Monday 20 August 2012

Maynooth Scientists Discover Ice Age survivor

Researchers at NUI Maynooth have discovered the first evidence that plants survived the great Ice Age in Ireland. Up to now most scientists agreed that Ireland's flora and fauna came here after the end of the Ice Age, some 15,000 years ago. This new discovery pushes back this date to a much earlier time, long before the Ice Age.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

A Push Grows Abroad for Open Access to Publicly Financed Research

Researchers, publishers, and librarians have spent a lot of this year firing up the longstanding debate over access to published research. You've probably heard the big questions: Who gets to see the results of work the public helps pay for, when should they get to see it, and who's going pay for it? This summer, the fervor has gone global, with policy makers in Britain, elsewhere in Europe, and in Australia signaling that they're ready to come up with some answers. Details vary from country to country and proposal to proposal, but the overall warming trend looks very clear. http://chronicle.com/article/Push-for-Open-Access-to/133561/

Research evaluation should be pragmatic, not a choice between peer review and metrics

Responding to the growing momentum of movements, such as DORA and CoARA, Giovanni Abramo argues for a more nuanced balance between the use o...