History of traditional (closed) peer review Even though scientific publishing has been around since the 17th century, formal peer review of submitted articles by external academics is relatively new. The journals Science and JAMA, for example, introduced formal peer review in the 1940s,…
Four steps to preparing your first draft Here is the process I use: Think about the topic you want to present, for some days or weeks. Make figures and tables. Then write as quickly as possible, as if thinking out…
In the early days of scientific societies (i.e. the 17th century), scientists would share their experimental results with each other at meetings, and receive feedback about their experiments in person. (The scientific journal wasn’t invented until later.) As the scientific…
Many PhD students are now in the final throes of writing their thesis. Turning years of research into a single, coherent piece of work can be tough, so we asked for tips from supervisors and recent PhD graduates. Below is a…
A new study shows that the rise of open access publishing of academic research is faster than anyone had previously realized. Before 2000 the vast majority of research papers were published in journals that could only be read by academics if…
A new tool that selects peer reviewers by algorithm could make the peer review process more reliable, by sources The more peer reviews on a paper from top scientists, the stronger the peer review signal. Technology has changed some aspects of science tremendously.…
Universities are digital machines these days. But many of the decisions that have to be made as a result are not technical at all. They are about the nature of research and its public benefits, about how learning and teaching takes place,…
Attending your first conference can be a nerve-wracking experience, and giving your first paper can be even more stressful. However, a little bit of forethought and preparation can make the whole experience much smoother and more enjoyable. For those who…
A new study, “How to Prepare a Manuscript for International Journals” — a seasoned editor gives advice to boost your chances of acceptance I think that sometimes researchers are not trained by their supervisors in writing scientific papers during the…
Lyme disease is often evident by a rash on the skin, but infections do not always produce similar rashes. This can make it difficult to detect the disease early, when antibiotic treatment is most effective. In today’s issue of the Biophysical…
