By Timo Hannay. The increasing pace of human discovery is a curse – we need to rethink what it means to publish the results of research.
The rapid growth of scientific literature is often seen as evidence, if evidence were needed, that the pace of human discovery is accelerating. On the contrary, however, it is becoming a curse – one that requires us to radically rethink what it means to publish the results of research.
Relentlessly – day after day, year after year – scientists are uncovering new facts about the world. If anything, the startling rate at which this happens appears to be increasing, but how would we know if such an impression was true? One way is to look at the rate at which scientific papers are published and these have indeed been appearing at an ever-increasing rates for decades or even centuries.
As reported in a recent paper, the rate of growth of cited (ie somewhat influential) scientific publications has risen from less than 1% before the middle of the 18th century to 2-3% in the first half of the 20th century, and 8-9% today. Read more...

By Claire Shaw. A new report urges England to seek guidance from Australia if its policy on uncapping student numbers is to be a success.
In 2015, universities in England will be able to recruit as many students as they like. But a new report looking at what happened in Australia when that policy was rolled out in 2012 warns that it’s naive to think uncapping student places will be a simple process in the UK – especially if the sector suffers further cuts after the election next year. The report, published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi), draws a contrast between the decades taken to prepare the ground for a demand-driven system in Australia and the speed with which the decision was taken in England.
Read our series on UK vs Australia: who’s copying whom? Read more...

By Simon Jenkins. Maths and science graduates are victims of a dirigiste British education policy that fails both labour market and individual. Graduates in computer science are so inarticulate as to be unemployable. So says a consortium of prospective employers. The Higher Education Statistics Agency agrees. This week it put computing top for unemployability, along with maths, engineering and media studies. Students should switch from geek to chic. Read more...

By Lawrence Wakefield. Cash-strapped students or hard-working families - who's best at managing their money? We get to the bottom of it. Read more...

By Richard Adams and Dominic Smith. Universities work harder to attract students, giving more unconditional offers ahead of removal of limit for undergraduates. Britain's universities are gearing up for a cut-throat battle to attract and recruit students – by making more unconditional offers of places, using sophisticated marketing, and building prestigious campus developments – spurred by government changes that are transforming university admissions policies. Read more...

By Miles Brignall. Free overdrafts, railcards and Amazon gift vouchers ... we look at what's on offer for students this year.
The annual battle of the banks to offer the best student current account has started early this year, with freshers being tempted with free rail, NUS or food cards, and even Amazon vouchers.
The new HSBC Student Bank Account is arguably the pick of the bunch and offers an interest-free overdraft of up to £3,000 over the length of a course – subject to status and account conduct. Read more...

By Richard Adams. Russell Group says evidence from same policy in Australia showed student numbers ballooned beyond official forecasts. The Russell Group of leading universities has called on the government to drop plans for a free-for-all in undergraduate recruitment next year, following publication of a report that suggests the policy could have disastrous financial consequences. Read more...