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@furqanshah@mstdn.science cover
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

furqanshah

@[email protected]

Associate Professor @ University of Gothenburg 🇸🇪 #Bone #Biomaterials #Osteocyte #Osseointegration #Biomineralization #Bacteria #ElectronMicroscopy #RamanSpectroscopy 🦴🔬🦠🧬🧫🧪🥼📷🎸🥁🎶

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ml , to academicchatter
@ml@ecoevo.social avatar

We're so used to this, but I would like academics to take a moment and look at how much of the official and unofficial discussion around university is about despair, imposter syndrome, stress, harassment, etc.

What I often see in these discussions, especially the official ones, is discussion of coping mechanisms and "self-care".

What I rarely see in these discussions is questioning why we've built an education system that treats people this way in exchange for this education. @academicchatter

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@NeptuneCaffeine @ml @academicchatter This debate is going to be interesting…. 🤓🍿🥤

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@NeptuneCaffeine @ml @academicchatter oh I don’t disagree with you at all (not necessarily anyway!). But as a young PI, I have come across advice (on social media / e.g., academic Twitter) on how to be a good mentor and not just a research supervisor. But you’d think as grown adults with more badic education than most other humans, PhD students should be able to resolve most of their personal problems. I don’t want to a parent and mollycoddle them.

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@NeptuneCaffeine @ml @academicchatter sorry 😅 I guess we all like to see things from our own lens (which I’m guilty of here!). Yes, I do follow what you’re saying about instructors of undergrads and also agree with you on that! If the students are old enough to consume alcohol and party hard, they can take some ownership for missing their tests 😇😇

ninokadic , to academicchatter
@ninokadic@mastodon.social avatar

Come up with an acronym for PHD! 📚

I'll start:

Pretty
Hectic
Days

@academicchatter

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@ninokadic @academicchatter Poorly Handled Disaster

furqanshah , to academicchatter
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

31 January. 8.5% of 2024 is gone! is complicated, where + are essential!

I kickstart most days at the gym, allowing me time to reflect + plan.

19 gym days in January! 💪🏻👟🏋️✨

@academicchatter

image/png

furqanshah , to academicsunite
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

What do we want? Open science + transparent peer review!

When do we want it? Now!

Yet, reviewers will hide behind the cloak of anonymity. As an editor, there is little to be done about such behaviour. 😔

🧪

@academicchatter @academicsunite @ScienceCommunicator @openscience

furqanshah OP ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@chiasm @academicchatter @academicsunite @ScienceCommunicator @openscience oh it definitely improves behaviour! Though as @DetersHenning points out in a separate comment, there is always a risk of retaliation, which means that only the bravest of the brave would be willing to accept an invitation to review. Now it is rapidly becoming easy to decline with “Sorry, I have too much on my plate at the moment”.

furqanshah , to academicchatter
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

"If I throw my manuscript into the forest, have I submitted it to Nature?"
– Christine Le @ York University

How often do you have one of these days, ?

@academicchatter

furqanshah , to academicchatter
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

When the year is 1966 and you can get the SAME infrared spectrum published in BOTH Nature and Science, and no one bats an eyelash!

Could one get away with this today @academicchatter? 🧪🌈

furqanshah , to academicchatter
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

"One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bullshit" – Harry Frankfurt

Our world is saturated with bullsh*t and spin. Here are the 9 Simple Principles in Physicist Carl Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit Will Make You BS-Proof!

https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/9-simple-principles-physicist-carl-sagan-baloney-detection-kit-make-you-bs-proof.html

@academicchatter

furqanshah OP ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@PUH_ther @academicchatter This will quickly turn into a 'Slippery Slope' right here...... 😂 😂 😂

furqanshah OP ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@PUH_ther @academicchatter hahahahah!!!! If I did that, I would have to fear for my life. Or even have my account suspended! So much utter bullsh*t on the birdsite! omg!

RonaldVisser , to academicchatter
@RonaldVisser@akademienl.social avatar

Interesting read on and a criminal world that pays editors to accept papers, people paying for papers and even downright bribing!
Worrying trends!

https://www.science.org/content/article/paper-mills-bribing-editors-scholarly-journals-science-investigation-finds

@academicchatter

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@RonaldVisser @academicchatter this is only the tip of the iceberg, sadly.

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@RonaldVisser @academicchatter of course, the publishers will claim that most of the editors they work with are honest and professional, but pretty much anyone at all can be a “Guest Editor” of a “Special Issue”, for example at MDPI. The situation is out of hand, and it is becoming truly ridiculous!

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@RonaldVisser @academicchatter I fail to understand why people continue to submit papers to predatory publishers like MDPI. They say “oh because the process is fast”. Yes, it can be as short as 2 weeks from “first submission to acceptance/available online”. But why is there such a rush to have papers accepted? And if you want a “fast + no peer-review”, why not just upload manuscripts to ? 😀

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@DAFNEE @RonaldVisser @academicchatter said committees should try submitting something to ! The reviewers there can be quite brutal 😂 At least peer review is genuine, and transparent. The posted works are mostly open access too! 🤣

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@RonaldVisser @academicchatter there’s little hope for open and transparent review, as long as reviewers continue to (want to) hide behind the cloak of anonymity, which allows them to be mean, bitter, angry, unreasonable, forcefully get their own works cited, cause delays, or even steal yet-published ideas. Unfortunately, all of that is very much human nature. If they (most of us!) wanted to be good, honest, kind people, we would be doing something else altogether. 😀

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@RonaldVisser @academicchatter the rat race you mention is difficult to discuss without some serious finger-pointing. Whatever happened to Nature/Science publications with 2-3 authors? I wonder if there are statistics on the average number of authors on high impact publications per year (e.g., 1960 onwards). This emerges from commoditization of the “PhD”, with of more competition and fewer opportunities. Then a good handful end up leaving academia because it is toxic.

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@RonaldVisser @academicchatter @PCI_Archaeology Sorry if I sounded negative. I agree that some journals are able to have open peer-review, and that the reviews are much more constructive. Of course, there is skepticism, since no reviewer will actually point out if a paper is quite frankly sh*t! Yes, the editor is responsible for selecting papers for review (but the editor can't be an expert in every field). So, perhaps this works better in a niche/subject-specific journal like @PCI_Archaeology.

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@lavergnetho @RonaldVisser @academicchatter @EuroGeosciences You're absolutely right. There is no disagreement here. Some journals are able to do this, and they mostly seem to be niche/subject-specific journals where the editor REALLY REALLY knows the entire field!

It does feel that editors have a much harder time getting reviewers to commit. MANY reviewers tend to decline or not-want-to review. I had a frustrated outburst about this on the birdsite a while ago:

https://twitter.com/ShahFA_/status/1678463481765416960

furqanshah ,
@furqanshah@mstdn.science avatar

@PCI_Archaeology @lavergnetho @RonaldVisser @academicchatter @EuroGeosciences Certainly! That is a great way forward. More journals need to adopt these strategies.

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