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  • Bullying comes in many forms, including when subordinates bully a manager. Sara Branch argues that workplaces should implement policies to combat all types of bullying.

    • Sara Branch
    World View
  • Anglo-Saxon conventions in handling author names in the academy negatively affect scholars around the world. Academia can and must take steps to change this, writes Victoria Guazzelli Williamson.

    • Victoria Guazzelli Williamson
    World View
  • Progress in the burgeoning field of misinformation research requires some degree of consensus about what constitutes an effective intervention to combat misinformation. We differentiate between research designs that are used to evaluate interventions and recommend one that measures how well people discern between true and false content.

    • Brian Guay
    • Adam J. Berinsky
    • David Rand
    Comment
  • Science is international, but scientific publishing is dominated by English-language publications. This disproportionately benefits native or fluent English speakers. We want to take steps to address the imbalance this creates, and new technology may help.

    Editorial
  • Effective HIV prevention and treatment are widely available, but services are underused and underdelivered. Behavioural economics offers insights into why this is and shows us cost-effective interventions to change behaviours. We call for investment in scaling up behavioural economics approaches to aid in progress towards ending HIV.

    • Omar Galárraga
    • Sebastian Linnemayr
    • Susan Vorkoper
    Comment
  • New medications that target biological mechanisms to address obesity, diabetes and related cardiometabolic conditions are widely popular. As not everyone is eligible, willing or able to take medications, structural and behavioural solutions remain essential to treat and decrease the risk of cardiometabolic diseases.

    • Mohammed K. Ali
    • Nikkil Sudharsanan
    • Harsha Thirumurthy
    Comment
  • Academic publishing is the backbone of science dissemination –– but is the current system fit for purpose? We asked a diverse group of scientists to comment on the future of publishing. They discuss systemic issues, challenges, and opportunities, and share their vision for the future.

    • Abubakari Ahmed
    • Aceil Al-Khatib
    • J. Andrew Pruszynski
    Feature
  • Off-task behaviours, such as media multitasking, are frequent in social science experiments and are especially common during online data collection. Such off-task behaviour can affect the quality of research data, making it crucial to understand the nature of this behaviour and to account for its influences.

    • Allison C. Drody
    • Effie J. Pereira
    • Daniel Smilek
    Comment
  • Research funding determines the course of science and thus shapes future knowledge. However, funding allocation is inherently biased, non-optimal and costly. We present a Shiny app that simulates the effects of funding scenarios on costs, diversity and quality. We advocate a lottery at the beginning to promote inclusion.

    • Finn Luebber
    • Sören Krach
    • Jule Specht
    Comment
  • The current science system is unjust — from the systems that determine its membership to its outputs and outcomes. We advocate for contextually responsive, collective action to build a more just science system that demonstrates a relational duty of care to all its participants. To achieve this, we urge the science community to harness the powerful processes of complexity with deliberate intent.

    • Aisling Rayne
    • Hitaua Arahanga-Doyle
    • Tammy E. Steeves
    Comment
  • Early-career researchers in Australia report dissatisfaction, bullying and questionable research practices. We discuss how this may contribute to the replication crisis and suggest local and international strategies to improve the industry.

    • Katherine Christian
    • Jo-ann Larkins
    • Michael R. Doran
    Comment
  • On 5 May, the World Health Organization lifted its designation of COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern. The abatement of the pandemic represents an extraordinary scientific achievement. However, COVID-19 remains a threat and its effects will continue to be felt for years.

    Editorial
  • Victims frequently report immobility during rape and sexual assault, often using the term ‘freezing’. Neuroscientific evidence suggests fear and threat can block cortical neural circuits for action control, leading to involuntary immobility. Defence arguments that blame victims for freezing are thus inappropriate and unjust.

    • Ebani Dhawan
    • Patrick Haggard
    Comment
  • The metaverse can improve the accessibility of scientific laboratories and meetings, aid in reproducibility efforts and provide new opportunities for experimental design. But researchers and research institutions must plan ahead and be ready to mitigate potential harms.

    • Diego Gómez-Zará
    • Peter Schiffer
    • Dashun Wang
    Comment