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I suspect that most of Jordan Peterson’s critics have not read his books. Their judgments are formed either by what other people have said second-hand about Peterson or by their own incomplete and fragmented understanding of his wider oeuvre. Whilst his many supporters will be, no doubt, excited about his newest book, Beyond Order, hisContinue reading “Jordan Peterson’s Beyond Order: A review for his critics”

We all know that peer review filters out weak studies that are either deeply flawed or make no new contribution to knowledge. In this sense, peer review can be said to “work” as intended. As a journal editor, I frequently desk reject papers that are methodologically unsound or, more likely, that just regurgitate what weContinue reading “Is Genius Discouraged in Academia?”

“We exploit the intellectual demands of our job to smother our negative thoughts that so easily bubble up from the recesses of our mind.” In this last instalment of this series on “Emotions in Academia,” I focus on my own arch nemesis: fear, or anxiety. A little bit of fear is a good thing becauseContinue reading “Emotions in Academia, Part 5: Fear”

Academics strike me as generally sad people. I don’t know if academia makes us sad, or if sad people self-select into academia. Probably both explanations are correct. I just get the feeling, when talking to my fellow academics, that beneath the confident and poised façade is an insecure and unhappy person. I’m generalizing, of course.Continue reading “Emotions in Academia, Part 4: Sadness”

Rage. Anger. Fury. These are emotions that we do not talk about very openly with one another. It’s almost like there is a stigma attached to anger, and that we should feel shameful about it. But just as we are trying hard to reverse the stigma of talking openly about, say, depression, I think weContinue reading “Emotions in Academia, Part 3: Anger”

If you are a regular reader of Dire Ed, you’ll know that I am deeply cynical and generally pessimistic about the sad state of affairs that is academia. There is so much to critique about the modern university (hence this web-zine), but how about we all put those critiques aside for now and focus, justContinue reading “Emotions in Academia, Part 2: Happiness”

We could all benefit from taking some time and creating some space to reflect on our emotions and how they might be related to our work as academics. For this reason, I’ve decided to write this series of articles dedicated to unpacking the role of emotions in academia. This first article in the Dire EdContinue reading “Emotions in Academia, Part 1: Compassion”

Early career researchers (ECRs), including graduate students, post-docs, and assistant professors, dream of tenure as though it were the end-all, be-all of an academic career. As they toil away in the field, in the lab, or in the classroom, they fantasize about that elusive “a job for life.” They idolize tenured professors and seek toContinue reading “Why Tenure Will Not Protect You”

I am of the opinion that the peer review system, as it currently stands, is unsustainable. I say this as an author, a reviewer, and an exasperated editor. Maybe it worked at one time, but not anymore. What changed? First of all, the enterprise of peer reviewed research has grown exponentially over the last fewContinue reading “Alternatives to Peer Review: Is There a Better Way?”

For better or for worse, I’m a Professor of Human Resource Management, which means I know a thing or two about how to be successful in a job search. In fact, this is one of my areas of research. I’ve written a lot on recruitment and selection in general, but, perhaps even more importantly, I’veContinue reading “10 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make in an Academic Job Search”