James Wilsdon
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jameswilsdon.bsky.social
James Wilsdon
@jameswilsdon.bsky.social
2.7K followers 780 following 66 posts
undisciplined metascientist | executive director, Research on Research Institute @RoRInstitute.bsky.social | professor of research policy, UCL
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jameswilsdon.bsky.social
Research assessment: a round-up

Excellent survey of the assessment landscape by @hollyelse.bsky.social in @nature.com, including our recent work @rorinstitute.bsky.social with the Global Research Council.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

@alexrushforth.bsky.social @prussianhippie.bsky.social
Research assessment: a round-up for early-career researchers
Confused by research evaluation and its potential impact on career progression? Here are some pointers as to how things work in different parts of the world.
www.nature.com
October 4, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
rorinstitute.bsky.social
New in @nature.com: Funding the Frontier, an AI tool to map & predict research impacts.

The piece cites RoRI's @jameswilsdon.bsky.social, who warns such algorithms risk reinforcing past successes over future potential: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
October 2, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
rorinstitute.bsky.social
🧠 Does STI policy need a strategic brain?

Join us next Tuesday at UCL for a talk by @stianwestlake.bsky.social (Executive Chair, @ukri.org ESRC) on the future of UK R&D, with responses from @britishacademy.bsky.social's Molly Morgan Jones & UCL’s Sarah Chaytor: tinyurl.com/vekzka23
September 23, 2025 at 8:15 AM
jameswilsdon.bsky.social
Does STI policy need a strategic brain?

Join us at 5pm on 30 Sept for a talk by @stianwestlake.bsky.social, Executive Chair, ESRC @ukri

Hosted by STEaPP-UCL & RoRI, w/ responses by @britishacademy.bsky.social’s Molly Morgan-Jones & UCL’s Sarah Chaytor

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/does-sti-p...
Does STI policy need a strategic brain?
A seminar on how metascience might sharpen investment decisions across the UK’s research system
www.eventbrite.co.uk
September 17, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
ludowaltman.bsky.social
Very happy to announce a partnership between PLOS Biology and @metaror.bsky.social.

Metaresearchers can submit their work to MetaROR, where it will be peer reviewed openly, and can then submit to PLOS Biology, which will evaluate their work based on MetaROR's peer review reports.
August 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
ludowaltman.bsky.social
Excellent news piece in @nature.com providing an overview of ongoing discussions about the organization of peer review in funding allocation and scientific publishing doi.org/10.1038/d415....

@rorinstitute.bsky.social @cwts.nl
The peer-review crisis: how to fix an overloaded system
Journals and funders are trying to boost the speed and effectiveness of review processes that are under strain.
doi.org
August 7, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
richardaljones.bsky.social
The life sciences sector plan is now out, part of the wider industrial strategy. Lots in there, but I think interesting to see how it illustrates how the Science Minister’s “three buckets” doctrine of science and innovation policy might play out...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Life Sciences Sector Plan
The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out a vision and an action plan to drive growth, innovation, and better health outcomes.
www.gov.uk
July 17, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
magdalenaskipper.bsky.social
Science of science has been used to improve research integrity and assessment.
Last week I spoke at #metascience2025 calling on the community to look further, to improve interdisciplinarity, trust in science & more

Our editorial adds more 🧪

@jameswilsdon.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Metascience can improve science — but it must be useful to society, too
Researchers studying research must avoid the temptation to get too stuck in the academic weeds.
www.nature.com
July 10, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
rorinstitute.bsky.social
Metascience’s big tent 🏕️

Some reflections from @scurry.bsky.social and @jameswilsdon.bsky.social after hosting #Metascience2025 last week - as we all continue digesting the insights and engaging with the interesting post-conference discussions: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-poli...
July 10, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
scurry.bsky.social
Metascience’s big tent. Some initial post-conference reflections from me & @jameswilsdon.bsky.social on lessons from #metascience2025, though there’s much still to digest.

Free to read link: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-poli...
Research Professional Sign-in
www.researchprofessional.com
July 9, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
briannosek.bsky.social
Nature editorial on the launch of the Metascience Alliance and the need to meet the moment: "Metascience is coming of age [during] phenomenal change: AI is transforming science rapidly; research budgets are being squeezed..science is being politicized and attacked."

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Metascience can improve science — but it must be useful to society, too
Researchers studying research must avoid the temptation to get too stuck in the academic weeds.
www.nature.com
July 9, 2025 at 11:09 AM
jameswilsdon.bsky.social
Metascience’s challenge is to keep its big tent intact: a few final reflections on #Metascience2025 by
@scurry.bsky.social & me in @resprofnews.bsky.social

www.researchprofessional.com/0/rr/news/po...

@briannosek.bsky.social
Research Professional Sign-in
www.researchprofessional.com
July 9, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
dalmeet.bsky.social
My latest for @cenmag.bsky.social:

cen.acs.org/policy/resea...

