this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] BertramDitore@lemmy.zip 196 points 1 day ago (7 children)

In grad school I remember being encouraged to submit a paper to a journal that would have charged me a few hundred dollars to put it in for peer review, and I told my advisor no, I needed to buy groceries, I would not throw my money away for an extra line on my CV. He got all flustered and it was a great example of why higher education is so fucked. My advisor, who ostensibly understood my background and means, could not understand how such a relatively small fee would be so prohibitive. He was incapable of understanding that I was essentially unemployed while enrolled as his grad student, and every dollar of funding went to bare essentials so I could continue breathing. He had access to discretionary funds for this exact kind of issue (I found out later), and didn’t think to offer.

Without independent wealth and deep personal connections it’s incredibly difficult to succeed in academia, regardless of the quality of your research.

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 50 points 23 hours ago

I got lucky in that my publication was through a journal that doesn't charge money for access or submissions. It's part of our professional organization and our annual membership fees cover the journal's expenses.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 27 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (2 children)

Without independent wealth and deep personal connections it’s incredibly difficult to succeed in academia, regardless of the quality of your research.

Always has been, ~~why do you think he's called SIR Isaac Newton?~~

EDIT : Turns out his knighthood was afterwards, but he did have connections. There are several examples of science being the domain of already rich people.

[–] baltakatei@sopuli.xyz 10 points 21 hours ago (1 children)
  • Neils Bohr, from a Jewish/Danish banking family.
  • James Clark Maxwell inherited land and wealth in Scotland.
  • Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz… look at the size of the wig on the man!
[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 8 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Also, Newton was not born with the connection, he made them in Grantham. He had a very strained relationship with his mother and step father and was raised by his grandmother.

[–] Skullgrid@lemmy.world 5 points 20 hours ago

I was talking about his uncle that gave him an in for University

His uncle the Reverend William Ayscough, who had studied at Cambridge, recommended him to the university.

But I just read that shit off wikipedia so, I'm no scholar. 🤷

[–] oppy1984@lemdro.id 19 points 20 hours ago (3 children)

Really needs to be a wikipedia style service for academic papers.

[–] JohnSmith@feddit.uk 14 points 19 hours ago (1 children)
[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 47 minutes ago

PLOS is a for not for profit corporation. The gatekeepers at PLOS are on Editorial boards and acting like they would at any other journal. Executives make over $300K a year each.

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 11 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

In grad school your institution should be paying for fees like that. If the school itself isn't paying, then doesn't the supervisor have a grant they can file it under?

[–] princessnorah@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 4 hours ago

Did we not read the same comment? The advisor did have funding for that sort of thing and just plain didn't offer. Maybe he wanted to have a big pizza party or something ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] Jason2357@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Uuhh, beyond the fucked up publishing system, your advisor was a self destructive dick. It was his job to pay that. His lab and career benefit and hes the one that gets funding for research operations.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 53 minutes ago

your advisor was a self destructive dick

He was likely an unfunded loser who could not even get a grant to cover page charges.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 0 points 54 minutes ago (1 children)

My advisor, who ostensibly understood my background and means, could not understand how such a relatively small fee would be so prohibitive.

No advisor expects a student to pay publication charges. My lab pays about $10,000/yr into this racket.

[–] BertramDitore@lemmy.zip 1 points 35 minutes ago

I don’t know what to tell you. Your experiences are your own, and I’m glad your lab takes care of you.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca -1 points 45 minutes ago

Without independent wealth and deep personal connections it’s incredibly difficult to succeed in academia, regardless of the quality of your research.

oh bullshit.