The desk fallacy: why science doesn't fit on a rigid marker clock
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32480/rscp.2026.e3123Keywords:
insercion , flexibilidad , capital humanoAbstract
To the Editor:
I would like to share some thoughts on a practice that, while seemingly administrative and neutral, raises a fundamental question for those of us in research: can scientific work be measured by a time clock?
The current system appears to assume, rather too casually, that a scientist's value and productivity are proportional to the hours spent sitting at a desk, Monday through Friday. While this logic may suit certain employment models, it hardly reflects the true nature of scientific work.
The point is not to question responsibility, the fulfillment of obligations, or the need for institutional organization of work. Rather, it is to recognize that physical presence and intellectual work are not necessarily equivalent.
Downloads
References
1. Sharma P, Chadha L, Kaur R, Arya I. Time Management and Work-Life Balance: A New Academic Paradigm. Int J Prev Med. 2025;16:80. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_146_25
2. Ujma PP, Baudson TG, Bódizs R, Dresler M. The relationship between chronotype and intelligence: the importance of work timing. Sci Rep. 2020;10. Disponible en: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-62917-9
3. Gragnano A, Simbula S, Miglioretti M. Work–life balance: weighing the importance of work–family and work–health balance. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17. Disponible en: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/3/907
4. Kaplow L, Shavell S. Chapter 25 Economic analysis of law. Handbook of Public Economics. 2002;3:1661–1784. . Disponible en: https://econpapers.repec.org/bookchap/eeepubchp/3-25.htm
5. Karadag E, Ciftci SK. Why research productivity of some scientists is higher? Effects of social, economic and cultural capital on research productivity. Heliyon. 2023;9:e18762. Disponible en: https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(23)05970-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2405844023059704%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
6. Henry C, Md Ghani NA, Hamid UMA, Bakar AN. Factors contributing towards research productivity in higher education. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education. 2020;9(1):203–211. Disponible en: https://ijere.iaescore.com/index.php/IJERE/article/view/20420
7. Davidovitch N, Cohen E. Administrative roles in academia—potential clash with research output and teaching quality? Cogent Education. 2024;11(1). Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2357914
8. Coronel-Oliveros C, Migeot J, Lehue F, Amoruso L, Kowalczyk-Grębska N, Jakubowska N, et al. Creative experiences and brain clocks. Nature Communications. 2025;16(1):8336. Disponible en: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64173-9
9. Tan E. Human Capital Theory: A Holistic Criticism. Rev Educ Res. 2014;84:411–445. Disponible en: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24434243
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de la Sociedad Científica del Paraguay
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
El/los autores autorizan a la Revista de la Sociedad Científica del Paraguay a publicar y difundir el articulo del cual son autores, por los medios que considere apropiado.
