A WASTE OF TIME?

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

George said he would not submit a paper to a peer-reviewed journal, 
and here is his reason...

> I didn't say "can not." I said, "would not." There's a world of 
> difference here. Like yourself, I have to work for a living. To 
> prepare a paper for publication in a journal takes lots of time, and 
> it is not a job requirement for me the way it is for a person in an 
> academic or museum position. I do not get compensated for my 
> research time or for my writing time or for any time that I might 
> spend doing dinosaur research. I do not have a salaried position in 
> this field. Further, I would have to >take time off from doing 
> paying work< in order to produce a paper for journal publication. 
> That is, I would get hit >twice<: once because I'm not paid to do 
> the work, and once more because I have to take time away from work 
> that does pay. And >then< we pile on >page costs<! There is thus 
> >absolutely no incentive< for me to produce papers for journal 
> publication, and lots of incentives not to.

Without involving myself at all in this debate, please allow me to 
point out that there are these things called 'grad students'. Like 
other non-professionals pursuing a vested interest in dinosaur 
science, they are unpaid for their endeavours and often prepare works 
for publication at >extreme< personal cost. I have just lost about 3 
weeks of time that should have been spent on (1) writing my thesis 
(on Wealden theropods) and (2) preparing my presentation for the 
fast-approaching SVPCA meeting because I have spent that time trying 
to complete and submit a paper. There are no financial rewards in 
publishing this paper, and in fact, supposing it does get published, 
it will result in a situation no more, or less, prestigious or worthy 
of accolade than were a non-institution affiliated individual to 
publish it. In other words, I do not get compensated for my research 
time or for my writing time or for any time that I might spend doing 
dinosaur research. I do not have a salaried position in this field. 
Further, I would have (=do have to) >take time off from doing paying 
work< in order to produce a paper for journal publication. That is, I 
get hit >twice<: once because I'm not paid to do the work, and once 
more because I have to take time away from work that does pay. And 
>then< we pile on >page costs<! But do I agree with George that there 
is thus >absolutely no incentive< for me to produce papers for 
journal publication? I'll let you decide that.

And if wonder if John Hutchinson, Pete Makovicky, Jeff Wilson, Gareth 
Dyke, Oliver Rauhut, Steve Hutt and a number of grad students on this 
list all feel the same way?

"I sufferred fools so gladly"

DARREN NAISH
darren.naish@port.ac.uk