Category Archives: Science

What’s your favourite colour?

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Stephen

What’s your favourite colour? Anyone who has socialised with small children will have been confronted with this serious-faced interrogation at some point. It’s the sort of question that erupts as soon as young kids learn to verbalise the jumble of … Continue reading →

Posted in Protein Crystallography, Science | Tagged , , | 54 Comments

PLoS ONE: from the Public Library of Sloppiness?

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Stephen

I had an argument with my colleague in the tea-room the other day. Gratifyingly, I learned he had been reading my blogposts on the subject of open access, but it soon became clear he did not entirely share my enthusiasm … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Access, Science, Scientific Life | Tagged , , , | 72 Comments

Science: the bargain for funding

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Stephen

On the Guardian web-site today you will find a piece by myself and Imran Khan of CaSE which is a response to an attack on scientists for striking a faustian bargain with business.   The attack was written by Ananyo … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Science & Politics | Tagged , , , | 43 Comments

Some progress on Open Access

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Stephen

This morning there have been two very interesting developments on open access. First, Doug Kell, Chief Executive of the BBSRC, responded on his blog to my open letter. His reply is detailed and goes some way to clarifying progress in … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Access, Science | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

An Open Letter on Open Access to UK Research Councils

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Stephen

Short Version Please read the Wellcome Trust’s policy on open access. And then adopt it. Thank you.   Long Version Please read the Wellcome Trust’s policy on open access. It’s short so I’ve pasted it below. The policy states (with … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Access, Science, Scientific Life | Tagged , , , , , | 60 Comments

Guest post: Society Journals and the Research Works Act

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Stephen

My previous post on Elsevier and the Research Works Act (RWA) stimulated a conversation on Twitter with Benoit Bruneau about the possible impact on the journals of scientific societies of moves to open access publishing.  This is an aspect of … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Access, Science, Scientific Life | Tagged , , , , , | 27 Comments

Why I chose to decline an invitation to review by Elsevier

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Stephen

All relationships suffer tensions from time to time, especially those based on love-hate. Scientists have a complex relationship with their publishers — they love to get published in high-impact journals (most of which are run by major publishing companies) but … Continue reading →

Posted in Open Access, Science, Scientific Life | Tagged , , , | 58 Comments

More on Willetts’ Speech

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Stephen

In the days following Willetts’ big science policy speech, there had been a piece in Nature by Daniel Sarewitz and letters from disgruntled physical scientists to the EPSRC that in different ways highlighted the role of scientists in directing research funding. I was … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Science & Politics | Tagged | Comments Off on More on Willetts’ Speech

Moving Molecules

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Stephen

Regular readers will know that molecules are my thing, that my scientific endeavours are devoted to revealing the intricate architecture of proteins — the molecular machines that sustain life. They will also know that I have at times struggled with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Protein Crystallography, Science | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

From the pedestal – take 3

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Stephen

Earlier this week I had an interesting email from Jesse Shore, President of Australian Science Communicators, about a blog post I wrote back in 2010. Jesse has kindly agreed to let me post our brief correspondence so I’ll let him … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Science, Scientific Life | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Case for Support

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Stephen

If you are a scientist and you want some money to spend on research, as part of the grant application you have to write a case for support. It has to be good. You need to describe why the problem … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Science & Politics | Tagged , | 18 Comments

Work and Energy

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Stephen

It has been a quiet week in lab woebegone*. Though we have been working to pack up everything for a move across campus in mid-January, Christmas has intervened to scatter us to our homes, where traditionally we have the time … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Scientific Life | Tagged , , | 17 Comments