The Value of 3 Degrees of Separation on Twitter

  The more interconnected our Twitter networks get, the more the distance between us and total strangers shrinks [PDF]. That’s not always a good thing. Twitter is fabulous. There’s fun, camaraderie, fascinating people, and ideas you wouldn’t otherwise encounter. Victoria Costello … Continue reading »

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“Just” Joking? Sexist Talk in Science

    I’m a scientist who’s also a cartoonist. So I’ve got a pretty keen interest in scholarship and empirical research on humor. And I want to talk about research and sexist jokes, and where that leads. It’s a response to a narrative … Continue reading »

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Weighing Up Anonymity and Openness in Publication Peer Review

    Scientists are in a real bind when it comes to peer review. It’s hard to be objective when we’re all among the peer reviewing and peer-reviewed, or plan to be. Still, we should be able to mobilize science’s repertoire to solve our problems. Yet, … Continue reading »

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The Science Opinion Games: New Conversations, Same Old Voices?

  “Women scientists seem to be underrepresented in science activities that make their reflections public.” I wrote that glum-making sentence. It was in an editorial for PLOS Medicine about post-publication culture. The studies that led me to this conclusion are cited there: under-representation … Continue reading »

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Open Access 2014: A Year that Data Cracked Through Secrecy and Myth

    Scientists created a rod for their backs when they allowed the journals in which their work is published to become the arbiters of its scientific merit. A small tier of journals locked behind expensive paywalls became the elite of … Continue reading »

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