1,174 news posts in Frontiers news

Frontiers news

14 Apr 2014

Frontiers accounts and the Heartbleed security flaw

We would like to notify our community that Frontiers accounts have not been affected by the Heartbleed security flaw. Our servers do not rely on OpenSSL and are therefore not vulnerable to this security flaw; in addition, since the discovery of Heartbleed, we have conducted a series of checks and patches to even better optimise the security level of our production servers. Even though there is no reason to believe that Frontiers user credentials have been exposed to this security flaw, it is good practice to regularly change passwords. And so as always, those concerned about the protection of an account should change the password.

Frontiers news

11 Apr 2014

Rights of Human Subjects in Scientific Papers

The retracted Recursive Fury paper has created quite a blogger and twitter storm. A sensational storm indeed, with hints to conspiracy theories, claims of legal threats and perceived contradictions. It has been fury – one of the strongest human emotions – that has (perhaps understandably at first sight) guided the discussion around this retraction. Not surprisingly though, the truth is not as sensational and much simpler. The studied subjects were explicitly identified in the paper without their consent. It is well acknowledged and accepted that in order to protect a subject’s rights and avoid a potentially defamatory outcome, one must obtain the subject’s consent if they can be identified in a scientific paper. The mistake was detected after publication, and the authors and Frontiers worked hard together for several months to try to find a solution. In the end, those efforts were not successful. The identity of the subjects could not be protected and the paper had to be retracted. Frontiers then worked closely with the authors on a mutually agreed and measured retraction statement to avoid the retraction itself being misused. From the storm this has created, it would seem we did not succeed. For Frontiers, publishing the identities of human […]

Frontiers news

08 Apr 2014

Frontiers editor Arthur Ragauskas awarded two prestigious prizes

Arthur J. Ragauskas, Associate Editor of Frontiers in Energy Research, wins the TAPPI Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award and the American Chemical Society’s Award for Affordable Green Chemistry The Technical Association of Paper and Pulp Industry (TAPPI) Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award is the highest honor that the association awards. It is given to those “who have made preeminent scientific and engineering achievements of proven applied benefit to the world’s pulp, paper, board, and forest product industries.” The award highlights Dr Ragauska’s role in “training many of the key scientists at work in the industry today while also conducting important research that has advanced our understanding of the science in areas such as his current focus on biofuels and bio-based materials.” The American Chemical Society’s Award for Affordable Green Chemistry is awarded in recognition of “outstanding scientific discoveries that lay the foundation for environmentally-friendly products or manufacturing processes at a cost comparable to or less than that of current technologies, or discoveries that deliver new applications with compelling cost/benefit profiles.” The award recognises Dr Ragauska’s “research studies directed at developing green sustainable chemistry to convert lignocellulosics to biofuels, biopower and bio-based chemicals and materials.” Dr. Arthur Ragauskas is a professor in the School of […]

Frontiers news

04 Apr 2014

Retraction of Recursive Fury: A Statement

(Lausanne, Switzerland) – There has been a series of media reports concerning the recent retraction of the paper Recursive Fury: Conspiracist ideation in the blogosphere in response to research on conspiracist ideation, originally published on 18 March 2013 in Frontiers in Psychology. Until now, our policy has been to handle this matter with discretion out of consideration for all those concerned. But given the extent of the media coverage – largely based on misunderstanding – Frontiers would now like to better clarify the context behind the retraction. As we published in our retraction statement, a small number of complaints were received during the weeks following publication. Some of those complaints were well argued and cogent and, as a responsible publisher, our policy is to take such issues seriously. Frontiers conducted a careful and objective investigation of these complaints. Frontiers did not “cave in to threats”; in fact, Frontiers received no threats. The many months between publication and retraction should highlight the thoroughness and seriousness of the entire process. As a result of its investigation, which was carried out in respect of academic, ethical and legal factors, Frontiers came to the conclusion that it could not continue to carry the paper, which […]

