A lighthearted post this week. What would the publishing landscape be like, if journals were restaurants instead of publications? TIR offers its own, definitely not Michelin-starred, guide…
The cell biologist’s guide to fine dining
Publishing
Thinking outside the sphere
A quick tip of the hat from TIR to the American Society for Microbiology’s journal mSphere, for pioneering a new paradigm in the scientific publishing process. Continue reading
Pop science
Research nowadays is fixated with the notion of generating “high impact” work. “High impact” work is published in “high impact” journals and funding bodies are looking for “high impact” proposals to support. An appealing comparison can be drawn with the world of music, which has its own synonym for the phrase.
It’s “mainstream”.
Sitting Pretty
Who decides who the recipients of postdoctoral Fellowships are?
Who decides who the candidates for junior faculty positions are?
Who decides whether or not someone gets tenure? Continue reading
The Patron Saint of Science Writing
It’s an unacknowledged truth that scientific English is a distinct dialect. But who should be regarded as its architect? Continue reading
Of general interest
In science, when you’ve got a story that’s ready for publication, you have to decide where to send it – and the choice is far from inconsequential. Continue reading
Cloak and dagger
Facts, figures, and rhetoric
What’s the real purpose of scientific figures?
There’s a common misconception that they’re to show what we did. Continue reading
The art of refereeing
Could rugby teach scientists how to approach the review process?
On the night before the England rugby team attempt to win a first Six Nations grand slam since 2003, it seemed appropriate to have a rugby-themed posting. For those who are not fans of the game with the funny-shaped ball, bear with me… Continue reading
Wholly Trinity
An obsession with publishing in three high-prestige journals is ruining careers and undermining good science.
Cell. Nature. Science. Three short words – but like another worshipped trio, their influence belies the simplicity of their names. These three journals exert a pathological and mesmeric hold on the entire biomedical research body, and it is high time that that spell was broken.
First off, and let’s get this in the clear so that there are no misunderstandings, it should be stressed that Nature and Science are terrible, terrible organs for the publication of scientific research. Continue reading
Total Internal Reflection 