Bold ideas and critical thoughts on science.

Open science

Topic description: Open science is on everyone’s lips. Policy makers, funders, researchers, and even publishers advocate for open access to scholarly work. It stands out that, despite the fact that almost everyone in the academic sphere demands for science to be open, the understanding of what constitutes openness varies and is partly contradictory. We took a closer  look at the buzzword open science, reflected on the term, presented current developments, and common pitfalls.

What is your take on Open Science? We welcome contributions on this topic.

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Do you dare? What female scientists expect when communicating

Do you dare? What female scientists expect when communicating

Scientists are increasingly expected to engage with the public. At the same time, they face increasing hostility when they speak out. Female scientists, as a more frequent target of sexist hostility, fear being attacked and enjoy speaking out less than their male counterparts. The question arises: Is science communication really feasible for everyone in the current hostile environment? This short analysis focuses on female scientists as a subgroup of a large survey sample and how their assessment of public engagement differs from that of their male counterparts.

What happens to science when it communicates?

What happens to science when it communicates?

In August 2023 Benedikt Fecher conducted an interview with Clemens Blümel from the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) on the topic of ‘what happens when science opens up and communicates’ and the emerging challenges for future scientific communication.

The Case for PubPub

The Case for PubPub

In this Short Analysis, Jefferson Pooley is reviewing/introducing PubPub, a web-based publishing platform hosted by a nonprofit, the Knowledge Futures Group (KFG)

Wikipedia as Science Communication: A Step-by-Step Guide

Wikipedia as Science Communication: A Step-by-Step Guide

The Wikipedia community has become a source of information for a broad and global public. Paul and Max argue that contributing to the encyclopedia as a scholar can be a powerful way of achieving a strong societal impact of their own expertise. Furthermore they provide a guide on how to write your first contributions.

A Replication Crisis in the Making?

A Replication Crisis in the Making?

Jörg Peters on the lack of replicability of many publications in economics, the role of p-hacking and publication pressure, and reasons for cautious optimism in considering these issues

A groundbreaking DEAL?

A groundbreaking DEAL?

Marcel Knöchelmann takes a look on the DEAL-Wiley Agreement, details of the contract reveal that this new big deal may come at a high cost.