The first rule of Tim Hunt is…
I see a lot of people at the moment saying we should stop talking about the Tim Hunt affair and focus on the Real Issues facing women in science. As though condescending arseholes at the top of the...
View ArticleBe sure to have your say on the future of the Guardian Science blog network
It is one of the great privileges of my career to be a writer on the Guardian science blogs, where I contribute mainly to the psychology blog Head Quarters. It's nearly two years since we launched Head...
View ArticleIt's nice to be nice but it's more important to be honest
Science is hard, and if you're on the receiving end of criticism it can be especially hard. As scientists we need to have thick skins because we deal with harsh criticism every day - we are bombarded...
View ArticleMy commitment to open science is valuing your commitment to open science
tl:dr – to be shortlisted for interview, all future post-doctoral vacancies in my lab will require candidates to show a track record in open science practices. This applies to twoposts I am currently...
View ArticleSo you've been scooped
It’s the moment every junior researcher dreads – and more than a few senior ones too. You’re on the verge of submitting that amazing paper describing a new and exciting finding, or a hot new method,...
View ArticleThe things you hate most about submitting manuscripts
A few days ago I asked the twittersphere what rubs people the wrong way when it comes to submitting manuscripts to peer reviewed academic journals. Oh let us count the ways. From the irritation of...
View ArticleScrew Brexit – but thank you to all my European friends and colleagues
It feels like someone has died.I’m struggling to focus on work, and in a way I can ill afford right now. I’m struggling to engage in the most mundane conversations, especially with strangers. I feel...
View ArticleRegistered Reports for Qualitative Research: A call for feedback from...
tl;dr – in 2017 we are expanding the Registered Reports publication model into qualitative research for the first time. Since we’ve never done this before, we’re very interested to hear from...
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“Methodological terrorism” and other myths
Most readers of my blog will be aware of Professor Susan Fiske’s leaked letter to the APS Observer last week. In her article, Fiske delivers a blistering invective on the dangers of social media,...
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My personal tribute to Alex Danchev
On Saturday 29th October I spoke at the University of St Andrews memorial event for my stepfather-in-law Alex Danchev, held at St Salvator's Chapel. I've received a number of requests from family,...
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An "Accountable Replication Policy" at Royal Society Open Science
tl;dr: we've drafted a new journal policy for increasing the publication of replication studies and we need your help to get it right.Many readers will be aware of Sanjay Srivastava's 2012 proposal for...
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Why science – and open science – matters now more than ever
The internet is abound with thinkpieces about the election of Donald Trump, and I won’t bore you with my own views, aside from one: I hear a lot of scientists saying that their work is the least...
View ArticleShould all registered clinical trials be published as Registered Reports?
Last night I asked you brilliant folks to give me your strongest counterarguments to the following proposition: that all registered clinical trials should be published in journals onlyif submitted as...
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Seven questions about my new book: the Seven Deadly Sins of Psychology
So I wrote a short book about psychology and the open science movement (HOLY CRAP IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING)Sorry. Allow me to compose myself. Yes, yes it is.The book is called The Seven Deadly Sins of...
View ArticleThe Saboteur
“You’re our insurance policy”, DC had said. “Our last chance. If the worst happens, you are going to drive a bomb into Brexit”.“If Remain wins, you win – I’ll quit before the next GE and you’ll stand...
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Open-ended, Open Science
In this special guest post, Rob McIntosh, associate editor at Cortex and long-time member of the Registered Reports editorial team, foreshadows a new article type that will celebrate scientific...
View ArticleWhy I hate the ‘tone debate’ in psychology and you should too
There is an extremely boring, seemingly indestructible, debate going on in psychology about the ‘tone’ of scientific debate in our field. The root of this peculiar argument is that the nature of some...
View ArticleAre there special rules for Greeks entering the UK?
This is a guest post by Cardiff University PhD student (and EU national) Loukia Tzavella, reporting how she was required to do a language test to pass immigration controls enroute to the UK. If you...
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Invisible police in senior academia
I have this recurring experience on social media where I say something that, to me, seems bleedingly obvious but ends up offending senior academics. What happens next is always the same: a series of...
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My manifesto as would-be editor of Psychological Science
This week I received a nice email informing me that I have been elected as a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. A warm thanks to whoever nominated me -- I have no idea who you are,...
View ArticleThe battle for reproducibility over storytelling in cognitive neuroscience
Here is my twitter thread on our upcoming Discussion Forum on reproducibility in cognitive neuroscience at the journal Cortex. I've posted it to my blog because, weirdly, it appears on twitter to be...
View ArticleGuest post by Claudio Tennie: Why I am resigning as Associate Editor from...
The following is a guest post published at the request of my colleague, Dr Claudio Tennie, University of Tübingen. I have always been fond of Royal Society Proceedings B. And yet, today I am resigning...
View ArticleCALLING ALL SCIENTISTS: Rapid evaluation of COVID19-related Registered...
Each of us has a part to play in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, including journals and Registered Reports (RRs).For those unfamiliar with RRs, they are a form of empirical article offered by more...
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The day I met the Queen
I’m no fan of monarchies. I’m Australian and I voted (on the losing side) of the 1999 referendum to become a republic. Still, I think that even for many republicans, the Queen surpassed politics. She...
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Changing the culture of scientific publishing from within: Ten Years Later
This post summarises my twitter thread of 28 October announcing our new Registered Reports policy at Cortex. 10 years ago, almost to the day, we received Elsevier’s approval to launch Registered...
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