@Ioseb Masurashvili, @Segun Michael Abegunde

Thank you very much of your answers. I would like to answer quickly becuase it is important to know for all interested readers of the question that the answer - yes or no - is in my intention not connected with a moral force to answer in the one or the other direction. Indeed, there can exis reasons that somebody says: It is my first aim to become an university teacher. I know that I have to fullfil the requirements of career, and that means highly valuable research, but my heart feels that I Ilke to teach successfully, and it is my interest that my students and co-workers learn my abilites. The handycroft of research methods belongs to the whole packet of qualifications, but it is not my personal interest. I have confidence in my doctoral candidates, I am ready to give advice and at the end to give just judgements, but my own interest is didactis and teaching.

I think it is allowed to think in this way. This is only one example that it is possible to answer the question in a very individual kind.

Thanks vor your interest, Hein

Dear Professor

I can not agree more with your point of view. Today, the pressure on authors to publish (publish or perish) makes them want to release the maximum amount of research in the shortest period possible. I think tht the best way to solve this is to invent an approiate measure that evaluates research based on quality rather than quantity. Researchers love numerical measures for their quantitative and objective performance. Until that happens, we will need to exeert lots of efforts to differentiate good and bad research.

Kind Regards

@Abdelrahman Ibrahim Abushouk

Dear Colleague, perhaps my question there is reason for a misunderstanding, I apologise - if that is the case.

1) I asked a question that can be answered with reasons by saying yes or no. You didn't answer it, but said that you didn't agree with my position.

2. i appreciate RG as a communication medium, but i don't like the stress of constantly asking RG users in blue symbols to publish something new. I believe that the ethics of research have other standards which are not supported by such tendencies of pressure.

3. Of course I respect your answer and thank you for getting it so quickly.

Kind regards, Hein Retter

Supplements:

I know, it is excellent to think that something should be invented that makes it possible to distinguish between good and bad research. But do you really believe that such an "invention" falls from heaven onto our tables overnight and is realistic? I don't believe this at all. Even if we leave aside the flourishing fake industry for our argumentation, the development of quantitative measures, rartings and rankings, for the evaluation of publication organs is not without dark sides: One "expert" confirms the other - "truth" in itself no longer exists.

People only hang on to rankings and Qus.

This is exactly what can be considered problematic, because they are the only criteria for the concept of truth. I know highly esteemed colleagues, they tell me that their work as a reviewer of young scientists' doctorates and careers, you no longer have to read the articles written by the caniddates; you must only see what place the journal in which these articles were written has in the ranking.

This is a practiice which rememberrs on Aldous Huxley's Brave, New World, the science fiction novel, written in 1932.

Dear Prof. Hein Retter, in my candid opinion, i will say NO. Nothing wrong and it is not dishonourable to think of a career as scientist. Every work comes with ethics if the ethics will be follow to later. Unfortunately, those involve in the act of predatory journals, fake conferences, even fake online courses, etc are not visible, they are not real and not actually belong to the field so we should not consider them to judge a honourable career. Unfurtuately, people fall into the trap especially at early stages of their career due to lack of good mentorship. While some lazy types continue to dine with them even at advance stage.

@Ioseb Masurashvili, @Segun Michael Abegunde

Thank you very much of your answers. I would like to answer quickly becuase it is important to know for all interested readers of the question that the answer - yes or no - is in my intention not connected with a moral force to answer in the one or the other direction. Indeed, there can exis reasons that somebody says: It is my first aim to become an university teacher. I know that I have to fullfil the requirements of career, and that means highly valuable research, but my heart feels that I Ilke to teach successfully, and it is my interest that my students and co-workers learn my abilites. The handycroft of research methods belongs to the whole packet of qualifications, but it is not my personal interest. I have confidence in my doctoral candidates, I am ready to give advice and at the end to give just judgements, but my own interest is didactis and teaching.

I think it is allowed to think in this way. This is only one example that it is possible to answer the question in a very individual kind.

