The Cambridge Analytica controversy flags up the ethical perils of research with Big Data – especially when it has commercial potential, says John Holmwood
Academic gatherings may be fun, but they do little to advance knowledge. To justify the public spending that supports them, such events must do more to provide benefits to those who don’t attend, argues Nicholas Rowe
The mere mention of fairies in academic circles can bring derision. Yet the field is a rich one that has much to offer open-minded, multidisciplinary scholars, writes Simon Young
Following individuals’ paths in and out of different institutions shows that most students eventually graduate, say Ross Finnie, Richard E. Mueller and Arthur Sweetman
Psychologist Michal Kosinski’s work shows how digital footprints can predict a person’s sexual orientation, political views and more. Is it a danger or a warning about threats to privacy? John Morgan reports from California
Will the current blockade on Qatar harm its higher education system? Simon Baker investigates whether the need to find common scientific ground among Gulf states could win out
Lancaster University's vice-chancellor Mark E. Smith and Nicola Owen argue that a new composite ranking offers a more nuanced view of institutional excellence
Social scientists’ scepticism about research oversight also relates to the curiously bad press it gets in Western literature, writes Katarzyna Kaczmarska
Introducing a ‘consumer-style ratings system’ for degrees has the potential to cause terrible damage to universities and society in general, argues Cathy Shrank
Higher education institutions make a loss when they invest in international partnerships, but the wider community reaps a windfall, says New Zealand report
Mathematicians – and, indeed, other scholars – who cooperate with intelligence agencies face a moral dilemma knowing that their research could well be applied in unethical ways, says Michael Harris
There are very few outlets for women to work together against unhelpful concepts that hold back female progression in academia, says Elisabeth Julie Vargo
Ahead of University Mental Health Day on 1 March, Robin Brinkworth argues that institutions must become far more open and accountable on how they are handling student problems
Could the Commonwealth be a viable source of research networks should the UK fail to secure access to the EU’s research programmes post-Brexit? Simon Baker reports
The ‘leaky pipeline’ metaphor for the lack of women at senior levels of academia can demotivate those whose professional paths meander, says Aileen Fyfe
In the first of a regular series looking at who is producing highly cited research in different areas, THE explores a subject currently deemed the ‘most prominent’ by Elsevier metrics