How Long is Too Long?

Benchfly's Alan Marnett is wondering if publishing in "top-tier" journals has lost its appeal if it means having to do a postdoc for six years. Is it better to finish in three years with papers in "average" publications, he asks? "Unfortunately, there's no formula for knowing when a project is ready for publication. As a result, many people hold their data for years, chasing the one or two experimental results that will enable publication, they hope, in a top-tier journal," he says. But what happens if those results never come? How many years of research does it take before the harm of waiting for that top-tier publication outweighs the benefit of getting it, Marnett asks. Go to Benchfly to participate in the poll. So far, the turning point for 48 percent of poll respondents is four years. Daily Scan wants to know, how long would you wait?