Editorial 63: Evaluation of research
The criterion of Albert Szent-Györgyi, Nobel Prize in Physiology: “Research is seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought” can be applied to pure research. Among the major problems of current science we can include the quality of research and the quality of research publications.
There is a perception, increasingly widespread among veterinarians and professionals (Animal husbandry, agricultural technicians and poultry technicians) that the research and publications are not enough or useless and do not help them to make decisions not propose efficient protocols for work. Clinical research should be focused on Improving health, animal welfare and production parameters of poultry or livestock farms and the quality and safety of food produced.
Unfortunately professors and students are valued or even, in some countries are required to minimum number of annual publications in certain magazines. This means it can be reached discriminate positively to publish more than publish quality information.
On the other hand while analyzing a cause-effect relationship between microorganisms isolated in diseases and pathogenicity of them is concluded that easily less than 10% of microorganisms isolated meet postulates of Koch. This makes many of pharmacological and immunological work useless to provide utility in its application since the effect of the pathogen is related to non-members (genetics, environment and nutrition) and not the efficacy of the drug or vaccine proposed.
Hence many of the researches that are conducted cause persona sacrifice, time, financial resources and provide little value to users (technicians and producers) no economic losses, and discouraged to see the chronic problems promised to be solved.
The rigorous application of the scientific method in research, publications multidisciplinary review and impact assessment of results in health, animal welfare and efficiency are three paths to improve the perception that technicians and producers have the current veterinary research.
In an economic cycle, like the present, characterized by limited resources rationalize we Should research in veterinary science and invest in projects that allow think, that no one previously thought, even if many have seen and confused with normal ones.