#15 More and more academic institutions

[smfall13]

Hi Powerscore, would you mind explaining how answer choice A strengthens the argument? Thank you!

[Robert Carroll]

smfall13,

We have to consider why the author thinks that citation analysis will discourage good research. The author claims this is true because scientists seeking to maximize citation counts will avoid multiyear projects, seeking instead short-term projects. Why is that? One idea, and I think this is THE idea behind the author's argument, is that scientists will not engage in multiyear projects because, while they're completing those projects, there's nothing to cite - the research can only be cited when the project is finished. Thus, for years, scientists will be working on something that cannot help pad their citation numbers, and thus citation analysis will undervalue the contributions of those scientists. That argument seems to rely on what I said earlier - there's nothing to cite until the project is finished. If the project's partial results could be cited earlier, then there's much less reasons for scientists to avoid such projects, as those projects would then also offer an opportunity for padding citation numbers. This is why answer choice (A) is good for the argument - research can't get cited until it's completed.

Robert Carroll