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue including sexuality of scientists, sexual discrimination, science and prejudices, the attitudes of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community and under representation of women in science.

The author discusses the impacts of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration restrictions on use of drones aircraft by researchers in the U.S. The author reflects on the initiative made by the FAA to enforce regulations for drone aircraft. The author also mentions that the agency must adopt regulations which ensures machines safety.

Researchers are reaping the benefits of carefully built programmes and a surge in funding. Researchers are reaping the benefits of carefully built programmes and a surge in funding., Author(s): Sarah O'Meara Author Affiliations: Materials science is helping to transform China into a high-tech economy A flexi-screen mobile phone is on display at an exhibition in Chengdu last year. [...]

Six scientists whose transformative work reaches across borders. Six scientists whose transformative work reaches across borders., Author(s): Catherine Armitage, David McNeill, Smriti Mallapaty Author Affiliations: Japan's global connectors Yasuke Yamauchi's materials engineering work has potential for use in batteries and chemical sensors. [see PDF for image] [...]

Misaligned stacks of the wonder material exhibit superconductivity and other curious properties.Misaligned stacks of the wonder material exhibit superconductivity and other curious properties., Author(s): Elizabeth GibneyAuthor Affiliations:How 'magic angle' graphene is stirring up physics Overlapping two sheets of graphene shows a characteristic pattern. [see PDF for image]Credit: Juliette Halsey for Nature Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, [...]

Knowing the gene-expression pattern of individual cells can unlock their identity. A refined method for generating cellular RNA profiles offers a way to obtain such data at a high level of spatial resolution in intact tissues. Method for RNA profiling of tissues retains spatial information., Author(s): Samantha A. Morris Author Affiliations: Pinpointing a spatial address for RNA profiles in tissues Monitoring messenger RNA in cells is a way to gather data that provides many biological [...]

In the first of a three-part series on science start-ups, Nature Careers explores how scientists with a sound business idea can thrive as entrepreneurs, and why leaving academia isn't required.Nature Careers explores how scientists with a sound business idea can thrive as entrepreneurs, and why leaving academia isn't required., Author(s): Amber DanceAuthor Affiliations:How business-savvy scientists can find success in the risky start-up world Geneticist Brittany Barreto (right), chief executive of dating company Pheramor, with her co-founders. [see PDF for [...]

The application of a new citation metric prompts a reassessment of the relationship between the size of scientific teams and research impact, and calls into question the trend to emphasize 'big team' science. The disruptive contributions of small teams to science., Author(s): Pierre Azoulay Author Affiliations: Small research teams 'disrupt' science more radically than large ones The current infatuation with large-scale scientific collaborations and the energy they can bring to a [...]

Scientists with first-hand experience of rejection offer their advice.Scientists with first-hand experience of rejection offer their advice., Author(s): Josie GlausiuszAuthor Affiliations:Tenure denial, and how early-career researchers can survive it Credit: Adapted from Getty [see PDF for image]Illustration of a person facing rejectionSibrina Collins felt humiliated when she [...]

Five fathers describe how they and their partners combine parenting and careers.Five fathers describe how they and their partners combine parenting and careers., Author Affiliations:Juggling research and family life: honest reflections from scientist dads Kourosh Saeb-Parsy with his children, Nadia and Kiana, at a Mini Mudder obstacle course. [see PDF for image]Credit: Kathryn [...]

Sand-grain-sized computers, self-healing materials and constellations of craft would reboot our reach, explain Igor Levchenko, Michael Keidar and colleagues.Sand-grain-sized computers, self-healing materials and constellations of craft would reboot our reach., Author(s): Igor Levchenko, Michael Keidar, Jim Cantrell, Yue-Liang Wu, Hitoshi Kuninaka, Kateryna Bazaka, Shuyan XuAuthor Affiliations:Explore space using swarms of tiny satellites Three miniature satellites -- CubeSats -- launching into [...]

Giving media interviews can raise scientists' profiles if they prepare well and manage expectations.Giving media interviews can raise scientists' profiles if they prepare well and manage expectations., Author(s): Amber DanceAuthor Affiliations:On the record Shivan Parusnath at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, thinks that media interviews can boost employment chances. [see PDF for image]Credit: [...]

Four East Asian researchers who returned from abroad are carving out an international presence.Four East Asian researchers who returned from abroad are carving out an international presence., Author(s): Virginia GewinAuthor Affiliations:How to build a lab in East Asia's science hot spots Many junior scientists from East Asia do their degree or post-PhD training abroad, but return home [...]

A regular pastime can ease mental stress, improve work-life balance and help scientists to reach innovative solutions in their work.A regular pastime can ease mental stress, improve work-life balance and help scientists to reach innovative solutions in their work., Author(s): Julia RosenAuthor Affiliations:How a hobby can boost researchers' productivity and creativity Hobbies can be more than just a welcome distraction from the complexities of a scientific career -- they [...]

Space, freedom and the opportunity to establish one's own system are among the highlights for junior researchers.Space, freedom and the opportunity to establish one's own system are among the highlights for junior researchers., Author(s): Chris WoolstonAuthor Affiliations:Why a new lab can be a valuable destination for postdocs and graduate students For some junior researchers, new laboratories can be a valuable alternative to more [...]

Machine learning and other technologies are expected to make the hunt for new pharmaceuticals quicker, cheaper and more effective.Machine learning and other technologies are expected to make the hunt for new pharmaceuticals quicker, cheaper and more effective., Author(s): Nic FlemingAuthor Affiliations:How artificial intelligence is changing drug discovery An enormous figure looms over scientists searching for new drugs: the estimated US$2.6-billion price tag of developing a treatment. A [...]

Protein- and sequencing-based technologies are helping researchers to profile immune cells ever more deeply.Protein- and sequencing-based technologies are helping researchers to profile immune cells ever more deeply., Author(s): Esther LandhuisAuthor Affiliations:Single-cell approaches to immune profiling Analysing individual white blood cells can help scientists to identify their specific role in fighting disease. [see PDF for image]A white blood [...]

Scientists want to combat dementia and neurodegeneration by keeping the brain's immune system from going rogue.Scientists want to combat dementia and neurodegeneration by keeping the brain's immune system from going rogue., Author(s): Alison AbbottAuthor Affiliations:Is 'friendly fire' in the brain provoking Alzheimer's disease? Microglia cluster around plaques in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. [see PDF for image]Microglia around plaques in [...]

As big pharma downsizes, contract research organizations are reaping the benefits. As big pharma downsizes, contract research organizations are reaping the benefits., Author(s): Esther Landhuis Author Affiliations: Outsourcing is in Illustration of business woman and scientist building large pill [see PDF for image] Alokta Chakrabarti manages drug-candidate identification and discovery for client [...]