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Mainstream—or not To Be? A Plea for Original Fundamental Research

posted Aug 28, 2018, 7:42 AM by ­김형민‎(응용화학부)‎

Bit by bit, this discourse is diminished by ever more entrenched specializations, and by the formation of selfserving networks in order to mutually support the enhancement of the number of publications, number of citations, and acquiring of funding. Such (self-)interest cannot be the objective of chemical research! It is our task instead to foster sound and diverse fundamental research, which can ultimately spark the breakthroughs that will allow us to address the problems of our day.
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Alarming in this context is the rigid linkup of quantitative productivity metrics with individual monetary consequences, which leads to the “publish or perish” phenomenon, particularly amongst young researchers.
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Especially when reviewing manuscripts or project proposals, one recognizes more and more a striking imbalance between allegedly important works (as measured by the type and number of meaningful words in the introductory sections) and relevant results in terms of applicability.
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For this, it is indispensable, however, to support young researchers to the best of our ability, as free research is
only feasible when free of financial constraints.
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