Dear all,
Just to feed the debate with some fundamental understanding. Laurens Hessels just published a PhD thesis on 'Science and the struggle for relevance'. (November 19, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands).
The thesis concludes (p 223-229):
"First, my thesis shows that the increasing pressure for productivity, as measured in bibliometric terms, can counteract the pressure for practical utility. In many fields I observed a tension between research activities that are useful for societal stakeholders and activities that are most promising in terms of scientific publications.
Second, my work indicates that a further differentiation of science (policy) studies is needed, as the dynamics of science vary much more across scientific fields than most literature suggests. Both
findings challenge the empirical validity of some central claims around the notion of Mode 2 knowledge
production, in particular regarding transdisciplinarity, reflexivity, and novel quality control."
and a few lines further:
" The emphasis on short-term benefits leads to ineffective funding instruments, overrates the
value of academic patents, endangers the viability of more fundamental research lines, and it threatens the stability of academic research groups and the coherence of their activities."
+
"With regard to research evaluation, I point to the perverse side-effects of bibliometric quality indicators. They restrict the concept of academic excellence, promote a monoculture of science and create inflation of the value of a scientific paper. To overcome these problems, bibliometric indicators should be complemented both with qualitative assessments and with indicators of social and economic impact."
This thesis a useful contribution to deep understanding, but it has a feeling of 'all these measures (productivity, bibliometrics, quality control, benefits, indicators) do not help scientist and focus mainly on short-term benefits'. Still, it's provides an up to date overview of the discussions and a useful bibliography.
Kind regards,
Karel.
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http://www.uu.nl/SiteCollectionDocuments/Corp_UU%20en%20Nieuws/Proefschrift%20Laurens%20Hessels.pdf
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