English may be the language of science, but students learn better and contribute more when taught in their local tongue, says Giovanni Tapang.

Some Muslim countries' powerful financial incentives to make quick progress in research could backfire, cautions Athar Osama.

The online encyclopaedia can fill a resource gap for students, policymakers and the public, say Samuel A. Assefa and Alex Bateman.

The developing world is not well served by traditional research publishing, but can break new ground with open access, argues Leslie Chan.

The arXiv.org site helps developing world researchers ensure their papers are not short shrifted by reviewers and original ideas get due credit, says Praveen Chaddah.

Online tools reveal a lot about world science — except location. 'Geotags' can fill a knowledge gap and throw up surprises, says Nigel Pitman.

China's emphasis on journal impact factors to evaluate the quality of scientific work is damaging chemistry research, says Nai-Xing Wang.

Developing countries must use science communication to create an empowering culture of science, says Jorge A. Huete-Pérez.

Publishers who have pulled out of providing free journal access to countries such as Bangladesh should reconsider the move.

Climate scientists and organisations should lead the way to open-source collaborations, say Brendan Barrett and Sulayman K. Sowe.

A scientist and his or her findings are not the only factors that should be addressed by science journalists, say C. Fioravanti and L. Velho.

Maternal health advocates may feel financially threatened by falling death tolls but the data must not be hidden, says Priya Shetty.

Five climate experts offer their views on how best to reform the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The publication of false claims by the IPCC has been compounded by its imperious attitude, says professor of climate change Mike Hulme.

China's spending, publication and collaboration rates are soaring, says Jonathan Adams, and Europe and North America must take notice.

Kenyan researcher Joseph Juma Musakali asks what African research institutes can do to exploit the open access movement.

A Nature editorial calls on the global academic community to support investigations into allegations of scientific plagiarism in Iran.

African governments need to learn how to boost the quality, not just the quantity, of research in their countries, says Linda Nordling.

Governments must do more to support research published in local journals and make it visible, says South African scientist, Wieland Gevers.

The global community must not forget countries suffering scientific stagnation, says TWAS executive director, Mohamed H. A. Hassan.