From: mk_thisisit
The Polish scientific assessment system, often referred to as the “point system,” has faced significant criticism for its detrimental impact on the quality of scientific work in Poland [00:00:00], [05:51:00]. This system assigns points to scientists based on their published articles, with each journal title having a predetermined score [05:19:21], [05:25:00].
Flaws of the Point System
A major pathology of the Polish system is the arbitrary and often random assignment of points [05:32:00], [05:34:00], [05:36:00]. This leads to absurd situations where globally recognized, high-impact journals like Science or Nature receive the same number of points as niche Polish publications of questionable quality, some even publishing only in Polish [08:39:00], [09:13:00], [09:18:00].
Professor Marta Kwiatkowska of Oxford University highlights that in Western systems, achievements are assessed based on success at the best conferences and results in top journals, without point lists [07:55:00], [08:00:00].
The point system fosters a focus on quantity over quality, encouraging scientists to publish as many papers as possible to accumulate points for scholarships and career development [06:06:00], [06:09:00], [06:11:00]. This has led to “pointless discussions” among younger colleagues about where to send papers to maximize points, rather than focusing on scientific discourse [06:22:00], [06:26:00].
The “Trolling” Experiment
As a protest against this system, a Polish professor conducted an “experiment” (though he cannot use that word) where he sent a series of nonsensical articles to several highly-rated scientific journals on the Ministry of Science’s list, including top-tier international ones [00:27:00], [00:40:00], [01:09:00], [01:17:00], [01:46:00].
Examples of these articles included “a hobby of young Karol Wojtyla about collecting matches” and “the influence of Catholic radio broadcasts on the moral attitudes of young people” [02:01:00], [02:09:00]. Shockingly, several of these articles were accepted for printing, seemingly after “serious reviews,” despite being written haphazardly and with carelessly selected bibliographies [01:48:00], [01:51:00], [04:47:00], [01:09:00]. The articles were not even linguistically correct [04:56:00].
The authors’ qualifications (a chemist and musicologist with a theoretical physics doctorate and an economics master’s) were verified and deemed appropriate for writing on history and theology [03:06:00], [04:11:00], [03:20:00]. Internet users calculated that if reported, these articles would have yielded approximately 660 points [02:37:00]. This “fictitious” work took only a few weeks to complete, in contrast to the several years required for serious theoretical or experimental research [03:04:00], [02:47:00]. The situation was widely reported by Polish media due to its comical and exotic nature [04:33:00], [04:36:00], [04:39:00].
Consequences of the Point System
The current system has several negative consequences for Polish science:
- Decline in Quality: Many scientists opt to publish in small, weak, niche journals because they count the same towards achievements as publications in top global journals, leading to a sharp decline in the quality of science practiced in Poland [11:00:00], [11:05:00], [11:10:00], [11:12:00].
- Proliferation of Low-Quality Papers: It is now common for Polish scientists to publish 100-200 papers in two to three years, an amount physically impossible to write or even proofread, especially for those with teaching or administrative duties [11:23:00], [11:26:00], [11:27:00], [11:30:00], [11:45:00], [11:55:00], [12:03:00].
- “Paper Mills”: So-called “papers” or groups of scientists agree to send very similar articles en masse to little-known publishing houses, often citing each other [12:48:00], [12:51:00], [12:56:00], [12:59:00], [13:02:00]. These publishers often accept anything for a fee, with minimal editorial control or review, yet score highly in Poland [13:06:00], [13:09:00], [13:14:00], [13:21:00], [13:38:00].
- Frustration and Disappointment: The system can be a source of frustration and disappointment for dedicated scientists [09:37:00], [09:41:00].
- Isolation of Polish Science: Equating top international journals with those publishing “any nonsense” is unfair and discourages Polish scientists from participating in the international environment, which is crucial for the free exchange of ideas, data, and research [10:17:00], [10:20:00], [10:40:00], [10:51:00], [10:54:00]. There is no such thing as “national science” except in historical totalitarian regimes [10:07:00].
- Lack of Public Interest: There is a general decline in public interest in science, possibly exacerbated by the education system killing interest in science by focusing on rote learning instead of practical application [21:10:00], [21:17:00], [22:31:00], [22:46:00].
- Reduced Popularization Efforts: The pressure to accumulate points leaves scientists with less time for popularizing science and engaging with the public [24:32:00], [24:34:00], [24:36:00].
Towards Change
There are signs of change, with the Minister of Science expressing a desire to transform the system [00:30:00], [03:00:00]. The Minister acknowledges that the current evaluation system is flawed and that voices for change are strong across academic centers [26:10:00], [26:12:00], [26:15:00].
Future changes may involve amendments to the Higher Education Act, focusing on evaluating the commercialization and internationalization potential of projects, rather than just points [14:41:00], [14:44:00], [26:32:00], [26:35:00], [26:40:00]. The Minister criticizes points for patents, arguing that only patent implementation should be evaluated, as 90% of patents currently registered are merely “reinventing the wheel” to gain points [26:55:00], [26:58:00], [27:00:00], [27:02:00], [27:08:00].
The ministry plans to establish a Department of Innovation to promote and commercialize scientific achievements [28:02:00], [28:04:00], [28:06:00], [28:09:00], [29:29:00], [29:32:00], [29:35:00]. This also involves encouraging cooperation between institutes and universities to effectively utilize existing equipment and conduct an inventory of national scientific resources [32:44:00], [32:46:00], [32:49:00], [33:32:00], [33:35:00], [33:38:00].
The challenge of evaluating scientists’ work remains complex, with no easy solution [17:39:00]. While international bibliometric systems exist, relying solely on journal prestige can be misleading, as even good journals can publish flawed work, and diverse fields of science cannot be compared on the same scale [16:25:00], [16:59:00], [15:21:00], [15:30:00], [15:36:00].