Author Archives: Prof. Andrew R. Timming

In his recent article, Prof. Timming argued that there are two types of academics when it comes to publication practices: the realists and the idealists. He rightfully admitted where he stands in this debate (spoiler: he is a realist) and provided valid justifications about why he believes that publication feels like a game. He pickedContinue reading “Academic Freedom Now: A response to Timming”

One of the key struggles facing early career researchers (ECRs), and especially new PhD students, is how they should respond to reviewers’ comments. I will answer this question in my capacity as both an author and an experienced editor. This article describes four key approaches to manuscript revision. I remember my first foray into theContinue reading “How To Respond to Reviewers’ Comments: A Primer”

As a Cambridge alumnus, I’ve been glued to the “free speech” saga currently unfolding at my old stomping grounds. A few weeks ago, the Cambridge University’s Executive Council—consisting of its principal officers (the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor), a few Heads of Colleges, a handful of junior and senior academics and administrators, some external members, andContinue reading “Should Academics Be Forced to Respect Each Other’s Views?”

Call me old-fashioned, if you will. I confess, I am a Comtean positivist. I love science. I love the scientific method. More importantly, I love what science has done for us: life expectancies have never been higher, vaccines have eradicated diseases, and—as hard as life has been for us all in 2020—it is infinitely betterContinue reading “Why Postmodernism is (Probably) a Waste of Your Time”

If you don’t know the name Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert, you should. A lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Melbourne, Dr. Moore-Gilbert was released last week from prison in Iran. Two years ago, she attended an academic conference in Tehran and, upon trying to board her flight home to Melbourne, she was arrested byContinue reading “When One Academic Is Imprisoned, We Are All Imprisoned”

Let me preface this article by saying that bullying in academia is a serious problem. The victims of bullying suffer emotionally, psychologically, and physically as a result. Many are left unable to work or even function in daily life. Bullying in universities is particularly insidious. Unlike “playground” bullying, that often involves physical assault, university bullyingContinue reading “Academic Bullying vs “Robust Management”: where to draw the line?”

There are two types of academics: the realists and the idealists. The realists recognize that the games we play to get our manuscripts published are just that: games. The idealists pretend to be above those games. Full disclosure: I am in the realist camp. Let’s start with what we all agree on. The academic publishingContinue reading “Everyone Plays the Academic Publishing Game, Even Those Who Claim They Don’t”

Our performance as researchers is evaluated by the number of publications we have in peer reviewed journals. The higher the impact factor and the lower the acceptance rate, the more “impressive” our research output. This performance model has two severe, if not fatal, flaws: (1) much of our research is behind a paywall, meaning thatContinue reading “Academics Should Talk to the Public, Not Just to Each Other”

“Dear Professor Timming, Thank you for submitting your manuscript to the Journal of Scholarly Angst. Your paper has now been unsubmitted for the following reasons: We have no respect for your time. We also want to see how badly you want to submit to our journal by making you jump through hoops like a circusContinue reading “Manuscript Formatting: the bane of my sad existence”

Ph.D. students often feel betwixt and between. They’re not yet established academics, but they possess highly specialist knowledge and research skills well above the undergraduate level. The question then becomes, should we, the professoriate, treat them like students or as colleagues? My own experience as a Ph.D. student was fairly alienating. Cambridge is, of course,Continue reading “Ph.D. Students Are Colleagues, not Subordinates”