A Citation Is To A Greater Extent Than Than A Like

And it's worth hundreds of dollars

Exactly i twelvemonth ago, 19,000 people gathered at the Wenceslaus Square inward Prague in addition to demanded the resignation of Andrej Babiš, therefore Czechia's finance government minister in addition to similar a shot the prime number government minister without confidence, who had exactly been shown to receive got committed several immoral in addition to illegal acts.

Babiš responded past times maxim that it was a ludicrously modest group. After all, he had exactly posted a self-congratulatory text on Facebook (well, his PR guy Mr Marek Prchal did it for him because Babiš himself doesn't fifty-fifty know how to comport upon or caress a computer) in addition to he obtained the same (?) break of 15,000 "likes" from his fans!

This answer became i of the frequently quoted examples of his arrogance in addition to detachment from reality. To "like" his text takes less than a minute – a unmarried click – spell you lot receive got to reserve several hours (and mayhap pay for the shipping etc.) to attend a rally. Only a lunatic or a hardcore demagogue could claim that these 2 expressions of sympathy are "equivalent" (Babiš is both, particularly the latter).




Tetragraviton mentioned something similar, from the globe of science. Nadav Drukker – whom I know rather good – was talking close a political party where he explained the concept of citations to a non-science lady. He estimated that an average newspaper gets 50 citations (well, I would guess that it's already a improve than average newspaper if it has reached 50) in addition to the lady was stunned: Just fifty? I got much to a greater extent than for a LOLcat. Physicists must endure losers.




Well, equally Tetragraviton correctly says, her getting many to a greater extent than likes for a LOLcat than the break of citations of a physicist's newspaper doesn't test that physicists are losers inward comparing alongside the spammers who betray their friends' trust past times spreading Internet banalities (thanks, Sheldon). The argue is that a citation is much harder – in addition to requires to a greater extent than travel in addition to investment of one's goodness cry – than a "like" on Facebook.

When a physicist writes a paper, he may receive got to reserve approximately 50-100 days for the travel – although the inquiry made for that newspaper isn't the exclusively affair he's doing at that time. And the resulting newspaper may receive got approximately 50 spots for references to older papers inward average (there are no quotas, however). It agency that if you lot accept my numbers seriously, i citation represents 1-2 days of the travel past times the writer of the novel paper! It's a lot. You sure enough pass much less fourth dimension past times a "like" – in addition to you lot may easily "like" tens of thousands of posts or tweets a day.

The overall break of citations is the simplest i amid the "good enough" criteria that may endure used to charge per unit of measurement the contribution past times a scientist to the land of physics. The theoretical physics superstar Edward Witten has over 130,000 citations. Because he's been doing physics for decades, was getting a pretty goodness salary, approximately $3 meg prizes on tiptop of that, addition other things, it may endure OK to gauge that he has earned $13 million. I am certain that approximately people receive got a improve sentiment but an order-of-magnitude gauge is OK.

That's $13 meg for 130,000 citations – close $100 per citation. In fact, past times this ratio, Witten's project belongs amid the cheapest ones. His terms of a unmarried citation may endure lower than the terms of a citation amid approximately goodness people inward Bharat – in addition to believe me, Indians receive got an amazing production of scientific discipline per dollar that is invested into them.

In fact, if a billionaire searches for approximately people who powerfulness endure encouraged to produce to a greater extent than impressive inquiry for an extra buck, approximately underfunded in addition to relatively unknown somebody somewhere, he may real good goal upward alongside Edward Witten afterwards approximately inquiry of the marketplace conditions. ;-) I retrieve that for to a greater extent than typical people, the terms of a unmarried citation is several hundred dollars, non $100. I invite the people paid for physics inquiry to calculate their ratio – in addition to if they goal upward alongside to a greater extent than than $1,000 per citation, they should endure silently ashamed.

So a citation is worth hundreds of dollars, in addition to is equivalent to 1-2 days of the travel past times a theoretical physicist. It's no coincidence that the salary for 1-2 days ends upward beingness several hundred dollars, too. You truly shouldn't compare it to a "like" on Facebook or Twitter. It's harder to meaningfully cite someone – because you lot truly purpose his work, in addition to you lot purpose the things from a previous newspaper spell writing a novel newspaper during 1-2 days inward average. Also, the citation to an older newspaper agency that the novel writer course of teaching of claims that he takes the responsibleness for claiming that the older newspaper isn't approximately completely incorrect or worthless garbage. And no i wants to receive got regular papers alongside to a greater extent than than "hundreds" of references inward them because it looks stupid – or it looks similar an attempt to befriend or bribe also many people.

On the other hand, "likes" on Facebook – similar those nether the posts signed past times Babiš (who didn't write them) – may endure automatized. H5N1 figurer plan may add together "likes" to many places. H5N1 random bunch of 1.5 meg brain-dead Internet users (I picked Babiš's voters to receive got a specific instance inward mind) may mindlessly click at "like" whenever Babiš's figurer in addition to P.R. guru Mr Prchal writes anything, too. So such "likes" are basically worthless most of the fourth dimension – much similar a typical email message that ends inward your spam folder.

The lady who was shocked past times Nadav's data close the break of citations equally good equally Andrej Babiš stand upward for remarkably unreasonable people who are laid upward to position things that can't endure considered equivalent past times whatsoever stretch of imagination. But approximately people may exactly "like" equality – including the equivalence of things that are completely incomparable. These people are basically incapable – or pretend to endure incapable – of distinguishing aureate in addition to šit. Well, this fact has a uncomplicated argue inward the instance of Babiš: he earned his starting fourth dimension aureate (his starting fourth dimension billions of crowns) past times trading šit – I hateful it literally – in addition to equally a politician, he has based his success on collecting šit on the street – hither I am metaphorically talking close his voter base of operations that is beingness bought past times the cheapest slogans you lot may imagine.

But at that spot are lots of other people similar Drukker's woman somebody companion at the political party who exactly don't receive got whatsoever abide by towards scientific discipline or anything that is hard – in addition to who volition ever tell you lot that these hard things that depend on lots of talent, hard work, expertise, integrity, in addition to patience are equivalent to their generic šit that is "also" measured inward approximately units.