> I left academia after wasting all my twenties believing there's more to it than citation rings. And maybe there is a small amount more. I also worked quite a

> I left academia after wasting all my twenties believing there's more to it than citation rings. And maybe there is a small amount more. I also worked quite a few years in academia, including participating in a few international research programs, and although the indentured servitude facet is indeed the problem and the "publish or perish" pressure puts an emphasis on an aspect that is not very relevant, I have to say you're completely overblowing and misrepresenting stuff that has no meaning or consequence. If you ever had a career in academia you'd be clearly aware that the only thing that counts is whether your paper gets approved. Citation volumes are entirely meaningless beyond the vanity aspect of it all, as it only has an impact in main path analysis, and only if you use an algorithm that weighs edges wrt connectivity, which is a bit meaningless. Thus you're complaining about something that at most has an impact on your search results, and only if you are a competent researcher who doesn't exercise any independent reasoning, which is absurd. Thus, what leads you to believe that your concerns are meaningful or relevant to the discussion? It feels like you tried desperately to pull an appeal to authority that has no substance or merit, quite frankly, and in a way that puts your credibility into question.