Two years back, when Nature tried out open peer review process I wrote an article on the Peer Review process in which I suggested reversing the role of anonymity for possible betterment of the review process. Briefly, it is as follows. The reviewer doesn’t know who the authors are but the authors know who the reviewers are. The reviewer is not sure whose paper is being reviewed, but, whoever the authors are, they are going to know the reviewer’s identity, when the reviewer’s decision is conveyed. Naturally, the reviewer, whether a novice or expert, has to turn in a best review. For the novice, their growing scholarship and reputation in the eyes of the authors who could be experts in the field is at stake. On the other hand, once the review is done good, that too coming from an authority in that field, puts the author in a self-appraising position. The author realizes how his/her work is viewed by the peers of his/her field of research. This certainly makes him/her more directed and sincere in future efforts.
By protecting the author(s) identity, we effectively wipe off any unfair bias on the part of the reviewer.
After reading about a recent instance of apparent lack of mechanism to verify whether peer review is going on or not, I have a thought. (more…)
The running monthly Paper Read List attracted a few followers some of whom send in their paper suggestions. Thanks for that. Let me now begin a monthly Book Read List. Most of the books will be fiction (mysteries, detective fiction, science fiction), with some non-fiction (primarily humor and collection of essays) thrown in. Also, the books are neither ‘latest’ nor my recommendations. Just my random read list for the next (vacation) month. Reviews for some of the books may follow later. I would be thankful to suggestions for further reading in these genres.
Often while reading, I cannot resist laughing out loud in irreverent abandon to the surrounding and people. Usually, I get riled later for my ejaculations or made to feel sheepish, but I feel it is worth it to just be and guffaw. Thought of collecting some of those instances here from time to time.
Ten minutes back it happened while reading this
Dorothy Sucher, Dead Men Don’t Give Seminars [Good observations of what theoretical physicists are like; also a fun novel. But I can attest, on the basis of my experience as a graduate student, that the title, however fine, is not strictly true.]
We saw a while back about surface tension and contact angle and omniphobic materials. In zero gravity, surface tension forces can be used to ‘raise’ fluids through a sharp corner of a designed coffee cup. The angle of the corner is related and calibrated to the contact angle of the fluid. Watch this video explaining this cute idea…
Such demonstration excites me to love Science even more in its nascent form…
The internet is galore with anecdotes, by bloggers in particular, extolling the hardships one underwent during one’s Ph. D. days. Ranting is a hoary blog tradition. The follow up post(s) invariably bitches about the seeming shortcomings of one’s Ph.D. Adviser. Anonymously. Nevertheless, the Thesis Acknowledgment invariably extols the glorious traits of the adviser, her patience, knowledge, calmness, sincerity and a paragraph of other virtues revealed to the student only upon her completion of the Ph. D. degree. And the Ph. D. years were after all just like any other year of our life, years of experience, years to be cherished in toto, with ‘pools of sorrow and waves of joy, drifting through our open minds, possessing and caressing us’ [*].
I was correcting a thesis and encountered one such acknowledgment. It reminded me of mine, written some years before. I have given it below, just to offset the hoary blog tradition. Ph. D. years can be happy and the adviser can be a real gem. That the following acknowledgment is possible is proof that such institutes, research and people exist even in today’s bitching blog times. (more…)
This blog primarily collects my micro-muse, laughs, occasional rants and motley web stuff I fancy. Lengthier (and hence, refined and possibly useful) content are collected in my website (see below).
