Jargon stifles debate around Dutch research policy, Antal van den Bosch tells Erik te Roller
Shakespeare knew that a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet. But when it comes to jargon, certain terms can hide problems or direct attention away from underlying issues.
This is the case with debates around Dutch science policy, argues Antal van den Bosch, director of the Meertens Institute for research on language and culture in the Netherlands. He says that there needs to be an overhaul of the jargon and buzzwords surrounding science in order to address the problems faced by Dutch researchers—including low grant success rates and the short-term nature of financial schemes.