Frontiers news

27 Mar 2014

Frontiers in Plant Science Celebrates 1000 Published Articles

To celebrate the recent publication of 1000 articles in Frontiers in Plant Science, we took the opportunity to look back at the journal’s growth over the last three years and talk with Rich Jorgensen, Field Chief Editor (FCE), about some of his past highlights and future hopes for the journal. What was it like to be a part of Frontiers in Plant Science (FiPS) at the beginning? Like any new project, getting started was really question of vision and commitment. It wasn’t just about defining what sections should be in the journal; it was a lot of conversations and one-on-one sessions about why there should even be a new plant science journal. The original FCEs, Wolf Frommer and Uwe Sonnewald, did a spectacular job attracting top-notch people as Specialty Chief Editors who really believed that publishing could be better and that active researchers should be playing a key role in making it that way. Those Specialty Chief Editors (SCEs) did a fantastic job in putting together their boards of Associate Editors, who in turn recruited the many Review Editors that the unique Frontiers Interactive Review relies on so heavily. From there, it was the slow task of introducing ourselves to the rest of the research community. While gradual at first, growth really took […]

Frontiers news

27 Mar 2014

Frontiers editor Alberto Diaspro honored with the Emily M. Gray Award

Alberto Diaspro, a Chief Editor of Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, is awarded the important prize of the Biophysical Society. Alberto Diaspro, Director of the Department of Nanophysics at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), wins the Emily M. Gray Award 2014. The prestigious international prize is awarded annually by the Biophysical Society to scientists who particularly stand for their contributions to education in biophysics. Established in 1997, the Emily M. Gray Award is given for significant results obtained globally by researchers with regard to education activities in this field, that may include a distinguished record of excellence in classroom instruction, in mentoring research scientists at any level, in developing novel educational methods or materials, in promoting scientific outreach efforts to the public or to youth, in generating a track record of attracting new students to the field of biophysics, or in otherwise fostering an environment exceptionally conducive to education in biophysics. Alberto Diaspro – who is also Professor of Applied Physics at the Department of Physics of the University of Genova, Italy – has been honored with the Emily M. Gray Award “for dedicating his career to mentoring students and serving as the major force in organizing international biophysics workshops that showcase the talent of […]

Frontiers news

27 Mar 2014

Frontiers launches a new open-access journal: Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences

Frontiers – a community driven open-access publisher and research networking platform – is pleased to announce the launch of a new open-access journal: Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences is the latest addition to the “Frontiers in” journal series and will cover research involving biochemistry, bimolecular mathematics, biophysics, structural biology and more. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences will make use of the unique Frontiers platform for open-access publishing and research networking, which provides an equal opportunity to seek, share and create knowledge. “Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences offers a new way to publish compared to most traditional journals,” says Annalisa Pastore, Professor in Molecular Basis of Neurodegeneration, King’s College London and Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences. “The Frontiers unique Peer Review is collaborative and transparent and sets it apart from other journals. It will ensure that Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences will become an attractive and high-quality journal for authors to publish their work.” The mission of Frontiers is to place scholarly publishing back in the hands of working researchers and to promote an interactive, fair, and efficient review process of a range of article types. Articles are rigorously reviewed based on objective criteria in an average time of 84 days, published under the […]

Frontiers news

25 Mar 2014

Winners of the Frontiers in Physics Prize Draw at APS 2014

Announcement of the the winners of the Frontiers in Physics Prize Draw at the American Physical Society meeting in Denver, March 2014! The winners of the draw each won a waiver for submitting their next research article toFrontiers in Physics free of charge: J. D. Burton, University of Nebraska Ivar Martin, Argonne National Laboratory Andrew Konya, Kent State University Frontiers in Physics is a community driven, open-access journal for peer reviewed publications in all Physics areas and offers a myriad of advantages for authors. We welcome you to browse our archive of published articles, apply to join the editorial board or submit your paper. We currently publish articles in the following fields: Atmospheric Science Biomedical Physics Biophysics Computational Physics Condensed Matter Physics High-Energy and Astroparticle Physics Interdisciplinary Physics Mathematical Physics Membrane Physiology and Membrane Biophysics Optics and Photonics Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics Space Physics Plasma Physics (coming soon)Thank you all for stopping by our booth in APS and congratulations to our winners!

