Actually, it is mostly for idealistic reasons. Scientists compartmentalize and often don't view it as corner cutting with respect to the science. I'll try to ex

Actually, it is mostly for idealistic reasons. Scientists compartmentalize and often don't view it as corner cutting with respect to the science. I'll try to explain. Scientists generally like doing science. Nowadays, the higher you get in science the more you get buried under things that are not science - endless project proposals, reports, reviews, applications and yes, publications. Most scientists cut corners as much as they can get away with on most of these because if you don't, you will never get to actually doing science (others just work 100 hour weeks, but you can't really sustain that). Now unlike all of the bureaucratic garbage publications are supposed to be about communicating your work to your peers, and integral part of science, but in the existing system it's really hard to actually retain that view. Why? Because publications are now intrinsically linked to all the metrics - you need X publications for project Y, containing the right set of buzzwords, submitted to journals that satisfy the right quantitative metrics and are listed in the right databases, with the right set of coauthors, references and acknowledgments and you need to submit them before the right deadline, or else. Spend a decade or two in that environment and it's easy to lump writing publications along with the endless proposals and reports - as mindless drudgery you have to dispense with in order to squeeze out some time for actual science. Of course, you also need to devote enough attention to all the things I listed and much more in order to actually retain your ability to do science and not starve for it, so it's an eternal balancing act that breeds a lot of resentment.