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Some publishers say they are battling industrialized cheating. A Nature analysis examines the 'paper mill' problem -- and how editors are trying to cope. Some publishers say they are battling industrialized cheating. A Nature analysis examines the 'paper mill' problem -- and how editors are trying to cope., Author(s): Holly Else, Richard Van Noorden Author Affiliations: Illustration by Ana Kova Cartoon of researchers looking at a stack of papers with Western Blots. A magnifying glass shows the blots [...]

Elisabeth Bik quit her job to spot errors in research papers -- and has become the public face of image sleuthing. Elisabeth Bik quit her job to spot errors in research papers -- and has become the public face of image sleuthing., Author(s): Helen Shen Author Affiliations: Credit: Gabriela Hasbun for Nature [see PDF for image] Elisabeth Bik poses for a portrait taken through glass reflecting a garden showing her sitting at [...]

Make science more reliable by placing the burden of replicability on the community, not on individual laboratories. Make science more reliable by placing the burden of replicability on the community, not on individual laboratories., Author(s): Olavo B. Amaral, Kleber Neves Author Affiliations: Reproducibility: expect less of the scientific paper Credit: David Parkins Illo of a person squashed by pile of papers. In 2018, we [...]

To thwart publishing rackets that undermine scholars and scholarly publishing, legitimate journals should show their workings. To thwart publishing rackets that undermine scholars and scholarly publishing, legitimate journals should show their workings., Author(s): Kyle Siler, Vincent Larivière, Philippe Vincent-Lamarre, Cassidy R. Sugimoto Author Affiliations: Illustration by David Parkins Cartoon of four researchers attacking a many headed hydra with swords Predatory publishers' latest [...]

Some researchers have their manuscripts screened for errors before they go to journals. Some researchers have their manuscripts screened for errors before they go to journals., Author(s): Alison Abbott Author Affiliations: Illustration by Ana Kova The science institutions hiring integrity inspectors to vet their papers On 15 June 2017, scientists at a respected biological institute in [...]

Productivity coaches, boot camps and online meet-ups teach researchers to avoid distractions and negative thoughts to get their writing projects done. Productivity coaches, boot camps and online meet-ups teach researchers to avoid distractions and negative thoughts to get their writing projects done., Author(s): Roberta Kwok Author Affiliations: You can get that paper, thesis or grant written -- with a little help Credit: Kristin Lee/Getty [see PDF for image] Pencil on open notebook [...]

Highlights from News & Views published this year. Highlights from News & Views published this year., Author Affiliations: Robots, hominins and superconductors: 10 remarkable papers from 2019 Credit: Sylvain Cherkaoui/Reuters [see PDF for image] A porter carries fish from a fishing boat to the beach at [...]

A giant data store quietly being built in India could free vast swathes of science for computer analysis -- but is it legal? A giant data store quietly being built in India could free vast swathes of science for computer analysis --but is it legal?, Author(s): Priyanka Pulla Author Affiliations: Carl Malamud in front of the data store of 73 million articles that he plans to let scientists text mine. [see PDF for image] Credit: [...]

The nonsensical computer-generated articles, spotted years after the problem was first seen, could lead to a wave of retractions. The nonsensical computer-generated articles, spotted years after the problem was first seen, could lead to a wave of retractions., Author(s): Richard Van Noorden Author Affiliations: Hundreds of gibberish papers still lurk in the scientific literature Nonsensical research papers generated by a computer program are still popping up in the [...]

Personality traits help to explain why some people and not others hoarded a humdrum product in the face of a deadly virus. Personality traits help to explain why some people and not others hoarded a humdrum product in the face of a deadly virus., Author Affiliations: Precious commodities: shoppers in Bangkok stock up on toilet paper and kitchen roll. [see PDF for image] Credit: Jack Taylor/AFP/Getty People wearing face masks manoeuvre a shopping trolley [...]

Analysis reveals that strange turns of phrase may indicate foul play in science. Analysis reveals that strange turns of phrase may indicate foul play in science., Author(s): Holly Else Author Affiliations: 'Tortured phrases' give away fabricated research papers In April 2021, a series of strange phrases in journal articles piqued the interest of a group of [...]

The Oxford-AstraZeneca partnership is the first major developer to publish detailed data from phase III trials. The Oxford-AstraZeneca partnership is the first major developer to publish detailed data from phase III trials., Author(s): Heidi Ledford Author Affiliations: Oxford COVID-vaccine paper highlights lingering unknowns about results The results suggest that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective. Credit: Juan Mabromata/AFP/Getty A scientist working [...]

