An author recently sent me a note asking me to endorse or promote their paper.
I was puzzled.
I don’t know the author very well & the paper appeared in a lightly edited journal (e.g., I’m not sure it was vigorously vetted).
I was really bothered because the paper has strong prescriptive & normative implications for what is good research.
So, I sent a polite response & opted not to share it.
I mentioned this decision to a friend. We had an exchange about what it would take for me to endorse a paper.
On the one hand, I rarely post about academic papers. I tightly focus my feed on academic life - from my point of view.
This is a deliberate choice, bc I’m not out to be an academic kingmaker.
On the other hand, I de facto endorse papers that I manage in the peer review process, when my name as an editor appears at the beginning or end of a paper.
I’ll even post a link to it, bc I believe the paper is pretty good. Having accepted it, I think it’s important to stand behind the paper’s quality.
But the request & conversation made me think more about when to endorse a paper.
This is important bc in a world of digital traces, your endorsements become part of your digital portmanteau - eg, how you are perceived.
What to consider?
First, are you sharing a paper in public or private?
Posting a paper is great to an online audience should be done with caution.
Unless you have read it carefully, and know the authors, I would really think about endorsing the paper.
If it is in private, it’s less problematic.
When sharing note how well you know the paper & offer a boundary condition or two (eg, is this interesting?).
Second, are you sharing an opinion? A report? A method? Or a research paper?
Opinion pieces should be read carefully before sharing. Authors often slip in gems that only a careful reader will notice. Those gems can get you in trouble.
A report usually summarizes a non-scientific study by a company or association. Often, they are based on weak or summary evidence.
Note my comment on gems above - reports are usually written to promote a worldview that aligns with the authors - make sure the report reflects your worldview.
A method paper describes an advance that discredits or shows the utility of an analytic approach. Everyone knows this is a rapidly moving space. So try to share current papers. If not, call it a classic.
A research paper reports analysis of data or a concept. While the results are bound by time, it’s helpful to say why you endorse it; even if it’s just because your friend wrote it.
Third, is it an endorsement or a congratulations?
Endorsement implies that you agree. This should be done carefully.
Congrats or likes are simpler. It’s celebrating someone’s success.
Am I overthinking? Perhaps.
But. how we present ourselves & our thoughts online now receives scrutiny, esp. on the job market. it’s good to take care to think through who and what you endorse.
Best of luck.
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