Nature: Researchers have finally created a tool to spot duplicated images across thousands of papers

"Computer software can now quickly detect duplicate images across large swathes of the research literature ........
............. the system could pick up potential duplicates even if they had been rotated, resized or had their contrast or colours changed."

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02421-3?utm_source=briefing-dy&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20180226

The Scientist: Dealing with Unethical or Illegal Conduct in Higher Education

......... cases of faculty wrongdoing that got swept under the rug by universities. In some instances, accusations are never properly explored. When complaints are investigated, the internal inquiries are typically conducted behind closed doors, where a committee of the accused’s colleagues, not quite impartial, listens to the case and makes a judgment.

“Academia is one of the last bastions where power imbalances spill over into the governance system, including faculty disciplinary committees that are charged with objectively judging their peers”. As a result, justice is not always served.

https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/50651/title/Dealing-with-Unethical-or-Illegal-Conduct-in-Higher-Education/

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Nature: Science needs to redefine excellence

What does excellence mean? How is it measured? When do we know that we have reached the required standard? These are difficult questions, but if the excellence agenda is to be taken seriously, they must be asked — even if they cannot be adequately answered.

First, the idea of excellence as a measure of research quality makes many people uncomfortable. And second, these people — despite their discomfort — cannot suggest anything better, given that science and scientists must meet political demands of accountability and assessment.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02183-y?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20180223&spMailingID=56048278&spUserID=MjA1NTE2NjY5OAS2&spJobID=1343280379&spReportId=MTM0MzI4MDM3OQS2