On the value of critical evaluation in science

Given the critical nature of scientists and the need to do science well (if it is to be done at all), scientific journals often publish articles concerning science policies, practices, productivity, and quality in various countries. In the prestigious journal Science (vol. 321, page 745, 2008), Ismail Serageldin comments on science in Muslim countries, stating, “With more than a trillion dollars in cash and a population of over a billion people, the Muslim world should be poised for a remarkable scientific explosion.” But then, he asks: “…Even where funding for science has been available, the results in terms of output — research papers, citations, and patents — are disappointingly low. Why?” In Nature News (vol. 457, page 14, 2009), an article concerning plans to funnel support for African science, technology and education into a single fund quotes Hakim Elwaer, head of the science directorate of the African Union, as having said, “The lack of a transparent mechanism for African funding is a key reason why many millions of dollars pledged for science… have been slow to reach African researchers.” In the journal Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology (vol. 146A, pages 463-469, 2007), Zenteno-Savin and co-authors describe how, in Latin American countries, “the number of scientific publications from Latin American institutions in the last decade increased at a much faster rate than publications from the USA and Canada” despite the challenges presented by unstable funding, shortage of positions, and the brain-drain to North America. In the same journal (vol. 151A, pages 263-271, 2008), Hermes-Lima and co-authors report that “growth in visibility of Latin American science — determined by ratio of citations per paper — has not kept pace with the increase in number of publications.” Further, they report dissatisfaction among Latin American scientists concerning government funding policies, lack of jobs, lack of improvement in the quality of graduate students, and poor paper-writing skills of recent Ph.D. graduates.

There are many other examples in international scientific journals of articles expressing views, opinions, and discussions critical of science policies, funding priorities, hiring practices, research directions, publication rates, waste, mismanagement and corruption. Critical evaluation at all levels, from the quality of seminars and papers to the scientific performance of countries and continents, is part of how science is done. The international airing of dirty laundry is an accepted part of scientific culture.

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Raul Kamantigue Suarez is a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology of the University of California, Santa Barbara, California and an editor of the Journal of Experimental Biology, Cambridge, UK. E-mail him at [email protected].