Issues for Science and Engineering Researchers in the Digital Age (2001) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Changing Expectations of the Researcher
Changing Expectations of the Researcher
Pages 38-47
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From page 38... ...
Digital aids to research such as having wide access to electronic publications places greater stress on the researcher to keep up. Researchers need guidance about what is important, what is highly specialized, and where to find it.
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From page 39... ...
In the strong sense it means tightly coupled intellectual collaboration with others who are on the "same team." In the sponsored research world, a team may have received joint funding and have mutual self-interest in a successful outcome of the collaboration. The word is also used in the weaker sense of participating in giving to and taking from a specialized research community of common interests.
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From page 40... ...
The impact of information technology on teaching can be equally profound, linking students and faculty through networks, allowing access to original materials, and supporting new forms of pedagogy such as distributed virtual environments. The array of tools for productivity electronic mail, word processing, spreadsheets, contact managers, symbolic mathematical tools, presentation software, Web browsers and search engines, data warehouses, and multimedia continues to expand.
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From page 41... ...
, personnel evaluations are based primarily on traditional criteria, such as peer assessment, scholarly publications, grantsmanship, graduate student supervision, and teaching, without additional consideration for the innovative use of technology. Junior faculty and research staff should keep pace with information technology to the extent that it improves their professional performance, but they should be realistic in expecting rewards for doing so.
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From page 42... ...
Some research has characteristics that inhibit timely publication: the peculiarities of patent law discourage early publication; industrial sponsors wish to keep results away from competitors; and some government organizations classify certain categories of results. Universities have fairly specific regulations about such restrictions.
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From page 43... ...
This shift has resulted in part from changes in patent and copyright laws.1 These changes have been accompanied by industry's growing reliance on academic research, and rapidly expanding federal research investments in areas that have strong interest for the private sector (such as biomedical research and computer science)
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From page 44... ...
The choices are often difficult and subtle ones, despite efforts by research funding agencies, universities, and the companies to develop policies that draw guidelines between what is acceptable and what is not. Some universities offer online resources and training for graduate students and faculty in their rights and obliga
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From page 45... ...
The convention of peer review is intended to ensure that published work meets the standards of a particular research community and helps build a body of work that is trustworthy. Blind peer review protects against irrelevant biases.
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From page 46... ...
When devising digital norms, we must not necessarily adopt norms that are most similar to the old, but rather, norms that serve the valued ends to the same extent, or better, than the old. · Researchers protecting intellectual property may interfere with teamwork and data sharing interests.
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From page 47... ...
Academic communities tend to retain traditional customs and governing structures. These researchers can do profound and important work, opening new horizons for their colleagues, without going beyond the limits of their disciplines.
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