Frontiers news

24 Mar 2014

Frontiers launches 2 new medical and surgical open-access journals

Frontiers is pleased to announce the launch of two new community-driven journals: Frontiers in Medicine and Frontiers in Surgery. Both titles will keep in line with Frontiers’ open-access philosophy and make the latest medical and surgical research accessible for free for the benefit of humankind. “Frontiers offers excellent publication opportunities for all clinical scientists,” says Ferdinand Köckerling, Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Surgery, Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery and Center of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Vivantes Hospital in Berlin, and former President, German Society of Visceral Surgery. The Frontiers Interactive Review enables a fair, fast, collaborative and transparent review that focuses exclusively on objective merits. Authors, reviewers and editors directly engage in a real-time review forum for a collaborative dialogue. Reviewer names are disclosed on accepted articles to enhance transparency and constructiveness. Medical and surgical communities can engage in post-publication review on all articles. Articles can be used without restriction – under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license – to accelerate medical discoveries, surgical innovations and patient care. “In the past, novel treatment methods were sometimes held up by over-conservative reviewers. That is why the Frontiers way of peer review – transparent and collaborative — is of paramount importance. Because the […]

Frontiers news

20 Mar 2014

Frontiers launches a new open-access journal: Frontiers in Nutrition

Frontiers is pleased to announce the launch of a new open-access journal: Frontiers in Nutrition. Frontiers in Nutrition is the latest addition to the “Frontiers in” journal series and will publish scientific investigations and research of the highest quality relevant to eating behavior, clinical nutrition, food science technology and more. “In a world where malnutrition, hunger and obesity continue to rise at the same time, Frontiers in Nutrition will generate an integrated platform for the exchange of science, concepts and ideas taking into account the perspectives from academic research labs, private sector science and non governmental organisations,” says Dr. Johannes Le Coutre, Nestlé Research Center, Switzerland and Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Nutrition. “Frontiers’ unique Interactive Peer Review will enable authors, editors and reviewers to work together to generate a sound knowledge base in the field of nutrition that will have an impact on the problems we face.” The mission of Frontiers is to place scholarly publishing back in the hands of working researchers and to promote an interactive, fair, and efficient review process of a range of article types. Articles are rigorously reviewed based on objective criteria in an average time of 84 days, published under the Creative Commons […]

Frontiers news

20 Feb 2014

Frontiers launches Frontiers in Materials

Frontiers – a community driven open-access publisher and research networking platform – is pleased to announce the launch of a new open-access journal: Frontiers in Materials. Frontiers in Materials is the latest addition to the “Frontiers in” journal series and will cover a broad spectrum of basic and interdisciplinary research in nanotechnology, polymer research, biomaterials and translational material science and more. Frontiers in Materials will make use of the unique Frontiers platform for open-access publishing and research networking, which provides an equal opportunity to seek, share and create knowledge. “The field of Materials Science is evolving, and everyone involved shares the same objective: to keep pace with the multiple challenges and opportunities we face,” says Professor Lorenzo Pavesi, Chief Editor of the section Optics and Photonics and Professor of Nanoscience at the University of Trento, Italy. “With Frontiers in Materials, we hope to build a community of scientists interested in constructive and fair criticism, for it is the positive feedback on our work that drives the success of it all.” The mission of Frontiers is to place publishing back in the hands of working researchers and to promote an interactive, fair, and efficient review process of a range of article types. Articles are rigorously reviewed based on objective criteria in an […]

