Is anyone else an academic who has not produced enough research while having kids and is now in the s***?

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

There are lots of academics on MN, just wondering if there is anyone else in my position.

Am pg with 3rd dc in 5 years. Have had hyperemesis and other problems in all 3 pgs, which on top of 2 maternity leaves means heaps of time off work. In the meantime I have completely lost research momentum and produced sod all apart from a few book reviews. I was not submitted for RAE (though fortunately my dept did very well without me so none of my colleagues are holding it against me personally.)
Every time I come back it takes me all my time to get back up to speed with teaching and admin, get on top of all the changes in my field etc, and I only ever seem to make baby steps towards producing anything before I am sick or pregnant again.
Just had uncomfortable meeting with (supportive) HoD at which she broke news to me that I am about to get a scary letter from Personnel and a process is going to start which will probably include ritual disembowelling/change to a teaching only contract if I don't get something submitted before baby is due. Which would be fine as long as the foetus behaves and sickness holds off - am only just back at work after 2 months off with HG.

Serves me right for having children, doesn't it?

I would like to publish in 'Most Prestigious and Respected Journal In The Field' - it sounds like an excellent journal!

I think Sokal already did something of that ilk en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_affair

Those are all hoax papers in real journals though aren't they?

LOL @ 'Mahmood Alam, Bentham?s director of publications, told New Scientist: "In this particular case, we were aware that the article submitted was a hoax and we tried to find out the identity of the individual by pretending the article had been accepted for publication when in fact it was not."'

Well done Porncocktail!

Can I say what my next target is so I can report on progress towards it? I have got to write a paper for a journal which the PhD students in the dept edit; I have been thoroughly told off by former HoD for agreeing to do this rather than writing a paper for a 'proper' journal, but the idea is that it is going to be a stepping stone for me towards doing a fuller version of it for a more REFable journal. It absolutely has to be done before the end of Sept when I go on mat leave, but ideally I want to do it as quickly as possible so I can say 'look, it didn't stop me doing other stuff.'

I hadn't thought of that Porn - I can see the logic .
I will definitely mull it over. My main reason for wanting to start with the paper for the PhD students was the confidence/perfectionism thing - I won't have the option of being too perfectionist to ever submit it because they will be on my case asking for it; also they will definitely (unless it is outrageously bad) publish it so there isn't the risk of doing lots of work with nothing to show for it at all.
I think as it develops I'll see how long it looks like it wants to be and consider doing the fuller version - I guess if it gets rejected by a proper journal this time round I can always come back to it after mat leave.

I've got 2 weeks to do one of those kathy. Thinking of preying - if it wasn't about evolution

Just been catching up and have just had a thought - this may be a really really obvious question, but can I get my personal RAE result? I was submitted in the last one but I don't actually work in the dept I was submitted in (bit of a complex situation - if we get a private space will explain, but otherwise would identify me too much), so if the dept get the detail I haven't had it. Should I be able to ask the HoD 'so tell me if my book was 2* or 3' etc?' Or does no-one get told that?

Jeez, I seriously DO hope 45 is not too late

I don't think you can be told Hermione - however, it might be that HoDs have the info but aren't meant to reveal it?

I don't think that HoDs know either. Which means that their post-RAE strategies are mostly based on guesswork.

In a way it would be better if we knew, as it is it sometimes feels like the blind leading the blind.

We had a 'mock RAE' before submission and were allowed to find out what we had scored. But again that was just guesswork on senior management's part, and we were told lots of contradictory things e.g.

• it doesn't matter where you publish, the panel will read every word religiously and make a judgment based on quality.

vs

• you must publish in the top journals.

Yes, I think that is the line they will be pushing this time!

I have one or two under-confident friends who I suspect would benefit hugely from knowing - ie if the dept's output was rated 80% national and 20% sub-national they assume they were the 20% when actually they probably weren't. But the possibilities re bullying etc of less high-rated staff would be too awful to contemplate, so it's probably better overall not to be told.

You wouldn't know how your book was rated though would you?
Also, if you were submitted through another department (as many of my colleagues were, like Hermione) your subject's priorities may not be the same as those of the panel in which you were submitted IYSWIM.