Four journals also say they are scrutinizing papers coauthored by Cao Xuetao after scientists raise questions about images on Twitter and PubPeer. Four journals also say they are scrutinizing papers coauthored by Cao Xuetao after scientists raise questions about images on Twitter and PubPeer., Author(s): Andrew Silver Author Affiliations: Chinese ministry investigates duplications in papers by university president Articles written by university president Cao Xuetao are being investigated over suggestions that dozens of papers [...]

Hundreds of junk-science papers have been retracted from reputable journals after fraudsters used 'special issues' to manipulate the publication process. And the problem is growing. Hundreds of junk-science papers have been retracted from reputable journals after fraudsters used 'special issues' to manipulate the publication process. And the problem is growing., Author(s): Holly Else Author Affiliations: Scammers impersonate guest editors to get sham papers published Scammers have impersonated researchers to gain access to reputable journals and publish special issues filled with [...]

Allegations of fabricated data have prompted a university investigation and some soul-searching. Allegations of fabricated data have prompted a university investigation and some soul-searching., Author(s): Giuliana Viglione Author Affiliations: 'Avalanche' of spider-paper retractions shakes behavioural-ecology community Studies of social spiders such as Stegodyphus dumicola (pictured) have come under close scrutiny. Credit: Bernard Dupont (CC [...]

The latest science news, in brief. The latest science news, in brief., Author Affiliations: Devastating fires, Iran nuclear tensions and pirate papers A house is destroyed by wildfire in New South Wales, Australia. Credit: Matthew Abbott/NYT/Redux/eyevine A kangaroo rushes past a burning [...]

The latest science news, in brief. The latest science news, in brief., Author Affiliations: Thousand-author papers, lab outbreaks and a prisoner exchange White Island, a marine volcano off New Zealand, erupted while tourists were exploring its crater. Credit: Michael Schade/Xinhua News Agency/eyevine [...]

Letter to the Editor, Author(s): Angela I. N. Obasi, Seye Abimbola, Ndekya Oriyo, Ben Morton, André Vercueil, Refiloe Masekela Author Affiliations: Credit local authors fairly on international research papers As co-signatories on a consensus [...]

Three examples show how public participation in research can be extended at every step of the process to generate useful knowledge.Three examples show how public participation in research can be extended at every step of the process to generate useful knowledge., Author(s): Gary Hickey, Tessa Richards, Jeff SheehyAuthor Affiliations:Co-production from proposal to paper Children with artificial limbs and their carers talk to researchers and industry representatives about improving prosthetics. [see PDF [...]

Author(s): Yiqin Alicia Shen; Yuichi Shoda; Ione Fine Our analysis of primary research papers in 15 prestigious multidisciplinary and neuroscience journals in the MEDLINE database indicates that the proportion of [...]

The Toolbox 'Need a paper? Get a plug-in' () stated that Éric Archambault is an independent bibliometrician. He is actually chief executive of Science-Metrix in Montreal, Canada. DOI: [...]

The systems of science must reward honesty about mistakes to speed progress. The systems of science must reward honesty about mistakes to speed progress., Author(s): Nicholas P. Holmes Author Affiliations: I critiqued my past papers on social media -- here's what I learnt Every year in June, I discover that the most self-critical scientists [...]

Author(s): Virginia Gewin Manuscripts may have a rigidly defined structure, but there's still room to tell a compelling story -- one that clearly communicates the science and is a pleasure [...]

To mark St Valentine's Day, Nature this week published a and sealed by science. One describes a science writer who was asked to investigate unusual crystals in a particle collider, [...]

Author(s): Stephen K. Donovan Eric Blackman bemoans the misuse of 'obviously' and 'clearly' in scientific publications (). He might also have mentioned another hackneyed adverb that conveys so little to [...]

Author(s): Ashish Arora; Sharon Belenzon; Andrea Patacconi The is witnessing a growing division of labour between universities and corporations. As industry conducts less research and more development, academia is picking [...]

Few people have heard of Michele Tobias's research field--and even fewer study it. Tobias is an environmental scientist at California State Parks in Sacramento, but in her spare time she [...]

Just how error-prone and self-correcting is science? We have spent the past 18 months getting a sense of that. We are a group of researchers working on obesity, nutrition and [...]

A deep dive into the physical-science literature links the most original research with the most recently formed teams of co-authors. A deep dive into the physical-science literature links the most original research with the most recently formed teams of co-authors., Author Affiliations: Fresh scientific collaborations lead to exciting results. Credit: Getty Scientists in a laboratory having a discussion. Want fresh results? Analysis of thousands of papers suggests trying new teammates [...]

Author(s): Quirin Schiermeier Ross Mounce knows that when he shares his research papers online, he may be doing something illegal - if he uploads the final version of a paper [...]

