Young scientists under pressure: what the data show

Maher, Brendan A.; Sureda, Miquel

doi:10.1038/538444a

Cited by 53 publications

(32 citation statements)

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“…From greater levels of state scrutiny regarding research excellence, teaching quality, and value for money in education, scholars have argued that higher education is a very different sector than it was a generation ago (Fitzgerald, Gunter, and White 2012;Kenny 2017). The number of individuals gaining a doctorate has increased, but for those who choose to enter the academic profession, there has been no concomitant increase in the number of available academic posts (Maher and Anfres 2016). A high proportion of academic staff now enter the HE sector on a fixed-term contract with limited opportunities for full-time posts with greater job security (Kaplan 2010;Powell 2015).…”

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confidence: 99%

‘Overwhelmed at first’: the experience of career development in early career academics

Hollywood

McCarthy

Spencely

et al. 2019

Journal of Further and Higher Education

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The higher education sector is undergoing considerable changes to its working conditions. From regular scrutiny of individual research and teaching quality, audits of individual academic performance, to growing expectations arising from the culture of 'student experience', it is widely recognised that higher education is a turbulent sector. Amongst Early Career Academics (ECAs), initial transitions into this sector of work can have considerable consequences for career development and willingness to remain within the higher education profession. Drawing on a mixedmode survey exploring the experience of UK-based ECAs, we highlight distinct intrapersonal and experiential factors which relate to variations in the perceived potential for career development and wellbeing. The data suggest that it is not just situational factors such as the departmental environment and job security that relate to the 'imagined futures' of ECAs; it is also important to gain a deeper understanding of how intrapersonal dimensions, such as an individual's personality, shape the experience of the early stages of an academic career. Our qualitative data shed further light on the experiences that can influence the job satisfaction of ECAs. The findings are discussed in the context of a growing body of international research on ECAs, and the rapidly changing Higher Education sector in the UK. ARTICLE HISTORY

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confidence: 99%

‘Overwhelmed at first’: the experience of career development in early career academics

Hollywood

McCarthy

Spencely

et al. 2019

Journal of Further and Higher Education

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show abstract

“…Similarly, the concentration of the most productive and impactful years within the first decade of a scientific career seems to justify efforts to shift funding from older to younger scientists. The NIH's longrunning effort to support early-stage investigators is a notable example, although it has had limited success, as the number of NIH awards to scientists under 40 remains lower than its peak 30 years ago (22). On the other hand, one might argue that young researchers tend to be more productive in spite of imbalances in external funding.…”

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confidence: 99%

Data-driven predictions in the science of science

Clauset

Larremore

Sinatra

2017

Science

214

115

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The desire to predict discoveries—to have some idea, in advance, of what will be discovered, by whom, when, and where—pervades nearly all aspects of modern science, from individual scientists to publishers, from funding agencies to hiring committees. In this Essay, we survey the emerging and interdisciplinary field of the “science of science” and what it teaches us about the predictability of scientific discovery. We then discuss future opportunities for improving predictions derived from the science of science and its potential impact, positive and negative, on the scientific community.

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“…One reason we consider it important to specifically address the role of replications for early career researchers is that they face enormous pressure to establish themselves in the scientific community and often fear that their careers could end before they really begin (Maher & Anfres 2016; "Many junior scientists" 2017). Currently, to secure a job in academia after obtaining a doctoral degree, one needs to build an impressive portfolio of publications (Lawrence 2003).…”

Section: N O T E Smentioning

confidence: 99%

If we accept that poor replication rates are mainstream

Alexander

Moors

2018

Behav Brain Sci

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We agree with the authors' arguments to make replication mainstream but contend that the poor replication record is symptomatic of a pre-paradigmatic science. Reliable replication in psychology requires abandoning group-level p-value testing in favor of real-time predictions of behaviors, mental and brain events. We argue for an approach based on analysis of boundary conditions where measurement is closely motivated by theory.

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Young scientists under pressure: what the data show

Abstract: © 2 0 1 6 M a c m i l l a n P u b l i s h e r s L i m i t e d , p a r t o f S p r i n g e r N a t u r e . A l l r i g h t s r e s e r v e d .

Cited by 53 publications

References 0 publications

‘Overwhelmed at first’: the experience of career development in early career academics

‘Overwhelmed at first’: the experience of career development in early career academics

Data-driven predictions in the science of science

If we accept that poor replication rates are mainstream

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