Plant Pathology Department
Date of this Version
1928
Citation
Science, New Series, Vol. 68, No. 1757 (Aug. 31, 1928), pp. 192-193
Abstract
With the administrative heads of many of our educational institutions demanding a doctorate of every member of the permanent staff, as it is supposed to be a prerogative for research, and the issuing of a list of titles published each year by their staff, the urge for so-called research, namely, a list of titles, goes madly on. In fact publication sometimes becomes a sort of self-defense, for the absence of any titles over a brief period of years stamps one either as lacking the ability of doing research or inefficient. Likewise, such a policy has permeated the staff, so that their interest is centered in output rather than in quality. This is just another characteristic symptom of megalomania, so prevalent in our day in most lines of endeavor. I think that on an occasion of this kind a brief period can be profitably spent in analyzing the present tendency in research in order that we may have a better understanding of what actually constitutes research.