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Hard work, creativity and luck are keys to accomplishment, says Tim Birkhead

International students may be called plagiarists because of flawed thinking and naive use of software, says Niall Hayes

To support excellent work however it is done, new AHRC fellowships will be more flexible than the leave scheme, says Shearer West

An exploration of the credit crunch offers little consolation to those battling it, writes Gary Day

It is important to recognise the original spark behind failures to stick to scholarly protocols, says Tara Brabazon

Both the academy and society will benefit if pockets of excellence identified by the RAE are funded, says Alice Hynes

The West believes China to be immutable and inscrutable, but in truth we are much more alike than we are different, says Peter Brady

Gary Day contemplates poverty, teenage pregnancy, the lives of elephants and unusual butchery

The increasing use of English in higher education across Europe could cost the UK a vital competitive advantage

Privilege clings to wealth as mores change, says Felipe Fern¨¢ndez-Armesto

Close and unobtrusive observations can reveal more to the open-minded researcher than focus groups and surveys, says Tara Brabazon

Duncan Wu takes a British view of Obama Day

The role of the corporate capitalist machine in the election of America¡¯s first black President does not promise a more ¡®liberal¡¯ society, but other forces unleashed in the campaign just might, says Mike Cole

Keeping faith in the academy's core missions of research and education is the best way to serve students, society and the sector

Sally Feldman urges partnerships with both Israel's and Palestine's academies

Preparing graduates for work does not mean abandoning the ideal of a liberal higher education, argues Eddie Blass

Sally Hunt says the UCU will do what it takes to get an equitable pay agreement with employers, if only they will come round and talk

Outrageous fortune runs through the worlds of darts, particle physics and Dad's Army, learns Gary Day

Technology can facilitate scholarship, particularly when it is intuitive and user-friendly, argues Tara Brabazon

An overseas applicant¡¯s woefully illiterate proposal on the feminine wiles of Olivia Cromwell nearly leads to civil war in the department. Gloria Monday rallies her fellow academics.

The passing of American singer, guitarist, songwriter and civil-rights activist Odetta reminds us of the power of music and the relevance of history, says Tara Brabazon

In a turbulent year, says Bill Wakeham, academic unions should join forces with institutions to survive the downturn

Soran Reader, a moral philosopher facing the prospect of losing her life, memory or thought, is outraged that the law bars living wills

Reincarnation is a theme of Gary Day's viewing over the new year, from former lives to world religions

Post-RAE, Bahram Bekhradnia calls for a renewed commitment to base public policy on evidence, not administrative convenience

Insults toasting on an open flame test Kevin Fong's post-Christmas spirit

Jonathan Adams says that even close scrutiny of the intriguing 2008 data gives no firm answers about who's better and who's best

Gary Day on the Time Lord's festive caper, Wallace and Gromit's latest escapade and the Nativity

The struggle for economic recovery will present the sector with opportunities - it must seize them and put them to good use

Alan Ryan declares "Bah, Humbug!" to resolutions for university funding

It is not only academics who are snapped up by rival employers, but Jon Baldwin says strong organisations survive

Managers have gone to work on the RAE figures, and now Gloria Monday does not know if her university has gone up, down or nowhere at all. But she knows she¡¯s unlikely to be any better off

The standard critical and academic response to the film Australia from the likes of Germaine Greer miss the point about the artificiality of cinema and the use of sentiment as style, argues Tara Brabazon

Gary Day finds a Santa lookalike in Egypt, bigotry in Kansas, sublime jazz and rapidly melting Arctic ice

Sheep have moved on since the nativity, says Frank Burnet as he ruminates on the ruminants with star quality to spare

By exerting steady upward pressure on quality, the RAE gave the UK much to celebrate and the world much to envy, says David Eastwood

Gary Day on life after the Army, teenagers and technology, lost childhoods and 90 years of the RAF

Tara Brabazon argues that popularising serious ideas enlightens no one

RAE 2008 has proved that UK universities are dominant on the world stage, but the proportion of staff submitted is still an issue

Journals want 'no ifs and buts' research, but Tim Birkhead wants honesty

Gloria Monday wonders about the dean¡¯s motives in choosing the evening of the RAE results day for his annual Christmas party

At a time when writing on technology and the future is banal, Tara Brabazon discovers a new source of trenchant critical commentary

The lack of an intensity measure could dent confidence in the outcome of the research assessment exercise, says Brian Cantor

Gary Day on the physics of time, lonely women flirting with youth, religion, and the aftermath of flu

University-led institutes involving employers and councils can give vocational education the status it deserves, says Ron Dearing

Felipe Fern¨¢ndez-Armesto takes a farewell look from Tufts' hilltop campus

John Ashworth wonders whether Cara's 75th anniversary is really a cause for celebration or a reason for reflection

Oxford interviewers are in pursuit of potential - not privilege, says Kevin Sharpe, who seized his opportunity to show himself off to advantage

Kafka, the porn connoisseur - he's a laugh; but after trips to Italy, Gary Day finds Walford a tad depressing

Tara Brabazon on John Sergeant and Kristina Rihanoff¡¯s thrilling subversion of the controlling, conservative dark side of light entertainment

The three-year limit on PhDs is creating conflict: are they for learning research skills or for making advances in the field?

An academic is calling for all dons with permanent posts to get the title. Melanie Newman reports

Sally Feldman lauds the daredevils who inspire students to defy and test limits

A publicly supported national university would benefit all students, says Brian Roper, rather than just the best prepared

The European Reference Index for the Humanities seeks to highlight research, not criticise it, says Michael Worton

On the eve of Darwin's bicentenary, Michael Reiss argues that there can be a dialogue between religious believers and empiricist

With high expectations for the credible Devil's Whore, Gary Day attempts to avoid a Spanish flu outbreak