The Second Coming in Academia

This is a parody of W.B. Yeats' 'The Second Coming'.

Churning and churning academic papers

In predatory mills and conferences

The researcher cannot hear their research;

Standards fall apart; integrity cannot hold

And sheer shoddiness is loosed upon the world,

The race for ranks and metrics is loosed, and (everywhere)

Slow and quality research are drowned;

The best lack (all) the resources and funding, while the worst

Are full of pretentious knowledge.

Surely there’s something happening

Surely things will be better

Things will be better! Just when we think that,

A vast image of the publication industry

Troubles our sight: that gate-keeps knowledge,

Charging heftily just to read something, without

Paying the authors, reviewers and editors.

Things get worse; but now we know that AI is misused;

And (some) academic institutions are ableist, unbothered by

plagiarism, gift authorship, and retractions.

What forms of resistance can honest academics engage with,

Before more dangerous forms of misconduct are born?

PsychArt by Chetan