New boost for preprints after acceptance by ERC European Research Council says move is to support open access and get round often lengthy publishing process By David Matthews 9 August
Irish law to clamp down on essay mills ‘could be model for UK’ Irish bill criminalising the provision and advertising of cheating services could hit Google and Facebook, experts predict By Anna McKie 9 August
Giant’s Causeway inspires building at University College Dublin Landmark architectural project for campus will echo one of Ireland’s most striking natural phenomena By Matthew Reisz 9 August
Minority scientists to mentor senior professors in equality drive ‘People who have been around at a university for a while assume they know everything…but actually they need to be educated themselves,’ says project leader By Rachael Pells 9 August
Russell Group attacks ‘short-term’ approach to monitoring access Experts express concern that call for five-year access agreements is a ‘distraction technique’ By Anna McKie 8 August
German and Swedish libraries shrug off Elsevier shutdown No sign of breakthrough as boycott yet to have significant impact on publisher By David Matthews 8 August
Scottish Highers: more students secure university places Younger applicants drive growth, despite fall in overall 18-year-old population By Anna McKie 7 August
Sheffield leaves foreign staff out of pocket for NHS fees University’s refusal to extend support for international employees criticised By Rachael Pells 7 August
English regulator poised to spread funding more thinly Office for Students expects to take on responsibility for supporting wider range of providers from next August By Chris Havergal 7 August
Do students appreciate having international classmates? Experts say institutions must improve global experience in classroom as figures show domestic students are concerned about impact of overseas peers By Ellie Bothwell 7 August
Tom Shakespeare: disabled people face medical and social barriers Leading disability scholar reflects on progress of discipline and key obstacles ahead By Matthew Reisz 6 August
Why dominance of English threatens research-led teaching Outside the anglophone world, universities are under pressure to conduct research in English – but teach in their local language, says David Matthews By David Matthews 6 August