Let’s focus on the research process, not the outputs

The outsized importance of publications has meant too many research students focus on featuring papers in prestigous journals, despite having success in doing so feeling like something of a lottery. To Mattias Björnmalm, a strong focus on the research output instead of the research process is detrimental to research itself. Research is about increasing our understanding of the world and helping to solve problems. At its best and most effective, this is a collaborative endeavour leveraging diverse skills and experiences. Ensuring we focus our definition of success around valuable contributions — instead of around the final output — would recognise and reward good research and researchers.