‘Speed collaborations’ and the quality versus quantity debate in ecology and evolution publications

IF 0.2 Q4 EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
M. Donaldson
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

The argument over whether quality or quantity is more valuable to the advancement of ecology and evolutionary science continues to rage (Fischer et al. 2012, Loyola et al. 2012). With research quantity (i.e., number of papers published) leading to higher citation rates and increased funding (Lortie et al. 2012), some researchers have made the call for their colleagues to refocus efforts in order to emphasize the roles of creativity and communication to inspire quality research (e.g., Fischer et al. 2012). The quality and quantity spectrum does not need to represent a trade-off; both attributes are important to the advancement of science and should not be considered mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, finding equilibrium between quality and quantity is a difficult balancing act in the electronic era. How then, can we ensure both quality and quantity in scientific research? The answer may lie in innovative collaborations. Collaboration among researchers is immensely powerful and, arguably perhaps, becoming a necessary means of advancing knowledge. To remain influential and to keep pace in a fast moving world, researchers must find new ways to spark scientific creativity, and must do so in a timely manner. One novel approach to tackle this is short duration, focused, multi-disciplinary collaborations, herein referred to as ‘speed collaborations’ (Favaro et al. 2013). Here, I argue that expanding on this new view of rapid, collaborative research could bridge the gap between quality and quantity research by (i) generating new ideas, (ii) enhancing networks, and (iii) facilitating communication over a compressed time-scale. i. Speed collaborations to spark ideas and ignite creative scientific thinking
生态学和进化出版物中的“加速合作”和质与量之争
关于质量还是数量对生态学和进化科学的进步更有价值的争论继续激烈(Fischer et al. 2012, Loyola et al. 2012)。随着研究数量(即发表的论文数量)导致更高的引用率和更多的资金(Lortie et al. 2012),一些研究人员呼吁他们的同事重新调整工作重点,以强调创造力和沟通在激发高质量研究中的作用(例如,Fischer et al. 2012)。质量和数量谱不需要代表一种权衡;这两种属性对科学的进步都很重要,不应该被认为是相互排斥的。不幸的是,在电子时代,在质量和数量之间找到平衡是一件困难的事情。那么,如何保证科学研究的保质保量呢?答案可能在于创新合作。研究人员之间的合作是非常强大的,可以说,它可能成为推进知识的必要手段。为了保持影响力并跟上快速发展的世界,科学家必须找到激发科学创造力的新方法,而且必须及时这样做。解决这一问题的一种新方法是短期、集中、多学科合作,这里称为“快速合作”(Favaro et al. 2013)。在这里,我认为扩展这种快速合作研究的新观点可以通过(I)产生新的想法,(ii)加强网络,(iii)在压缩的时间尺度上促进交流,弥合质量和数量研究之间的差距。1 .加快合作,激发创意和创造性的科学思维
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来源期刊
Ideas in Ecology and Evolution
Ideas in Ecology and Evolution EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY-
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4
审稿时长
36 weeks
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