Point taken about not throwing out what one thinks is good signal. But I disagree that people will find a way to signal that they're doing good work. I didn't

Point taken about not throwing out what one thinks is good signal. But I disagree that people will find a way to signal that they're doing good work. I didn't see much at all of that signalling until I was around the fancy-pants universities (and the difference was striking). And even there, the self-promoting level (skill, opportunity, and stomach for it) varied widely.