Thanks vor your interest, Hein

hi. in my opinion, as a university professor, we should be able to do research appropriately. however, a hot issue is increasing the number of articles to seem more prestigous and informative. here, we have to sacrifice quality. instead of spending a long time on a project with different facets, we do our best to finish it and go to the next one. unfortunately, it is the reality of scientific world. more studies represent the quality of a professor.best

Is it dishonorable to think of a career as a scientist and only secondarily of good research results?

Yes!

Hi Dr . Retter,

I do not see a contradiction between good teaching and doing a good research. Both are needed in the academia. Actually it depends on the type of institution where one is working. There are colleges where the career advancement depends mainly on good teaching abilities, but in a university, both capabilities, the teaching and the research, are important. Actually, in every career course there are functions that you like to perform, and those that are basic requirements of the job. If one intends to advance in a career, he has to accomplish both.

Avishag Gordon

@Ioseb Masurashvili

@Nazia Asad

@Farangis Shahidzade

@Mahesh Kumar

I think that a question we ask in RG not only concerns its value in terms of content, but also generates a certain range of opinions. I am therefore pleased that we are exchanging different arguments based on focusing on different aspects of the issue. I attended a teacher training college after school and was a little disappointed with the level of the lecturers. These were mostly old elementary school teachers who became teachers in teacher training after completing a doctorate. All right, I listened to this and thought, strangely enough, there must still be lecturers who have a higher level of teaching. Then also someone came, that was a young man, who had just come from America from a research stay, it was at that time the only full professor at this teacher training college. And he gave a good lecture in education. I was shocked that there are also good lecturers, went to his office and asked him: What should I do? I want to be who you are! He was confused for a moment because at that time in Germany you could only become a teacher at a teacher training college, there was still no right to habilitation and doctorate. Anyway, I became that 10 years later by first studying experimental psychology at the university. You learn empirical research methods, statistics, etc. In discussions as a student and later as an assistant, I experienced that a clear awareness of empirical methods is rare in education, so I became an educationalist. Probably the desire to pursue a certain career was much more important than the question of the quality of my teaching. For many decades I have always held my lectures in such a way that I wanted to interest the audience in the importance of research - of course, as future teachers they also had to learn their normal handicraft in teaching, but they learned that from my staff.

So the question I asked was indeed answered differently. However, the question is quite complex and each of them may choose a different aspect for their own answer. Thank you, all.

Yes

Everyone has a level of ability he or she as a scientist should work up to and beyond if one is able.

@Dennis Mazur

I can fully support that answer. It expresses a moral claim and is modest at the same time. I agree. Greetings, Hein

Academic 'Ethics' refers to 'Right' and 'Wrong' is answer of question

Thank you, we take note ot this.

Hein Retter

Yes

Dear Colleagues,

Without being able to answer every single one of you, I would like to thank everyone who has dealt with my question. The vast majority of you answered yes to the question. Who did so is convinced that it is dishonourable to think first of careers and only second of good results. It was foreseeable. I also find this answer entirely in line with international scientific ethics.

But a few very few did not agree or said: It depends! And I myself belong to this minority if I'm to give an honest answer. Because I know that when I had the chance to become a scientist, I only thought about being successful with my application. I was taken and immediately after my studies I became an assistant at another university. I have grown into the scientific world and have noticed that in science (at least in all cultural sciences, from philosophy to the social sciences) the chance is increased that others will regard my work as a good result by confirming official doctrines. That's what I did at first. And then I doubted. Who determines whether the results of my research are good? It's not the results that can determine that, but other scientists can. That bothered me. I therefore found it particularly interesting not to think of a good result and to expect confirmation of it from others, but to try to contradict the existing doctrines with the best possible arguments. Others didn't like that at all, especially when I criticized their results or interpretations. So I don't want to completely deny the question asked but agree with a minority vote on this thread: It depends!

"Do not be afraid of the path of truth because of the few who walk it."