In the Shadow of the Volcano and Along the River
A brief look through the early history of rice cultivation in Java, why rice is uniquely suited to the climate and topography of Mt. Merapi, and how humans have impacted and are impacted by this unique landscape.
Back in the Office, with Some Good Omens: Recountings on Seeking the Eureka for Mercury Contamination in Obi
Asked to write a press release for her research in Obi island, Lelly took to making it the bestest press release ever. If you know, you know.
Peer review and its many practical challenges
Is our trust in peer review misplaced?
In this video, we look at its foibles, why journals find it difficult to ensure good peer review, and how it is undermined by pressures to publish.
Petunjuk Penulisan Manuskrip Ilmiah
A manuscript preparation guide for biology students
Getting started on writing your thesis can be incredibly tough. Known as the tyranny of the blank page, even getting the first words down feels daunting. This guide (in Bahasa Indonesia) will take you every step of the way, from developing your manuscript to writing it, and finally to completing it. Overcome the tyranny of the blank page!
Ecology Lectures
A collection of ecology videos
This collection of videos and PDFs has been created specifically to allow biology or any other student to learn vegetation, population, and community ecology, free of the impediments of traditional education. They are free to watch, download, and share, at your own convenience. Most lectures are currently in Bahasa Indonesia, with the remainder in English and more to come in both languages.
Creative Commons
A hub for various Creative Commons-related tutorials, guides, and articles
Through its free legal tools and licenses, Creative Commons enables authors, artists, scientists, and educators to share and distribute their work under easy-to-understand copyright terms. Creative Commons licenses essentially allow creators to take a “some rights reserved” approach to licensing, rather than an “all rights reserved” one, by giving others permission to use a work, but only under a specific set of conditions. In this way, creators' rights can be respected while the public good is served.
Outwitting the Fox
An introduction to predatory publishing, its controversies, and how to navigate the wilds of scholarly communication
The open access model offers efficiency in the publishing process and promises better visibility and discoverability for research. Many scientists, however, have expressed concern over its susceptibility to exploitation by publishers trying to earn faster and higher revenue by pumping out an endless stream of articles regardless of their scientific quality while charging their authors exorbitant fees for the privilege of being published. These predatory publishers threaten the integrity of science, but will do whatever it takes to shield themselves from public exposure.
This article series explores the origins of predatory publishing, the attempts to expose them, the resulting controversy, why this discussion matters, and what authors can do to outsmart the predators snapping at their heels.