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Looking for something interesting to read while you wait on an experiment? Treat yourself to a 10 minute break and catch up with all that’s been happening in the world of open science!

• Getting your point across in a clear, concise and convincing manner is key to having your paper read and cited by others. Konrad P. Kording from Northwestern University and Brett Mensh from The Howard Hughes Medical Institute present a set of 10 simple rules to help you get across the main idea of your paper. These rules are designed to make your paper more influential and the process of writing more efficient and pleasurable. Check out their paper on BioRxiv!

• Citizen science is booming; if you have a project that’s producing a lot of data, citizen science, might be a solution to your data collection and analysis problem! However, the structure has to be “just right” in order for the projects to be successful. Kaja Scheliga, Sascha Friesike, Cornelius Puschmann, Benedikt Fecher  lay out some of the basics in order to make your projects successful.

• The prominent professor of psychiatry, Willard Gaylin, once said “I not only think that we will tamper with Mother Nature, I think Mother wants us to“, a quote that was fittingly used during the opening credits of the dystopian film Gattaca. To some, CRISPR technology does sound like something straight out of a science-fiction movie. To the scientific community however, it represents an incredible leap forward in the quest to correct natures wrongs and cure many an incurable condition. With so much at stake, scientists and bio-ethicists are debating the merits of handing the technology to a select few.

• Finally, it’s not too late to cast your vote for The Open Science Prize. At stake is $230,000 in prize money and the chance to become an Open Science trail blazer!