Hypercompetition in biomedical research evaluation and its impact on young scientist careers Authors Shina Caroline Lynn Kamerlin Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Keywords: biomedical publications, excellence evaluation, research competition, young scientists careers, information overload Abstract Recent years have seen tremendous changes in the modes of publication and dissemination of biomedical information, with the introduction of countless new publishers and publishing models, as well as alternative modes of research evaluation. In parallel, we are witnessing an unsustainable explosion in the amount of information generated by each individual scientist, at the same time as many countries’ shrinking research budgets are greatly increasing the competition for research funding. In such a hypercompetitive environment, how does one measure excellence? This contribution will provide an overview of some of the ongoing changes in authorship practices in the biomedical sciences, and also the consequences of hypercompetition to the careers of young scientists, from the perspective of a tenured young faculty member in the biomedical sciences. It will also provide some suggestions as to alternate dissemination and evaluation practices that could reverse current trends. [Int Microbiol 18(4):253-261 (2015)]Keywords: biomedical publications · excellence evaluation· research competition · young scientists careers · information overload Downloads PDF Issue Vol. 18 No. 4 (2015) Section Perspectives License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.
