Pings
-
4 Answers 7 Votes
Do recurring evaluations by research funders genuinely enhance research quality and societal impact, or do they merely create unnecessary administrative burdens?
Many research funders require periodic evaluations of projects to ensure accountability, monitor progress, and assess impact. While such evaluations can drive improvements in research design, transparency, and relevance, they can also consume significant time and resources. This raises the question of whether the benefits—such as higher-quality outputs and stronger societal contributions—outweigh the potential drawbacks, including administrative overload and reduced time for actual research.
-
3 Answers 0 Votes
When the policy exists to share postprints freely on personal sites, why do researchers often refrain from doing so, and what incentives or constraints drive that hesitation?
There has been extensive discussion about the funding model for research publications. Large publishing houses do not fund research themselves; instead, they charge substantial subscription fees or open-access publishing fees. Keeping articles behind paywalls can impede open science and broad access to knowledge. Nevertheless, many publishers grant authors the right to share postprints of their papers immediately on their non-commercial personal blogs or websites. Despite this permission,...
-
Answer Accepted 1 Answer 0 Votes
When turning at intersections, how difficult do you find it to detect pedestrians on the crosswalk? And how helpful do you think visual or sound warnings (like lights or beeps) would be?
Turning at intersections presents a common challenge for drivers, especially when pedestrians are crossing from the left or right side. Detecting pedestrians in these situations can be difficult due to blind spots, A-pillar obstruction, distractions, and poor visibility (e.g., nighttime, fog, or busy environments). To enhance safety, researchers and manufacturers are exploring pedestrian warning systems that use visual (e.g., LED lights) and auditory (e.g., beep sounds) alerts to help drivers...
-
Answer Accepted 7 Answers 7 Votes
How publication retractions should be handled?
With an alarming rise in number of retracted papers, what the scientific community thinks is the best way to handle them? 1. Should be ignored, giving benefit-of-doubt to the authors 2. Authors with multiple retracted papers should be demoted 3. Organizations with high retraction rates should be banned from entering various rankings, and debar them from government funding for 1-2 years 4. Court trials against the faulty researchers for criminal wastage of public money
-
Answer Accepted 1 Answer 0 Votes
What do you think about post-publication review? Should it be adopted more widely?
Conventional peer-review takes quite long, and is one of the major reasons for the snail-pace of the publication process. On the other hand, it seems attractive to quickly make your article public as a preprint (e.g. on bioRxiv), so that it can get readership and may be citations even before formal publication. Some journals (F1000Research, eLife, etc.) have started the practice of post-publication review. Here 'publication' means not 'acceptance', but making the article public with a valid...
-
9 Answers 2 Votes
-
2 Answers 0 Votes
How should SciPinion improve their account profile page?
Currently, an account's profile includes a CV, education, employment. It also asks for an H-index but does not specify which source. It also excludes information about research output in general and limits itself seemingly to journal articles, chapters, and patents. It could ask about data sets, scientific software, and other research output forms. It can allow people to list an ORCID, ROR (institutes), Mastodon/Twitter, GitHub/GitLab accounts, etc, allowing people to establish a much richer...
-
Complete 32 Answers 180 Votes
What questions would you like the SciPinion Community to address next in a SciPoll? $100
SciPinion is seeking your input for our upcoming SciPolls. Please participate in this SciPinion Ping (a single science-based question posted for other experts to answer) by posting your top multiple-choice question, including answer options. If you participate you will earn Ping credits to ask your own questions and if we choose your question, there is a $100 reward. We will choose at least one of the most popular and thought provoking questions. Please post your topic in the form of a...
Pings FAQ
What is a Ping?
A Ping is a single science-based question. The question comes from a fellow SciPinion Expert who is seeking input from the expert community. All participation in this service (i.e. asking or answering questions) is voluntary and anonymous if you prefer.
Can I post a Ping?
Yes, all SciPinion Experts are able to ask questions for the expert community to answer, provided you have Ping Credits. All Experts start with 3 Ping Credits (i.e., can ask 3 questions), and have the opportunity to earn more (e.g., by answering Pings from other experts, applying to panel opportunities).
Can I sponsor a Paid Ping?
Yes, please contact SciPinion if you would like to sponsor a Paid Ping.
What do I get for answering a Ping?
By answering a question from a fellow SciPinion Expert you earn 1 Ping Credit, which allows you to sponsor your own Ping (e.g., for every question you answer, you can ask your own question)
You also receive the satisfaction of helping your fellow experts and supporting the scientific community.