South Africa's Protection of Information Bill, passed by majority vote in the national assembly, has raised the ire of researchers, who have slammed it as a threat to democracy and academic freedom. See the Features article.


Although likely to be overlooked because it does not declare an overall winner, the Leiden Ranking 2011-12 is probably more informative about publications and citations than any other ranking, writes Richard Holmes in Commentary.


A close look at Chinese higher education institutions shows that the government has been balancing efforts to create world-class universities with national policies that support institutional diversity. See the Commentary article.