(18 Dec 2025) The rise of AI scientists, missions to explore the moons of Earth and Mars and a massive ocean-floor drill are among the developments set to shape research in 2026. AI for science – Research powered by artificial intelligence made leaps this year, and it is here to stay. AI ‘agents’ that…
(19 Dec 2025) Every December, Smithsonian magazine’s science team picks which stories were the year’s most significant. We look for a broad set of topics that captured the public’s imagination or that fit in with trends that will affect us far into the future—and overall shape how we remember the year. Scientific discoveries this year demonstrated…
(30 Oct 2025) Anyone with a computer has been asked to “select every image containing a traffic light” or “type the letters shown below” to prove that they are human. While these log-in hurdles — called reCAPTCHA tests — may prompt some head-scratching (does the corner of that red light count?), they reflect that vision…
(27 Sept 2025) The attached article discusses the recent significant reduction in the availability of abstracts for scholarly articles from major publishers like Elsevier and Springer Nature on open academic metadata aggregators such as OpenAlex. Over recent years, AI-powered academic search tools have heavily relied on open abstracts for effective research discovery. However, since…
(17 Dec 2024) In 2024, the scientific community achieved remarkable milestones across various disciplines, capturing global attention. Knowable Magazine’s compilation of the year’s top science stories offers librarians a curated overview of these groundbreaking developments, providing valuable insights for enriching their collections and engaging patrons with the latest scientific advancements. Highlights from the Top Science…
(14 July 2024) Geoffrey Boulton and Moumita Koley argue for fair and transparent standards in science publishing to maintain research integrity and credibility. They highlight issues with editorial oversight, commercial business models, and the impact of bibliometric indices, emphasizing the need for proper governance to ensure science benefits society globally. Find out more here.
(11 July 2024) The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) published the CREC Recommended Practice (NISO RP-45-2024) to improve the communication of retractions. Funded by the Sloan Foundation, this practice aims to ensure accurate metadata for retracted research. It enhances transparency and helps limit the spread of flawed or invalid science, boosting trust in academic research.…
(9 July 2024) Three New South Wales schools, Lindfield Learning Village, Granville East Public School, and Middle Harbour Public School, are finalists in the Sydney Opera House’s inaugural Play Award. Their innovative play-based learning programs, which enhance social skills, literacy, and student engagement, demonstrate the transformative power of integrating play into education. Find out more…
(8 July 2024) Problematic articles continue to be cited despite retraction due to lack of awareness and inconsistent display of retraction status. The NISO Recommended Practice for Communication of Retractions, Removals, and Expressions of Concern (CREC) aims to improve metadata transfer and display to prevent inappropriate citations. Community adoption is crucial for effectiveness. Find out…
(4 July 2024) In their study titled “Identification of Retracted Publications and Completeness of Retraction Notices in Public Health,” researchers investigated how retracted publications in public health are presented to researchers. They examined 441 retractions from The Retraction Database in 2023. Surprisingly, less than 50% of these publications were consistently marked as retracted across various…