Performance-driven culture is ruining science | Anonymous Academic

I was told impact metrics could make or break careers. Instead, they broke my faith in scientific research

The first time I heard about the impact factor I was a few weeks into my PhD. A candidate due to finish in a couple of months warned me emphatically: "It makes or breaks careers." In my innocence, I didn't think much about it and returned to concentrating on my research. A decade later, metrics such as these came to dominate my work and ultimately drove me to give up my permanent academic post and move into industry.

Since leaving academia, I have found myself wondering about the effect of these metrics on the profession and practice of science.

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