@ludowaltman.bsky.social, @jameswilsdon.bsky.social
UK metascience unit releases first results
Government research finds distributed peer review a positive for grant applications
cen.acs.org
July 8, 2025 at 11:12 PM
jameswilsdon.bsky.social
‘Metascience can improve science — but it must be useful to society, too’. Good, thoughtful editorial in @nature.com on #Metascience2025 & the new Alliance

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

@helenpearson.bsky.social @magdalenaskipper.bsky.social @briannosek.bsky.social
Metascience can improve science — but it must be useful to society, too
Researchers studying research must avoid the temptation to get too stuck in the academic weeds.
www.nature.com
July 9, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
scurry.bsky.social
Another interesting take on the #metascience2025 conference. Have been intrigued by the diversity of reactions – arising in part, I presume, because people took different paths through the many parallel sessions and brought different experiences & expectations to the meeting.
samuelmoore.org Samuel Moore @samuelmoore.org · Jul 6
Why I'm more optimistic than others about metascience (or metaresearch)

(I wanted to write up some thoughts on #metascience2025 but I just don't have the time so this thread will have to do.)
July 6, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
franknorman.bsky.social
Some real insights into what metascience is, in these reflections from ‪@tomstafford.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy‬

Includes some meta-metascience as he considers whether metascience should be seen as a discipline.

www.ukrn.org/2025/07/04/e...
ECR Metascientist Happy Hour | UK Reproducibility Network
www.ukrn.org
July 7, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
samuelmoore.org
Why I'm more optimistic than others about metascience (or metaresearch)

(I wanted to write up some thoughts on #metascience2025 but I just don't have the time so this thread will have to do.)
July 6, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
rmaruy.bsky.social
100% agree with Dr. Nosek that metascience should not become a discipline; back in 2023 it was call a "movement" and this year @jameswilsdon.bsky.social and others called it a "discourse coalition".
All the discourse that wants to gather under this label should do so imo.
bsky.app/profile/bria...
briannosek.bsky.social Brian Nosek @briannosek.bsky.social · Jul 4
One instinct that I keep is a hope that metascience does not become a discipline of its own.

Disciplines get too monocultural and self-referential. The most exciting part of metascience is that it feels a bit disorienting because of the diversity in discipline, sectors, assumptions coming together.
July 4, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
samuelmoore.org
"Remembering Mario Biagioli, who articulated how scholarly metrics lead to fraud"

retractionwatch.com/2025/07/03/r...
Remembering Mario Biagioli, who articulated how scholarly metrics lead to fraud
Mario Biagioli Mario Biagioli, a distinguished professor of law and communication at the University of California, Los Angeles — and a pioneering thinker about how academic reward systems incentivi…
retractionwatch.com
July 5, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
briannosek.bsky.social
One instinct that I keep is a hope that metascience does not become a discipline of its own.

Disciplines get too monocultural and self-referential. The most exciting part of metascience is that it feels a bit disorienting because of the diversity in discipline, sectors, assumptions coming together.
July 4, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
briannosek.bsky.social
An interesting conceptualization of the metascience space, not at all how I have organized it in my head.
rmaruy.bsky.social Ryuichi Maruyama @rmaruy.bsky.social · Jul 4
Inspired (partly) by ‪@jontreadway.bsky.social 's tweet thread, I have come up with a highly subjective and tentative map of different strands in metascience.
It is intended as a starter to begin talking about what people (want to) include in metascience.
#metascience2025
July 4, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
warrenpearce.bsky.social
After two really enjoyable days at #Metascience2025, I wrote about how one 🌶️ moment encapsulated the controversy over metascience's issues 📑, inclusivity 🤗and future public value 🔮 #STS #AcademicSky

All feedback welcome on here, or by email 😀

warrenpearce.pika.page/posts/what-i...
What *is* metascience? Issues, inclusion and future public value - Warren's blog: Publics, politics, science and technology
This week, the biennial Metascience Conference came to London’s “Knowledge Quarter” with around 800 participants from a wide range of roles, including researchers, librarians, research funders, publis...
warrenpearce.pika.page
July 4, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
rmaruy.bsky.social
These are important observations. It is completely natural and understandable that a big umbrella like "metascience" comes in different "strands." I prefer to consciously include them. That is *not* to say they all have to be represented in a single conference. #metascience2025
jontreadway.bsky.social Jon Treadway @jontreadway.bsky.social · Jul 3
Here are some swiftly assembled thoughts on #Metascience2025. Congratulations to the organisers. It was an excellent, full and balanced conference, bringing together many disparate strands. They threaded a complex needle really well.
July 3, 2025 at 10:45 PM
jameswilsdon.bsky.social
For me, Kelvin Katukula Mubiana of Namibia’s NCRST was one of the stars of #Metascience2025. Here he is doing an interview about the conference on the NBC (Namibia’s state broadcaster) youtu.be/ZByH9Ni2VJ8?...
THE DAILY ROUNDUP WITH NINA | NCRST advances Metascience for better policy - nbc
YouTube video by NBC Digital News
youtu.be
July 3, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by James Wilsdon
rorinstitute.bsky.social
🎉 That’s a wrap on Metascience 2025!

Three packed days of ideas, debates, and community - and we’re still buzzing from it all.

We’re grateful to all who spoke, chaired, presented, posted, and participated for making #Metascience2025 such a dynamic gathering 🌍
July 3, 2025 at 12:10 PM