Re: [tlug] Journals, Authors and 'Free Peer Review'

[Raymond Wan <rwan.kyoto@example.com>]

On Tuesday, September 25, 2018 10:15 PM, Benjamin Kowarsch 
wrote:
> Perhaps you will find it will make you more productive since 
> you know very
> well that not everything you are competent to write about 
> and not even
> everything of interest to others will stand a chance to be 
> published in
> a peer reviewed journal.
>
> With such a high threshold, many scholars put off writing 
> articles that they
> could have written since they know it would likely not make 
> it into a peer
> reviewed journal, so they don't write it, which is unfortunate.


Your reason here for a pre-print server is a separate 
discussion.  A valid point, but separate from what I've been 
saying so far.

You're pointing out pre-print server as being some kind of 
milestone.  That publishers set a threshold that is "high".

That is possible but different people will have different 
milestones in mind.  A paper in a pre-print server is one 
but "a vacation with family" could be another.  Or a "nice 
dinner" after finishing one more figure.  Anything can serve 
as one's motivator.


> In an email exchange I had with Don Knuth, even he lamented
> that "good papers get rejected because they aren't trendy".


Sure.  And some journals capitalize on this by not favouring 
"trendy" work.  And predatory journals took this even 
further and take anything at all.


> Had we not worried so much about whether what material we 
> could produce
> might make it into a peer review journal, we would likely 
> have produced tens
> of articles by now which could have been published on 
> ArXiv.org and some
> of those would certainly have been accepted for publishing 
> in peer reviewed
> journals.


Hmmmm, sure.  It's good you can see what you think you've 
done wrong.  I'm still not convinced that it's a "one size 
fits all".

Personally, I still would rather take my vacation than use 
ArXiv as my motivator.  But that's just me...


> At the end of the day, it is the work you do and the quality 
> of that work
> which will determine how people judge your abilities, not 
> the name dropping
> of magazines and publishers in your CV.


Not every human resources department or grant review 
committee agrees with you.

Some think like you and would be happy to hire you / offer 
you a grant.  Those that don't think like you probably won't 
look at you favourably.

That's ok...  There's a lot of room in this world for a wide 
range of opinions.

Returning to ArXiv, I think opinions are still a bit divided 
for me.  But if it helps in motivating you, then great!

Ray