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> If publish or perish is going to continue to be a thing, maybe just switch to publishing negative results. It's not sexy, but it's valuable too. If we are to
by logifail 4y ago
> If publish or perish is going to continue to be a thing, maybe just switch to publishing negative results. It's not sexy, but it's valuable too.
If we are to be allowed to publish papers from negative results then I should go and dig out my PhD notes and get writing!
Seriously, though, I started noticing the many broken incentives early on, after a explanation about "impact factor" from an older PhD student in our lab.
- opticfluorine 4y agoSame here - I went into science thinking that it would be all about trying new ideas and pushing the boundaries of what we know. And while in a certain sense that is still present, it takes a back seat to the perverse incentives you describe. This was one of (and unfortunately not the only) reason I decided to leave academia after my Ph.D., leaving my field entirely and going into software engineering rather than taking a postdoc position. Academia isn't for everyone, and neither is industry... but wow, I sure am happier where I am now.