Frontiers news

12 Feb 2014

Frontiers launches a new open-access journal: Frontiers in Marine Science

Frontiers – a community driven open-access publisher and research networking platform — is pleased to announce the launch of a new open-access journal: Frontiers in Marine Science. Frontiers in Marine Science is the latest addition to the “Frontiers in” journal series and will cover research in marine biogeochemistry, physical oceanography, paleoceanography, marine systematics and taxonomy, marine policy, ocean engineering, conservation, biodiversity and marine ecosystem ecology. “The increased use of oceans via traditional and modern activities makes it necessary to develop a deeper knowledge of ecosystem functioning and processes, so as to achieve a more sustainable use of resources,” says Dr. Angel Borja, Specialty Chief Editor of the section Marine Ecosystem Ecology and Principal Inversitagor at AZTI-Tecnalia, Spain. “Marine Ecosystem Ecology is devoted to key findings in marine ecology, including all components of biodiversity. Our aim is to foster research that integrates knowledge across different ecosystem components, linking physical, chemical, biological and socio-economic aspects.” Current specialty sections open for submissions to Frontiers in Marine Science include the following: Aquatic Microbiology (Specialty Chief Editor: Jonathan P. Zehr) Aquatic Physiology (Specialty Chief Editor: David H. Evans) Marine Affairs and Policy (Specialty Chief Editor: Alex David Rogers) Marine Biogeochemistry (Specialty Chief Editor: Eric Achterberg) Marine Biotechnology (Specialty Chief Editor: Antonio Trincone) Marine Ecosystem Ecology (Specialty Chief Editor: Angel Borja) Marine Molecular Biology and […]

Frontiers news

12 Feb 2014

Frontiers releases new Interactive Review Forum

Frontiers is pleased to announce the release of its new, revolutionary Interactive Review Forum with enhanced features and upgraded software to enhance and ease the collaborative dialogue between authors and reviewers. The Review Forum is part of the Frontiers Open Science platform that empowers scientists to advance the way research is evaluated, communicated and shared in the digital era. Introduced in 2007, Frontiers’ peer review enables a collaborative dialogue online in real-time between authors and reviewers, with an associate editor as moderator. The final decision is based on consensus about objective issues between reviewers and editors, who are named on the final publication to acknowledge their valuable contribution and ensure transparency. Acting like a personal Web 2.0 assistant, the Review Forum guides authors, reviewers and editors smoothly through the process and alerts them when action is required. The system minimizes delay and speeds up the review, shortening the average time to only 84 days. Handy new features make it easier to manage the review process and ensure that it progresses smoothly. Editors can easily browse the most relevant reviewer profiles based on keywords, and send invitations with the click of a button. A timeline reassures authors by keeping them informed on […]

Frontiers news

09 Feb 2014

Call for Associate Editors of ‘Radiation and Health’

It is my great pleasure to announce imminent launch of a new, high quality open-access, ‘Radiation and Health’ specialty of the Frontiers in Public Health, publishing research on the effects of exposures to radiation on human health and studies on the development of risk communication and regulatory policies to protect human population. The specialty ‘Radiation and Health’ will be published as a part of the Swiss open access journal ‘Frontiers in Public Health’. The scope of the specialty will be broad and will cover all radiation types and all types of research studies. It will be a very comprehensive approach to health policy research and publication of it. An important task of Chief Editor of specialty ‘Radiation and Health‘ in the Frontiers in Public Health is to appoint a top class and enthusiastic Associate Editorial Board of 15-25 editors to represent all the facets of specialty. These are leading scientists that will oversee the review of manuscripts. As per requirements of Frontiers publisher, Associate Editors need to be researchers with a proven track record. They are generally Associate Professors or more senior. After appointments, Associate Editors are to: submit an inaugural article to set the standard for your specialty within 4 months […]

Frontiers news

17 Jan 2014

Frontiers in the News: 2013

From the domestication of dogs to the medical benefits of yoga, Frontiers articles regularly receive media coverage from top news outlets. Here we showcase some of the biggest stories in 2013. Enjoy the read! January 2013: Medical benefits of yoga Video credit: CBS News A systematic review of yoga on psychiatric disorders revealed positive effects on mild depression and sleep disorders and symptoms associated with schizophrenia and ADHD. The paper, “Yoga on our minds: a systematic review of yoga for neuropsychiatric disorders,” published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, was covered by CBS, TIME, CNN, the Huffington Post and The British Psychological Society. February 2013: Hands-free isn’t brain-free Image credit: Schweizer et al. / Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Put down that phone! Part of the brain needed to make safe left-hand turns largely shuts off during a mobile phone conversation and this occurs even if a hands free device is used. Results in the paper “Brain activity during driving with distraction: an immersive fMRI study,” published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, were reported on by the CBC and CTV News. February 2013: Tweet, Screech, Hey! Image credit: Thinkstock Human language is a critical aspect of everyday life, but how did it first develop? According to the paper titled “The emergence of hierarchical structure in human […]