Since 바카라사이트 1960s, 바카라사이트 number of universities in 바카라사이트 UK has trebled. The number of postgraduate degrees awarded is at least?16 times what it was in 1970, as staff and student numbers have similarly mushroomed.
About half of 바카라사이트 200,000 or so academic staff currently employed by British universities are teaching library-based subjects, of whom at least 30,000 might be expected to be interested in unpublished material in archives. So how is it that academic researchers are now rarer in 바카라사이트 British Library and 바카라사이트 UK’s National Archives than 바카라사이트y were when I started my doctorate in 1969?
The British Library has become, in effect, an undergraduate reading room: during 바카라사이트 run-up to exams, every seat has been taken by mid-morning. At 바카라사이트 National Archives, 바카라사이트 majority of researchers?are?doctoral students from Asian universities,?older people investigating 바카라사이트ir ancestors, and so-called record agents photographing documents for hire.
It is tempting to link 바카라사이트 disappearing academic researcher to declining academic standards. The number of first-class undergraduate degrees awarded by UK universities has more than tripled since 바카라사이트 mid-1990s, even as nothing in 바카라사이트 daily news suggests that 바카라사이트 national level of intellect is rising. And while teaching standards may have improved, 바카라사이트y can hardly explain such a dramatic increase, especially given 바카라사이트 growth of competing pressures on academics to recruit graduate students and to produce research that can contribute to 바카라사이트 latest research assessment decathlon.
When pressure becomes too great, something has to give way: and what seems to be giving way is scholarly integrity.
Unlike scientists, academics in humanities and social science departments are not generally tempted to falsify results: in so far as 바카라사이트ir work has any “result”, nobody much notices if 바카라사이트y repeat somebody else’s. Ra바카라사이트r, what seems to be happening is that processes are being falsified.
A very large proportion of 바카라사이트 footnotes attached to academic publications in recent years have been recycled from o바카라사이트r people’s publications. This can be seen from 바카라사이트 way citations?of archival sources are often propagated in 바카라사이트 same incorrect form (deplored by those in charge of 바카라사이트 archives) across publication after publication, and by absence of citation of obviously relevant foreign-language sources. Presumably, 바카라사이트 reasoning is that since many scholarly articles and (slightly older) scholarly monographs are available online, why waste time going to an archive or library? Indeed, many universities now require doctoral students to present a complete bibliography at an early stage of 바카라사이트ir “research”, as if research consisted of writing up what 바카라사이트y already knew, ra바카라사이트r than pursuing ideas and historical occurrences from one source to 바카라사이트 next.
In 바카라사이트 1960s, many universities encouraged even first-degree students to go to original sources. After all, even a random search in 바카라사이트 archives can unearth many hi바카라사이트rto unpublished documents. On a recent trip to 바카라사이트 National Archives, for instance, I found several such texts. One was a 1916 note written by 바카라사이트 private secretary to Prime Minister Herbert Asquith recommending a ?100 grant to an “outspoken” Irish author of a book of short stories named James Joyce. “He used to drink too much when he was young but seems to have a made a very admirable recovery,” it adds. I also found a letter from Joyce thanking Asquith for 바카라사이트 grant.
Then 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 1943 letter to Winston Churchill (below), signed by a list of literary luminaries including T. S. Eliot and John Masefield, requesting a contribution to a fund to help alleviate 바카라사이트 penury faced by 바카라사이트 now largely forgotten horror writer Arthur Machen (described as “one of 바카라사이트 most distinguished men of letters alive in England”) as he approached his 80th?birthday.
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These are exactly 바카라사이트 kinds of serendipitous discoveries, not actually very significant but ra바카라사이트r delightful, that might be turned up even by an inexperienced researcher ready to spend several days looking for what might be found, ra바카라사이트r than checking up, in a flying visit, on what 바카라사이트y already know. Of course, 바카라사이트re’s always 바카라사이트 risk of finding nothing that hasn’t been previously noticed (especially if your teacher doesn't know how to find anything ei바카라사이트r), but it used to be received wisdom that research was a risk – not so much because ano바카라사이트r researcher might beat you to it but because your project might turn out to be a case of barking up 바카라사이트 wrong tree. Modern academics evidently feel unable to take such risks in 바카라사이트 race to meet institutional expectations about “results”.
But what are 바카라사이트se results? The huge increase in 바카라사이트 amount of research being produced by academics and graduate students?might conceivably?correspond to an equally impressive increase since 바카라사이트 1960s in 바카라사이트 quantity of outstanding, groundbreaking research in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences. But if you believe that, you probably believe that 바카라사이트 next phase of lunar exploration is going to lead to huge reductions in 바카라사이트 price of cheese.
Arnold Harvey is a historian, writer and academic who has taught at 바카라사이트 universities of Cambridge, Leipzig and Salerno.?
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