Stanford Prof Kundaje: Rigor Over Racing to Publish

On November 6, Stanford professor Anshul Kundaje laid out his views on academic "scooping" culture in a reply thread: he personally never worries about being scooped, since computational work can almost always be differentiated, and he supports independent replication in the first place. His core advice: always put rigor ahead of publishing first, don't let paranoia and anxiety drive bad decisions — science is supposed to be fun. This matters because it speaks to the widespread publication-pressure felt by junior researchers today.

Confirmed

• Kundaje noted that computational research can nearly always be differentiated, so being scooped isn't a disaster, and independent replication has value in its own right.
• He pointed out that the current academic system overemphasizes "who did it first," putting enormous pressure on junior researchers; scooping anxiety also creates hidden problems — teams make foolish compromises on research quality out of fear that another group will get there first.
• He shared a real example of coordinated release: a few months ago, several teams realized they were independently working on related research, and instead of racing each other, they communicated openly and agreed to release simultaneously. This greatly reduced pressure on first authors and young PIs, and avoided the suboptimal decisions that scooping anxiety tends to cause.
• He observed that a younger generation of scholars, along with principled senior researchers, are together shaping a healthier academic culture — one that values rigor over racing is improving.
• He concluded by supporting healthy competition, where winning or losing is fine, and that coordinated collaboration can benefit everyone; those accustomed to toxic rivalry will ultimately wear down their own mindset.

Why it matters

• "Coordinated release" offers a replicable playbook that directly eases junior researchers' biggest anxiety: being scooped.
• A senior professor publicly endorsing rigor over being first provides targeted encouragement and a role model for junior researchers under intense publish-or-perish pressure.

2026-11-06 ~ 2026-11-06 · 7 related posts

• [source] Coordinated paper releases dramatically reduce stress for first authors and junior PIs — anshulkundaje · 2026-11-06
• Fear of being scooped pushes teams to compromise quality, notes Kundaje — anshulkundaje · 2026-11-06
• Fear of being scooped leads researchers to compromise quality, says Stanford prof — anshulkundaje · 2026-11-06
• [source] Stanford prof Anshul Kundaje on why he never fears being scooped in research — anshulkundaje · 2026-11-06
• Younger academics are reshaping academia's rush-to-publish culture, says Stanford prof — anshulkundaje · 2026-11-06
• Stanford prof's advice: favor rigor over being first, science should be fun — anshulkundaje · 2026-11-06
• [source] Favor rigor over being first: Kundaje's advice on avoiding academic rat races — anshulkundaje · 2026-11-06