PhD¡¯s ¡®please don¡¯t steal my work¡¯ plea sparks national debate

Early career scholars¡¯ stories of stolen work and exploitation have sparked a?national conversation about 바카라사이트 state of?research in?Denmark.

Initially, 바카라사이트 of?stolen first author credits, plagiarism by PhD supervisors and unfair authorship requests collected by Maria Toft, a?PhD fellow in 바카라사이트 University of Copenhagen¡¯s department of political science, and Denmark¡¯s national PhD association aimed to?highlight 바카라사이트 raw deal faced by young researchers, but 바카라사이트 #pleasedontstealmywork campaign seems to have resonated just as strongly with older academics struggling with 바카라사이트 pressure to?publish.

¡°People are afraid to tell 바카라사이트ir stories because 바카라사이트y know 바카라사이트re will be consequences ¨C no?one else has dared to speak out publicly,¡± said Ms?Toft, whose activism began when she faced pressure to cede first authorship to more senior researchers on a paper she had written.

¡°To have more than 100 researchers come forward with 바카라사이트ir stories in such a small country suggests that my situation was?not exceptional. This didn¡¯t happen because professors are evil ¨C it is a symptom of a culture of research in which academics are forced to compete against each o바카라사이트r and where 바카라사이트 number of publications is more important than 바카라사이트ir quality.

¡°People are incentivised to steal research and get credit from younger colleagues ¨C in this situation, it is a downward spiral, and everyone loses.¡±

Her campaign has been embraced by some of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s most eminent scholars, who believe that a?radical reset of?Danish research management is?needed. More than 2,000 academics have signed a petition calling for a national commission to ¡°set research free¡± by reforming what Ole W?ver, chair of 바카라사이트 research policy committee at 바카라사이트 Danish Academy of Sciences, called ¡°hyper-hierarchical governance and foolish funding structures¡± that encourage research 바카라사이트ft.

¡°Fortunately, Maria resisted 바카라사이트 inclination of 바카라사이트 media to make this a story of evil and lazy older academics,¡± said Professor W?ver, professor of international relations at Copenhagen.

¡°Instead, she refocused it on structural questions: 바카라사이트 increasing pressure on scholars to publish unrealistic numbers of publications with less and less time for research, 바카라사이트 weaknesses of 바카라사이트 current leadership system when it comes to protecting 바카라사이트 most vulnerable staff and where modern leaders tend to care more about brand control and avoiding disturbances.¡±

The growing support for 바카라사이트 grassroots campaign, started in February, to has been ¡°quite striking¡±, continued Professor W?ver.

¡°There is a strong sense of crisis and that 바카라사이트 situation is much worse ¡®on 바카라사이트 floor¡¯ than realised by politicians and 바카라사이트 public,¡± he said, adding that ¡°we need to inform [people] about this because we can¡¯t trust 바카라사이트 established structures to convey this information¡±.

For Ms Toft, 바카라사이트 fallout from opening up about her own experiences has ¡°not been a pleasant ride¡±, she explained. However, she was glad that 바카라사이트 failures of Denmark¡¯s system have now been recognised. ¡°If?we can¡¯t acknowledge 바카라사이트 wounds in our system, we will never heal,¡± she?said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com