Archive by date | August 2007

What’s an author?

Dr Robin Rose writes: Recently, the scientific community was presented with a paper containing the names of no fewer than 21 authors in Nature. The race for recognition in certain areas of study appears to have many scientists battling for authorships on as many papers as will accept them. Any number of journals seem to find this acceptable. Thinking back through my long career in science I cannot recall ever seeing an article or “letter,” in this case, with so many authors: 1/21 would suggest an average 4.76% contribution, with some contributing more and some less (!). While collaboration is often praiseworthy, I found myself asking more than a few questions:  … Read more

Is EU funding worth the effort?

As the EU continues to roll out FP7 (the seventh Framework programme for research and development), researchers are asking whether the prize of significant research funding is worth the effort that is involved in applying, according to the Editorial in September’s Nature Reviews Microbiology. (Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 5, 654; 2007.)  … Read more

Journal of Investigative Biology’s online journal club

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology now has a journal club group on Nature Network, a place to read, discuss, and learn more about cutting-edge research in cutaneous biology. Anyone can join Nature Network simply by registering for an account. It is all free, and once you’ve joined, you can join the Journal of Investigative Dermatology’s or any other group from the large range that have been set up by users. You can also participate in the forum discussions or set up your own blog on the Nature Network — the place for scientists to meet, communicate and socialise.  Read more

Wikiversity online learning project

At the recent Wikimania conference, coordinators of Wikiversity, the Wikimedia Foundation’s wiki-based education project, said that they believed the project would really get off the ground in the next two to three years. Wikiversity is a community where free educational content can be created and hosted: this content includes multimedia learning materials, resources and curricula for all age groups in all languages.  Read more

Nature spotlight on Canada

In its 6 September issue, Nature will highlight Canada in the Naturejobs section of the journal. This feature offers an opportunity to advertise positions, conferences and other notices, as it will be read by an international audience of potential employees, investors, employers, potential conference attendees and others. Job advertisements will also receive a complimentary 8-week posting on naturejobs.com and will be matched to relevant content across nature.com. Event advertisements will also receive a complimentary 8-week posting on nature events. The deadline for submission of advertisements is 30 August.  Read more

Nature journal policies on proteomics data

The August editorial in Nature Biotechnology, ‘Time for leadership’ (Nat. Biotechnol. 25, 821; 2007) describes how the example set by leading proteomics laboratories will be a major factor in determining the successful implementation of new reporting guidelines in the wider community.  Read more

Announcing Nature Chemistry

We are delighted to announce the launch of a new journal, Nature Chemistry, in the first part of 2009. Alongside the highest-quality original research, Nature Chemistry will cover news, commentary and analysis from and for the chemistry community, as well as striving to develop a voice that chemists care about.  Read more