The Pulitzer prizewinner shares his advice for pleasing readers, editors and yourself. The Pulitzer prizewinner shares his advice for pleasing readers, editors and yourself., Author(s): Van Savage, Pamela Yeh Author Affiliations: Novelist Cormac McCarthy's tips on how to write a great science paper Actor Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss in the 2007 film adaptation [...]

Corporate research in the life sciences endures, despite diminishing in other fields of science. Corporate research in the life sciences endures, despite diminishing in other fields of science., Author(s): Ashish Arora, Sharon Belenzon, Wesley Cohen, Andrea Patacconi Author Affiliations: Companies persist with biomedical papers Many advanced countries struggle to increase their productivity. Between 1970 and 2014, real GDP [...]

An algorithm developed to spot abnormal patterns of citations aims to find scientists who have manipulated reference lists. An algorithm developed to spot abnormal patterns of citations aims to find scientists who have manipulated reference lists., Author(s): Richard Van Noorden Author Affiliations: Signs of 'citation hacking' flagged in scientific papers Scientists who get too many references to their own work inserted in others' papers -- whether [...]

Author(s): Sara Reardon A storm of criticism has rained down on a paper by genome-sequencing pioneer Craig Venter that claims to predict people's physical traits from their DNA. Reviewers and [...]

New policy tackles perverse incentives that drive 'publish or perish' culture and might be encouraging questionable research practices. New policy tackles perverse incentives that drive 'publish or perish' culture and might be encouraging questionable research practices., Author(s): Smriti Mallapaty Author Affiliations: China bans cash rewards for publishing papers Chinese institutions have been told to stop paying researchers bonuses for publishing in journals, as part of a [...]

Author(s): Ciara Breathnach, Tiziana Margaria Author Affiliations: Census: on paper, by governments, is still best We agree that hard-copy censuses are crucial to public-health surveys in developing economies (see https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03116-z [...]

If science's current predicament has taught us one thing, it is that we should beware of perverse incentives (see ). So let us imagine the cascade of woe that could [...]

Author(s): Nicky Phillips Two scientists have rolled out a program that spots incorrect gene sequences reported in experiments - and have used it to identify flaws in more than 60 [...]

For researchers with limited library resources, literature searches can seem frustratingly hit or miss: sometimes, they find exactly what they need first time, but sometimes, the key reference is hidden [...]

Author(s): David G. Victor (corresponding author) [1]; Keigo Akimoto [2]; Yoichi Kaya [3]; Mitsutsune Yamaguchi [6]; Danny Cullenward [4]; Cameron Hepburn [5] Beyond US President Donald Trump's decision in June [...]

Author(s): David Cyranoski A heated dispute over gene-editing that began in blogs and social media is now playing out in the scientific literature. Six months ago, Chinese researchers reported that [...]

The concept that the immune system has a role in controlling cancer is not a recent one. More than a century ago, the surgeon William Coley hypothesized that postoperative bacterial [...]

[illus. 1] Strips of paper embedded with a conducting polymer can perform a range of movements with electrical stimulation. George Whitesides at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his colleagues [...]

The British Journal of Anaesthesia's unusual experiment is designed to broaden replicability efforts beyond just methods and results. The British Journal of Anaesthesia's unusual experiment is designed to broaden replicability efforts beyond just methods and results., Author(s): David Adam Author Affiliations: Reproducibility trial publishes two conclusions for one paper Anaesthesia has been linked to delirium and death in older patients. [see PDF for image] Credit: BSIP/UIG [...]

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 [...]

A collection of web-browser plug-ins is making the scholarly literature more discoverable. A collection of web-browser plug-ins is making the scholarly literature more discoverable., Author(s): Dalmeet Singh Chawla Author Affiliations: Illustration by The Project Twins Need a paper? Get a plug-in For researchers with limited library resources, literature searches can seem frustratingly hit or [...]

Author(s): Chris Woolston Author lists have grown lengthy in many fields of science, but when a Drosophila genomics http://www.g3journal.org/content/early/2015/03/04/g3.114.015966.abstract [1] was published with more than 1,000 authors, it sparked discussion [...]

Researchers have hidden secret notes in their manuscripts for decades, but there are risks. Researchers have hidden secret notes in their manuscripts for decades, but there are risks., Author Affiliations: From proposals to snarks: the messages that scientists sneak into their papers Hiding personal messages in the small print of academic papers isn't a good idea. Credit: Alex [...]

Author(s): Daniel PrietoAuthor Affiliations:Make research-paper databases [...]

Author(s): Juan Tao, Chengzhi Ding, Yuh-Shan HoAuthor Affiliations:Publish translations of the best Chinese papers Related [...]