How much of our time is spent on service?
I ran a poll to learn how much of our time is spent on service activities. I was surprised to learn that "more than 21%" is the answer that received most votes. In fact, for myself I thought it would…
Preprints or not?
Since I've been publishing with authors who always upload preprints, I wonder if it is a common practice. I like the idea of a preprint, but on the other hand, I seem to be too lazy/overwhelmed/... to actually upload preprints…
On setting writing targets
At the beginning of the year, I ran a poll to learn if academics set writing targets for the New Year. I often see other blogging academics mention that they want to submit X papers during the year, and was…
Smartphone use in academia
I recently ran a poll on smartphone use in academia, now that there are numerous apps available that track how much time we spend/waste on our phones. Whether we are wasting or spending our time can be a blurry line.…
Author contributions on papers
I recently ran a poll on Twitter on author contribution sections on papers. For me, adding such a section is rather "new", but I do feel like this is important to avoid people getting "free rides". Certainly, authorship is a…
What to buy for an academic
I ran a poll in December about what academics like receiving as a gift - not from best friends and close family, but more in general. At that time, I was thinking in terms of what to get colleagues for…
Publication metrics
I recently ran a poll on Twitter on which platform is most used for publication metrics. While in my field it seems to be Scopus, the consensus of the poll is clear: Google Scholar! Here's the wake of the poll:
Peer review and the journal impact factor
I recently ran a poll on Twitter to learn if academics change the way they review depending on the journal impact factor. As for myself, I won't be "milder" if I'm reviewing for a lower impact factor - the methods…
The carbon footprint of academic conference travel
The latest IPCC report on climate change worries me deeply - I can't ignore the alarm bells this international panel of scientists have set off. Generally, I try to be make environmentally friendly choices: I eat plants, I walk my…
Tools for planning
I ran a poll on Twitter to identify which method is most popular for planning: lists, tasks, or a calendar. The most popular method seems to be lists, but more than anything, I learned from this poll that every person…