<
https://theconversation.com/reliable-science-takes-time-but-the-current-system-rewards-speed-249497>
"Lately, there have been many headlines on scientific fraud and journal article
retractions. If this trend continues, it represents a serious threat to public
trust in science.
One way to tackle this problem – and ensure public trust in science remains
high – may be to slow it down. We sometimes refer to this philosophy as “slow
science”. Akin to the slow food movement, slow science prioritises quality over
speed and seeks to buck incentive structures that promote mass production.
Slow science may not represent an obvious way to improve science because we
often equate science with progress, and slowing down progress does not sound
very appealing. However, progress is not just about speed, but about basing
important societal decisions on strong scientific foundations. And this takes
time.
Unfortunately, the pressures and incentives modern scientists face are almost
universally against slow science. Secure, permanent university jobs are scarce,
and with budget cuts, this appears to be getting worse.
As a result, the pressure to publish has never been higher. Indeed, in my
yearly performance meetings, I am asked how many articles I’ve published and
what is the status of the journals I published in. I am not asked how robust my
methods are and how discerning my peer reviewers were."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
