Misc

For those unfamiliar with academic promotions (e.g., moving from assistant to associate or to full professor) the process remains labor intensive. It frequently involves lengthy documents where a candidate explains why they are worthy of promotion* alongside assessments from line managers, Deans, and senior academics from other institutions. Once all of these documents are amassed, committees discuss what should happen next. These meetings happen a few times a year.  It's all rather stressful.  As an external person, I’m starting to get more reference requests and these tend to occur around the same time of year. Whenever I feel able to provide something useful, I will prioritize these because they are essential to the candidate and without them, the promotion process can drag on even longer.  All one can do is make an assessment of someone's contributions while keeping in mind the institutional criteria. That said, I still feel universities probably place too much emphas...

The systems that are meant to support research are far from perfect and I'm not just talking about the speed of peer review or a lack of data sharing . By this, I mean how we ensure the accountability and integrity of researchers themselves.   We are currently developing a Lab Values document to agree on what is important to us as a group. This will help define the ways we want to work (see here for a great example). I expect that much of this will align with the values of our institution.  But what about when those values are ignored or deliberately misconstrued?  It is safer to assume that this will happen eventually. Sad to say I've observed many issues closer to home and further away. From individuals being abusive or misogynistic to grandiose authorship claims and data fabrication on an industrial scale.  Such behaviors are likely to hurt someone's career and there are, of course, well-publicized cases where individuals have faced serious consequences. How...

[see updates at the end of this article] I disagree with a fair chunk of Griffiths and co's work theoretically and methodologically. That's science. But Griffithsgate  goes beyond that and raises some uncomfortable questions about editorial bias and the very real consequences of carelessly applied research (see  Dorothy Bishop's  blog and Tom Chiver's  article in  Unheard ). In saying that, it is tricky to separate procedures from science because the rushed nature of the work means that it is riddled with contradictions. Like a political party trying to avoid the opposition, it is almost impossible to debate a moving target. For example:   Write about why data should be open , but don't share your own when requested .  Write about students and issues concerning plagiarism , then do the very same thing . That's all just procedural remember and long before getting to the actual science. I've previously written about the problems of publishing on an ...

A short list of skills for all psychologists aiming to become independent scientists. Compiled quickly following a brief discussion with a colleague.....last edited (16/10/2014) Input Original Thinking Web Development Critical Thinking PsychoPy Superlab Qualtrics Processing Sharing data with others MATLAB Python RStudio  (R) SPSS Excel NVIVO Output Talking Writing Dealing with Rejection (getting back on the horse) Developing detailed strands of work that are simultaneously placed into a wider context Developing Impact Powerpoint Keynote Prezi Adobe Creative Suite Tableau LaTeX Processing Misc Evernote Cloud Outliner Mendeley  (or any referencing software)

Published research often hides the turmoil, excitement, frustration and elation of academic enquiry. The true story behind any research career is only revealed if academics are willing to talk openly about their successes and failures. Instead, the discussion is often limited to the contents of their glowing CV which never lists rejected papers, disastrous experiments or unsuccessful grant applications. Over the last few years, I've scribbled down various quotes from academics who not only publish great research but who are also interesting people: 'Enjoy and get used to saying 'I don't know!' ' ' Never forget how small academia actually is ' ' Relationships are the key to success ' ' Pick your battles. I didn't and I wish I had ' And my personal favourite, courtesy of  James W. Pennebaker ........ ' The way forward can often appear perfectly logical, but it is rarely practical '