Nathan,

I plan to address those concerns on the appropriate list.  It's a public
list.  I'm drafting an email at the moment.  If you're interested in wiki
research, I encourage you to sign up to wiki-research-l.  It's relatively
low traffic for anyone used to wikimedia-l.

-Aaron


On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 8:01 AM, Nathan <nawr...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Aaron,
>
> Are you sure that you can't make any kind of substantive reply here on this
> list, for the benefit of people who have been reading about it here but
> aren't subscribed to the wiki-research-l list? I note that you also have
> not addressed any of the concerns either on your talkpage or on the other
> list.
>
> Thanks,
> Nathan
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 10:59 AM, Aaron Halfaker <ahalfa...@wikimedia.org>
> wrote:
>
> > Hey folks,
> >
> > I appreciate your discussion here.  However, you're unlikely to get any
> > participation from actual wiki researchers on wikimedia-l  See
> > wiki-research-l[1], the mailing list for discussions of research.
>  There's
> > a thread referencing this discussion here[2].  I encourage you to
> continue
> > the conversation there.
> >
> > 1. https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wiki-research-l
> > 2.
> >
> http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wiki-research-l/2014-July/003570.html
> >
> > -Aaron
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 4:52 AM, Dariusz Jemielniak <dar...@alk.edu.pl>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > RCOM would perhaps be more active if there were clear terms for
> members?
> > >
> > > best,
> > >
> > > dj
> > >
> > >
> > > On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 12:03 PM, Craig Franklin <
> > > cfrank...@halonetwork.net>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > > I've spent a half hour or so going through this, and it looks like
> > Nathan
> > > > is on the money here.  If RCOM is as inactive as it seems (except
> where
> > > it
> > > > concerns the research of RCOM members) then it is no great surprise
> > that
> > > > external parties eventually try to do an end-run around it.  Unless
> an
> > > > explanation for this inactivity can be provided, I think that in its
> > > > current form RCOM should be disbanded or at least radically retooled,
> > > > because clearly it's not only ineffective, it's also preventing
> > > potentially
> > > > legitimate research from going ahead.
> > > >
> > > > Cheers,
> > > > Craig
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On 17 July 2014 11:06, Nathan <nawr...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > And... unsurprisingly, Aaron has reverted the changes I referred to
> > > > above.
> > > > > Not with any explanation, of course, other than "not true." Looking
> > at
> > > > the
> > > > > list of "reviewed" projects (where the review appears to
> constitute a
> > > > small
> > > > > handful of questions on the talkpage), the RCOM has reviewed a
> total
> > of
> > > > 10
> > > > > projects in its history. I'm excluding the one where Aaron himself
> > is a
> > > > > co-investigator.
> > > > >
> > > > > That might sound like a substantial amount, but in 2013 and 2014
> the
> > > rate
> > > > > so far is 1 (one) per *year*. Meanwhile, the AfD request languished
> > > for 7
> > > > > months without a peep from Aaron or someone on RCOM. Since we're on
> > the
> > > > > subject, let's look at the research index and see what we can see.
> > > > >
> > > > > # There is a "Gender Inequality Index" that has no comments from
> > RCOM,
> > > > > posted a month ago.
> > > > > # We have "Modeling monthly active editors" submitted by Aaron
> > himself.
> > > > > This is worth looking at[1] as evidently an example of what an RCOM
> > > > member
> > > > > considers sufficient description of a research project.
> Specifically,
> > > > > nothing at all.
> > > > > # "Number of books read by WikiWriters" a page written by a high
> > school
> > > > > student that should have been deleted but hasn't been, suggesting
> the
> > > > > submissions may not be closely monitored...
> > > > > # "Use of Wikipedia by doctors" submitted both to RCOM and to IEG
> in
> > > > March,
> > > > > no comment by RCOM.
> > > > > # Chinese Wikivoyage, created in January, no comment by RCOM.
> > > > > # SSAJRP program - extensively documented, posted in October 2013,
> no
> > > > > comment from RCOM and no RCOM liaison. This research is ongoing.
> > > > > # Gender assymetry, posted in September 2013, no comment from RCOM.
> > > > > # Dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, August 2013, no comment or
> > > > > participation from RCOM.
> > > > >
> > > > > I'm sure the list could go on, because the pattern is perfect -
> > > virtually
> > > > > the only projects to get participation from either Dario or Aaron
> are
> > > > those
> > > > > managed by WMF staff members (and most often, Aaron himself is the
> > > > > investigator). But the inactivity of RCOM is not news to the WMF.
> In
> > > > > December of last year, Dario posted to rcom-l [2] that "The
> Research
> > > > > Committee as a group with a fixed membership and a regular meeting
> > > > schedule
> > > > > has been inactive for a very long time." He then stated that
> "...the
> > > > > existence of a fixed-membership group with a recognized authority
> on
> > > any
> > > > > possible matter related to Wikimedia research and associated
> policies
> > > has
> > > > > ceased to be a priority." Another member of RCOM, WMF employee
> > Jonathan
> > > > > Morgan, said in June on meta "I'm not sure what RCOM's mandate is
> > these
> > > > > days." When asked in March how many projects RCOM had actually
> > > approved,
> > > > it
> > > > > took Aaron four months to reply.[3]
> > > > >
> > > > > So it is factually incorrect to suggest in documentation that RCOM
> > > > approval
> > > > > is required for anything; it's clear that RCOM as a body does not
> > > > actually
> > > > > exist. It may be argued that the approval of one of the two
> involved
> > > WMF
> > > > > employees is required. If that's the case, then at least based on
> > > public
> > > > > evidence they have been doing an absolutely woeful job of keeping
> up
> > > with
> > > > > this labor. I'll admit it's possible that all of the communication
> > has
> > > > been
> > > > > via e-mail, and in actuality Aaron and Dario have been very busy
> > > > providing
> > > > > feedback to non-WMF researchers. If that's the case, or of I'm
> > missing
> > > > some
> > > > > other function that RCOM fulfills, I'd love to hear about it.
> > Otherwise
> > > > it
> > > > > appears that RCOM is primarily an obstacle to prevent non-WMF
> > > researchers
> > > > > from conducting research, a strange policy indeed.
> > > > >
> > > > > [1]
> > > > >
> > >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Modeling_monthly_active_editors
> > > > > [2]
> > > >
> http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/rcom-l/2013-December/000600.html
> > > > > [3]
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Research_talk%3ASubject_recruitment&diff=9220467&oldid=9220082
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> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > __________________________
> > > prof. dr hab. Dariusz Jemielniak
> > > kierownik katedry Zarządzania Międzynarodowego
> > > i centrum badawczego CROW
> > > Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego
> > > http://www.crow.alk.edu.pl
> > >
> > > członek Akademii Młodych Uczonych Polskiej Akademii Nauk
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