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Re: [xmca] FW: New PhD comic for 08/05/09!



I wish Peter had used another word, rather than "comic". I didn't realise this was serious!
My take on this. Much as I get angry and frustrated by the 
peer reviews I get, it really is the heart of the system. It 
is a very important mode of *collaboration*. When a reviewer 
completely misunderstands me ("human need" = "biological 
drive"), or dismisses me ("Marx never appropriated from 
Hegel"), I admit to getting angry and frustrated. But hey! 
That's what it's all about. If I can't explain myself to my 
peers I don't deserve to be published. It can still go on my 
home page.
I think the whole business of distributing hard copy 
journals is a waste of time ("Outlines" is now entirely an 
on-line journal for example. Good for them), and the more 
prestigious journals go on-line-only, the less kudos is 
attached to being a print-only journal. The need to pay for 
reading learned journals is entirely presaged on the need to 
pay people to produce it. The author doesn't get paid; the 
reviewers (usually) don't get paid; if hard copies are not 
distributed to luddites who can't use their computer, then 
the only person that needs to get paid is that person who 
tells you to put "(Marx 1973)" for the Grundrisse instead of 
"(Marx 1857)", something I could well do without.
Of course, many people need learned journals to earn points 
for their academic career. Don't they get paid enough 
already?? Anyway, I see that as their problem. Find a 
journal willing to print you and people willing to pay for 
it (other than the other authors).
So if I had a choice I would opt for a peer-reviewed on line 
journal with free access, to be hosted by a publicly funded 
university.
That's my tuppence worth,
Andy

Mike Cole wrote:
What message do you take away from the cartoon, Peter?
Publishers for sure should not be the gatekeepers.
And peer review is often flawed.
But then what?

For many years,what is now MCA was a newsletter. A print discussion forum
before the internet evolved as it has.
Then, at Yrjo's urging, it became a print journal, now with online version
if you pay for the print (ask Andy about the
joys of this arrangement) and many people, at present the most burdened of
whom is Wolf-Michael and staff at LCHC,
plus lots of xmca-ites and other reviewers produce MCA. The argument Yrjo
used to get the newsletter to journal status
was that the field and the careers of individuals working in it required
institutionalized recognition. The most recent
version of his is the struggle for ISI status to satisfy the current
generation of bean counters.

It would be easy as pie to chuck all this and have xmca be re-organized so
that people could publish long papers with open
access and no reviewing, so that members of xmca would simply have a long
list of "papers for discussion" and quality would
equal what was discussed a lot.

No ISI, no blind peer commentary. Just agor uber alles. A lot less work for
editors, managing editors, and reviewers.

Preferable?
mike

On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 2:09 PM, Peter Smagorinsky <smago@uga.edu> wrote:

This cartoon seems pertinent to some discussions here about academic review
processes and publication impact. p


From: PhD Comics [mailto:new_comic@phdcomics.com]
Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 2:49 PM
To: mailinglist2@phdcomics.com
Subject: New PhD comic for 08/05/09!

Hi!

A new 'Piled Higher & Deeper' comic strip has been posted at:

 http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?n=1208

Enjoy!


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