Mastodawn

Jess Butler May 10, 2023

The House of Commons has released a thoughtful, critical report on UK research quality

The recommendations to government are excellent, both practical and progressive

Highlights:

Make all research open access

Require data and code accompany all publications

Move peer-review and publication acceptance before data collection

Specifically fund replications

Remove “originality” from REF, instead require transparency

Impose a 3-year minimum term for all postdocs

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmsctech/101/summary.html

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Martin Escardo May 10, 2023

@JessButler

I don't understand the rationale for a minimum 3-year term for postdocs. If they find a permanent academic job, like I did, in the first year of their postdoc, why shouldn't they take it?

It is already exploitation that people *have* to do postdocs to get permanent academic jobs.

In the current system, the earliest people get permanent academic jobs is at age 35, on average. This doesn't make any sense - socially or scientifically speaking.

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Joe Roe

@MartinEscardo @JessButler Precarity. Short contracts are terrible for mental health and career progression. Uprooting your life every other year isn't fun for anybody, and disproportionately affects already marginalised researchers. And spending half of your time in a position looking for the next one isn't exactly conducive to good science.

A minimum contract length gives security, it doesn't stop people leaving a position early if they find something better.