Call for articles
Spotting the elephant in the lab.
We cordially welcome everybody to contact us if he or she has an idea for a contribution to this blog or for a possible collaboration.
You are welcome to contribute to a new topic or any other that we covered.
Call for editors
Joining the herd.
We are a group of enthusiasts who care about science. If you would like to join our editorial team, help us identify relevant challenges and review our contributions – let us know.
Our article formats
Short Analysis is a research article that features insights about research and research policy. The key finding should be presented in a short and concise manner.
Cross-post is an article you posted somewhere else and now think it might fit here as well. Crosspost are welcome and we make them citable.
Opinion is an opinionated post that reflects on a meta-science topic. Opinion pieces should offer recommendations.
Interview is a Q&A with innovative and critical thinkers on science, science policy, and ethics.
Elephant quality promise
We want Elephant in the Lab to be a safe space to test out bold ideas and critical thoughts in a supportive environment. This is why we want to give our authors the best possible publishing experience.
For each article we offer a peer-review or friendly feedback from two of our editors. We can also provide proof reading by a native speaker if requested. Each article will be formatted in our beautiful Elephant in the Lab design and will receive a DOI. We use our channels to bring your thoughts into the world.
Current elephant in the lab
AI in Research
ChatGPT and other generative AI applications have once again cast the spotlight on AI and its purpose in academic research. Heralded by some as the ultimate time-saver and means to ease administrative burdens, its reception in academic circles varies. How much do researchers actually know about this technology and how it works? Critical voices express reservations about the potential negative implications AI has on the integrity of research as well as cite the potential harmful practices related to the dissemination of bias and inaccurate information. This debate surrounding the involvement of AI in research is fervent among academics, policymakers and legal experts, centering on the question: What role should AI have in the research process?
Other topics
We welcome any bold ideas and critical thoughts!
Articles can be submitted to any of our issues around science and academia. Explore our arcticles and topics and find out more about our publication processes.
Publication guide
Format and topic
Pick the right format and write your contribution
You can contribute to the current issue or to elephants we have identified in the past. Contributions can be interviews, opinion pieces or op-eds, and can either be an original piece or a cross-post from another blog.
Read more about the different formats above and browse our website to find out more about the different Elephants in the lab.
Review process
Get feedback from a member of the editorial team
Every draft of an article for the blog gets friendly feedback from at least one of
the editors. On the one hand, we can give you content-related feedback on your
draft version of your contribution. On the other hand, we can (if necessary) help
you out with a grammatical check!
Writing your article
Follow our template
Create a crisp title (Max. 55 char.) The sky is the limit. Get creative and make your post stand out. You can also make several suggestions. If necessary – we can add longer titles to your DOI and citation information.Write a short teaser
Write a short teaser (max 260 char.) The teaser should give the reader a sneak peek into your argument or the content of your contribution in one sentence. It will be visible on overview pages and as an excerpt below the title of your post.
Get the citations right! Itʼs pretty cumbersome to scroll all the way down for a short annotation. We thus ask you not to use footnotes and to use author-date-citation styles (e.g. Chicago or APA). Your bibliography will be added to the References section below your post.
Author information
In addition to the article we need some information about you
Short Bio: Give our readers an impression of who you are and write a couple of sentences about your professional background. These short bios should be about five to seven sentences long.
Image: Itʼs always nice to connect an authorʼs face with their article. Please provide us with an image of yourself and your co-authors which we can add to your post!
Social Links: We are happy to link your social media profiles to your contribution! Please let us know which ones to use.
Speaking of social media – don’t forget to follow Elephant in the Lab!
Share your ideas with us
We welcome contributions to the current and all previous elephants in the lab. If you would like to submit an idea for an article, please read above more about formats and review details.
Privacy disclaimer: The data submitted through this form will only be used to respond to your request and will be stored for the duration of this cause.
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