This weekly Nautilus column highlights some of the online discussion at Nature Network in the preceding week that is of relevance to scientists as authors and communicators.
The Nature Network week column is archived here.
The UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)‘s decision to deny unsuccessful applicants the right to re-apply for future grants for a time period, bringing into question the peer-review process, as reported in Nature News online and in Nature ’s journal edition, is highlighted at Nature Network in a post by Katherine Haxton about the effect of this policy on a young academic researcher learning how to apply for grants, compared with those who have a longer track record. Further discussion arising from a Nature Editorial is encouraged at the Nature Opinion forum at Nature Network, and researchers who do not agree with the EPSRC policy may sign an online petition to the UK Prime Minister before 17 May. At time of writing this post, nearly 1,500 people have signed.
If you could reshape scientific exchange to meet your needs, what would you change? Would you restructure the format of the journal article? Would you eliminate the article altogether, opting for an open notebook approach? These questions are asked in a meeting report by Caryn Shechtman, but the ensuing discussion to her post is an informative comparison of online protocols websites, the value of collaborative editing for this type of research, and how protocols publication is best organized.
Those in Brisbane and interested in science communication can attend a series of lectures in April and May being organized by William Burns; the speakers will be Dr Joan Leach, a lecturer in the rhetoric of science; and Dr Phil Dowe, associate professor in the philosophy of science. Further details at William’s post. And for brushing up your written scientific communication skills, Brian Clegg reviews the new Oxford Dictionary for Scientific Writers and Editors.
Bob O’Hara shares the content of some of his correspondence from a new journal, and provides some seasoned advice on how to respond to calls for submission (or indeed, to calls for applications as Editor in Chief).
For scientists-as-novelists, Jenny Rohn‘s novel Experimental Heart is the subject of the next Fiction Lab reading group, in London on 7 April. Further details at Jenny’s post. And if art is more your scene, try this delightful periodic table of typefaces, courtesy of Scott Keir.
Further science-related blog reading and online discussion can be enjoyed at:
Nature.com’s science blogs index and tracker
Nature Network’s many blogs and forums