jan willem van groenigen february 7, 2017€¦ · finishing your thesis (~ 3 -5 articles) within...
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Functional diversity in publishing
- an ecologists’ view on scientific impact -
Jan Willem van Groenigen
February 7, 2017
@JWvanGroenigen
Overview
Why am I here?
What is my highest impact publication?
Impact: on what, for whom?
Three useful concepts from ecology:
1. A natural experiment
2. K-strategy vs. r-strategy
3. Functional diversity
Conclusion / Recommendations
Why am I here?
Why am I here?
Disclaimers:
I don't publish in high impact journals much
I'm no genius
I'm a soil scientist
Essential statistics
Name: Jan Willem van Groenigen
Position: Personal professor
Age: 46 (18 years since PhD)
# of published articles: 96
1st Highest IF journal: 17.1 (Nature Climate Change)
2nd Highest IF journal: 8.4 (Global Change Biology)
Highest # of citations: 241
h-index: 34
# in upper 1%: 9%
# in upper 10%: 49%
Overview
Why am I here?
What is my highest impact publication?
Impact: on what, for whom?
Three useful concepts from ecology:
1. A natural experiment
2. K-strategy vs. r-strategy
3. Functional diversity
Conclusion / Recommendations
What is my highest impact paper?
Answer #1: The paper that is most likely to get me a personal
grant
"In the presence of earthworms,
emissions of greenhouse gases from
soil increase with 30-40%"
High-impact journal
Quantitative review
Key-player as co-author
Clear & provocative message
Lots of media attention
... not always fair or positive ...
Weakness:
Slightly eccentric topic
What is my highest impact paper?
Answer #2: The paper that will quickly get many citations
Medium-impact journal
Vision paper
Hot topic
Paid for open access
Key-players as co-authors
Timely message (common wisdom)
Weakness:
Hot air?
Opportunistic?
What is my highest impact paper?
Answer #3: The paper that gives me the highest esteem from
my peers
Medium-impact journal
Experimental study
First proof of important process
Highly technical
Weakness:
Practical relevance?
What is my highest impact paper?
Answer #4: The paper that was most beneficial to society
Medium-impact journal
Combination vision paper / quantitative review
Introducing very simple new concept
Dealing with important issues
Policy-relevant
Weakness:
After so much seriousness you have to think about your mental health
"We should express greenhouse gas
emissions not per ha of land, but per kg of
produced food"
What is my highest impact paper?
Answer #5: The paper that was best for my mental health
Low-impact journal
Refreshlingly silly
(But still good science!)
Best anecdote!
Weakness:
None!
"Velcro tape is an excellent way to keep
earthworms inside mesocosms!"
What is a high-impact paper?
Working definition:
"A paper that serves your purposes optimally"
("Biggest bang for the buck")
Overview
Why am I here?
What is my highest impact publication?
Impact: on what, for whom?
Three useful concepts from ecology:
1. A natural experiment
2. K-strategy vs. r-strategy
3. Functional diversity
Conclusion / Recommendations
Impact: for whom?
As MSc student?
As PhD student?
As postdoc?
As tenure-tracker?
As personal professor?
Who are you?
Who is:
● PhD student?
● Postdoc?
● Staff?
Who has been (co-) author of a paper?
Who has been first author of at least one paper?
.... and of more than one?
Impact: for me
As MSc student?
As PhD student?
As postdoc?
As tenure-tracker?
As personal professor?
High impact publishing for PhD student
Aims:
Finishing your thesis (~ 3 -5 articles) within time
Train your scientific skills
CV building (postdoc position, personal scholarship)
Relatively quick publishing, not necessarily high impact
Avoid being "scooped"
Learn from solid, independent feedback from reviewers!
To train your writing skills for your future Nature paper!
Why publish as early as possible?
Why publish as early as possible?
[Laurance et al., 2013]
Unirank: Quality of University
Firstpub: Year of first publication
Language: Native English speaker
PubsPhD: # Pubs. before PhD conferral
Factors affecting succes in science:
Why publish as early as possible?
[Laurance et al., 2013]
High impact publishing for tenure tracker
Aim: Build a research portfolio according to TT rules
# of papers as well as "impact"
generate publicity to attract support / funding
But TT rules vary within and between institutes:
h-index?
Impact factor?
Quartile?
First / second / last / corresponding / any author?
Open access?
A more diversified publication approach!
Overview
Why am I here?
What is my highest impact publication?
Impact: on what, for whom?
Three useful concepts from ecology:
1. A natural experiment
2. K-strategy vs. r-strategy
3. Functional diversity
Conclusion / Recommendations
A natural experiment
The Van Groenigen Twin Study
Born Together - Publishing apart
Medium impact
Jan Willem
High impact
Willem Jan
High impact
Kees Jan
The other Van Groenigen.....
Overview
Why am I here?
What is my highest impact publication?
Impact: on what, for whom?
Three useful concepts from ecology:
1. A natural experiment
2. K-strategy vs. r-strategy
3. Functional diversity
Conclusion / Recommendations
K-strategy vs. r-strategy
"Salami slicing", "least publishable unit"
Difficult issue
In the old days: "Salami hoarding"?
"The system" gives perverse
incentives
Play along and change the system
from within?
Limited papers can have their
benefits! ● quick communication of important
results ● training in writing
But you are responsible for your own
work!
Overview
Why am I here?
What is my highest impact publication?
Impact: on what, for whom?
Three useful concepts from ecology:
1. A natural experiment
2. K-strategy vs. r-strategy
3. Functional diversity
Conclusion / Recommendations
Biodiversity
"Classical biodiversity"
"Functional biodiversity"
classical biodiversity
My paper citations over time
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jan-00 jan-02 jan-04 jan-06 jan-08 jan-10 jan-12 jan-14 jan-16 jan-18
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My paper citations over time
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0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
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Days since publication
My paper citations over time
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0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
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Days since publication
Reviews / vision papers
Methodology papers
Primary research papers
Functional biodiversity in publishing
Primary research papers
Methodology papers
Reviews /
vision papers
High
impact
Overview
Why am I here?
What is my highest impact publication?
Impact: on what, for whom?
Three useful concepts from ecology:
1. A natural experiment
2. Functional diversity
3. K-strategy vs. r-strategy
Conclusion / Recommendations
Conclusion / recommendations
(Questionable) shortcuts:
Many citations quickly:
● meta-analyses (not for long anymore....)
High impact journals:
● team up with experienced high-impact authors
● networking
● timeliness
● message sometimes takes precedence over data support
Conclusion / recommendations
Diversify!
● Primary experimental studies
● Methodology studies
● Reviews / meta-analyses
● High impact journals
Thank you and
good luck!
@JWvanGroenigen
Proposition
"The most effective publication strategies demand ethical concessions"