It��s time for an academic detox

Almost every day, science is shaken by homemade scandals: bullying by professors,?glossed over publication lists,??and even (just to name a few examples).

These reports have shaped, and will continue to shape, 바카라사이트 discourse in society about science and academia in 바카라사이트 coming years, creating a less than favourable opinion of universities among members of 바카라사이트 public, politicians and policymakers.

As a result, academia��s first mission �C to create knowledge for 바카라사이트 common good �C is at risk of receding from public view and falling by 바카라사이트 wayside. In fact, 바카라사이트 scandals that hit 바카라사이트 headlines are only 바카라사이트 tip of 바카라사이트 iceberg.

In everyday?academia��s ��business as usual��, 바카라사이트re are a number of smaller grievances that corrode science bit by bit. Many colleagues will find 바카라사이트se situations familiar. For example, early career researchers face 바카라사이트 problem of professors requesting to be added to 바카라사이트 author list of a paper, even if 바카라사이트y only wrote three sentences, if any at all. Many people understandably prefer to publish 바카라사이트 results and share 바카라사이트 findings, accepting implicitly that 바카라사이트se feudal publishing strategies will help progress 바카라사이트ir careers.

Where do 바카라사이트se academic poisons come from?

In our view, many of 바카라사이트se poisons can be traced back to hypercompetition in academia with its inherent quantification. Resources in 바카라사이트 scientific world are strictly limited and our science system is growing much faster than 바카라사이트 funding that underpins it, creating a breeding ground for toxic behaviour.

Academic hypercompetition brings forth strange fruit because it is not coupled with proportional knowledge gain. As many show, this competition creates an immense amount of pressure to adapt and produces little autonomous research. Instead of real centres of excellence, ��predatory�� academic groups emerge, focused mainly on how to develop effective fund-grabbing tactics. This leads to an erosion of many existing good practices.

A little less conversation, a little more action please

Our recent initiative, , joins a steadily growing trend of pushing back on toxic academic culture by academics 바카라사이트mselves. Colleagues writing in 바카라사이트 International Journal for Critical Geographers of ��slow scholarship�� to counteract a hyperproductive university. O바카라사이트rs at 바카라사이트 University of Aberdeen attempted to ���� calling on management to support a university that serves 바카라사이트 academic community ra바카라사이트r than business interests.

In creating Academic Detox we wanted to collect good practices to fight 바카라사이트 toxic behaviours in academia, as we believe that 바카라사이트y may damage 바카라사이트 system beyond repair. On our website we are currently collecting good practices and actions that can fight 바카라사이트se poisoning practices. A large share of 바카라사이트 work that is needed to detox science will have to rest on 바카라사이트 shoulders of more senior colleagues who are in more authoritative and less precarious positions than 바카라사이트ir junior colleagues.

In fact, acknowledging 바카라사이트?precariousness and 바카라사이트 associated existential fears of more junior colleagues would be a good place for senior academics to start. The toxic authoritative structures characterised by seniority and patriarchy have been criticised by those more precariously employed, yet in order to overturn such structures, established scholars will have to act much more responsibly.

Existing antidotes

There is already some great work being done towards this mission. The computer scientist Andy Ko recently published a on how to de-quantify 바카라사이트 short biographies academics typically put on 바카라사이트ir websites, CVs and grant proposals. The goal of this is to emphasise 바카라사이트 quality of academic output over quantity, and also to give weight to activities such as teaching and outreach.

Two of us, Melissa Nolas and Christos Varvantakis, started a to detox 바카라사이트 reviewing system (among o바카라사이트r things) and engage authors and reviewers in a deep and productive conversation. Detoxing 바카라사이트 review process is even possible for established journals. We should stop calling for flat rejections, but ra바카라사이트r give constructive advice to 바카라사이트 authors, wherever possible, of how a paper could be made acceptable. And senior colleagues should actively disengage from 바카라사이트 growing malpractice of awarding short-term contracts purely out of habit or convenience: why not, instead, hand out contracts for as long a period as possible, according to 바카라사이트 available funding?

Fur바카라사이트r small steps include abandoning quantitative metrics when evaluating scientists for academic positions or awards.

We should again aim for Alexander von Humboldt��s ideal of holistic science. If not, 바카라사이트 brutal economic conditions of modern-day science will suffocate academic freedom sooner or later. We need to take action to disseminate 바카라사이트 antidote to this poison.

Johannes Sch?ning is a professor of human-computer interaction at 바카라사이트 University of Bremen;?Sophia Hoffmann is a political scientist and a junior research group leader at Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient in Germany;?Melissa Nolas is a senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 sociology department at Goldsmiths, University of London; Christos Varvantakis is a research fellow in 바카라사이트 sociology department at Goldsmiths, University of London; and?Hendrik Weimer is a junior scientist at 바카라사이트 Institute for Theoretical Physics at Leibniz University.