1M Khurana1yTwo chapters spring to mind - for different reasons!
The very first chapter, “Citations as Currency", was probably the most fun to
write, mostly because friends and colleagues that have read it can identify with
the themes. The chapter is concerned with how researchers attempt to accumulate
‘scientific capital’ by publishing papers and getting citations, but this ends
up distorting the types of research projects we choose to pursue. I enjoyed the
colleagues telling me: “yes, this is exactly how I feel!” – validating that this
really is an issue.
Chapter 15, “Death of a Star // New Kids on the Block”, was also fun to write!
It’s concerned with how intergenerational dynamics in scientific teams influence
progress. More concretely, I look at what happens when prestigious research
leaders pass away, who takes over, and the difference between experienced and
younger researchers in their research habits. I didn’t know anything about this
literature prior to researching for the book, so it was an eye-opener!
Which chapter of the book was the most interesting to write?