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Evaluation index ... I...

1 min read Apr 13, 2015

Evaluation index ... I would propose something to do within the MCAA. Everybody knows that the researcher´s evaluation is done in a wrong way. Evaluating research by number of published papers and citations, created a business of fake scientific journals, reviewers requesting to be cited during their reviews and many of these crazy things. We must find a different way for being recognized, for avoiding fake papers, fake citations, papers published by Maggie Simpson or created by SCIgen ... h-index does not work, it is evident and must be replaced, it already created lot of damages. I propose, as MCAA, to create a new index replacing the h-index considering the impact factor of journals where we publish, but also quality and amount of grants attracted by the researcher and invited talks or seminars ... this makes the difference. If you are a good researcher you do not just publish, but you get money and you are invited to talk. I have some idea on creating a new index, I think we should discuss within the Association how to make it and how to propose it as a standard. Anybody agree on it? Any idea to go ahead?

9 Comments

Luigi Caranti

Apr 13, 2015

Hi Riccardo,

as usual I like your intuition. Of course invited talks can also be fake (I ask my friends to invite me et voilà), but grants received can be less so. MCAA could do something about a better index, I agree.

Luigi

Riccardo Biondi

Apr 13, 2015

Well you are right Luigi, even national grants could be fake sometimes, but EU grants are usually not. It is matter to give different weight to them ...

Teresa Scolamacchia

Apr 14, 2015

Dear Riccardo,

I strongly agree on modifying the evaluation index, which has caused /is causing so great damage to the quality of research. Here below I sent 2 links (retwetted some time ago from The Conversation) about how "the Academia", following the market,has transformed the way of producing reliable information..

http://theconversation.com/the-dark-side-of-research-when-chasing-prestige-becomes-the-prize-35001;http://theconversation.com/the-dark-arts-of-academia-and-why-journals-must-do-more-to-tackle-the-problem-35796. So.. something MUST be done! Best regards to all of you. Teresa

Noemi Guil

Apr 14, 2015

Hi there!

Very good ideas going on here!

Congrats!

However, I consider that if you would really like to change commo indexes to a one useful, you should include also other concepts. I think that we all tend to view pnly those points that arenot considered in our (or our collegues) CVs.

For example, in my sorroundings is always miss out the generation of data.

I am sure that each of us can add one or two concepts...

Cheers,

Noemi

Riccardo Biondi

Apr 14, 2015

The objective of this post is to create a working group where everybody gives his/her inputs and suggestions and then creating something concrete merging all the suggestions.

Let´s create a group of interested people first, then we can move everything to a specific forum within the MCAA portal, and we finally can work on creating the new index based on all the suggested parameters. After that we could give officiality to the new index by publishing the results on some international journal.

Who´s on it?

Riccardo

Luigi Caranti

Apr 14, 2015

besides, this could also be a theme for future application for funding :-)

Marco Masia

Apr 15, 2015

Dear Riccardo, I think that this is a very nice and ambitious idea. Since I am currently quite busy with the policy group, I wouldn't be available to contribute actively to the group. Nonetheless, I would like to join it and to follow the discussion. As a side comment I would like to add that the association will probably join a policy platform that is currently working on research evaluation. If and once we join it, it would be interesting to favor the flux of info to and from the WG you propose. If you need more info, we may talk on skype. Best wishes, marco

Riccardo Biondi

Apr 15, 2015

ciao Marco, I was wondering if you could be interested and you replied before I asked the question :-)

The group is already done https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/groups/new-evaluation-index I´ll invite you to join it. I was planning several steps for this WG including testing new possible indexes within the MCAA members and possibly address new policy on this topic.

We could maybe talk about it on skype, once we find a bit of time.

Riccardo

Marco Masia

Apr 15, 2015

Thanks Riccardo! In spite of the fact that I got the confirmation of being part of the group, I am denied to access it :-( best, marco