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Let's assume someone has a very thorough knowledge of a particular field of science but they have absolutely no formal education in this background.

This individual one day realizes a very novel approach to solving a somewhat complex problem. After developing independent tests and coming up with rock-solid evidence that her method is groundbreaking, and consistently produces test results that would be impossible without a legitimate solution, what can she do with her research to both share the information with the world and retain some form of credit for the discovery?

In other words, how can one be both a hobbyist contributing to a field of scientific study and yet also retain the respect they deserve for their work if it is of great use and benefit?

To be clear, this isn't about having one's name appear in a Science Journal without the necessary credentials. I think it's respectable to maintain certain sets of rules and standards for journalistic publications. However, it also isn't fair for such a person to have to divulge this information to someone who is "qualified" and have them receive all or most of the credit for someone elses work, just because that other person hasn't earned a piece of paper.

How can hobbyist both share, and maintain, the recognition they deserve if they make a legitimate scientific breakthrough?

RLH
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    You could always write it up in a less formal manner and submit it to http://arxiv.org/ so that it is documented, public, and timestamped. Getting attention to it is another problem though. – Austin Henley Nov 17 '14 at 18:25
  • @EnergyNumbers Yes, I think that is a good question and it nearly answers my question. Still, what steps should one take to protect themselves and share the information? Should they attempt to write a paper and submit it? What if they are, exactly, as articulate in the field as should be acceptable for such a journal, but their science checks out? – RLH Nov 17 '14 at 18:27
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    I think writing a good paper will be pretty easy for you: very very few scientists ever attain "a very thorough knowledge of a particular field of science", yet publish, so you'll be fine. – 410 gone Nov 17 '14 at 18:29
  • Another possible idea: Reach out to some researchers in the field to see if they would be interested in helping you. – Austin Henley Nov 17 '14 at 18:29
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    Related: http://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/18491/i-believe-i-have-solved-a-famous-open-problem-how-do-i-convince-people-in-the-f – Stephan Kolassa Nov 17 '14 at 18:30
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    @AustinHenley I think a combination of your responses could be the best approach-- post an informal document on ArXiv and then reach-out to the intellectual community. Post an answer with a few more generalized comments and I'll give you the answer. I was aware of arXiv but I didn't know that it was open for general publication. – RLH Nov 17 '14 at 18:32
  • And just so this doesn't become a question, this is in no way related to P=NP, or other comp-sci voodoo. ;) – RLH Nov 17 '14 at 18:35
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    Is there a reason why you want to publish your breakthrough? You could also patent your idea and sell it. Either way you don't need academic credentials for that. – Cape Code Nov 17 '14 at 19:03
  • Profiteering-- I like the way you think! But seriously, if there is any merit to what I've done (I assume there is but I'm the type of person who has to test something an insane amount of time, before I share it) then I'd rather all this information be made public for general use. Also, I think the nature of the solution is too simple to patent. Of course, if CPU endianness can be patented, then I certainly guess I could patent what I'm doing. Hmm... There is a chance that you've just helped me pay for my children's future-education! – RLH Nov 17 '14 at 19:13
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    Several comments have suggested posting to arXiv, but this will not be possible without either an existing publication history in the particular subfield or the endorsement of a respected practitioner of that subfield. – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Nov 17 '14 at 19:50
  • @dmckee Im sure there are alternatives that would suffice. For example, http://vixra.org/. – Austin Henley Nov 17 '14 at 19:58
  • @RLH the majority of the stuff that really helps us on a daily basis are, or have been, commercial products. You can surely benefit the public by selling your invention. Whether or not patenting is appropriate is not something that can be determined in this context. At any rate, good luck with your endeavor. – Cape Code Nov 17 '14 at 20:27
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    In all of my experience, scientific breakthroughs are never made by hobbyists. They are sometimes -- not that rarely -- made by amateurs, but that's not the same thing at all. Amateurs love the subject, so they are willing to spend as long as it takes to develop their ideas to fruition (or see for themselves that they do not work out as they originally thought). Hobbyists settle for convincing (to them) evidence that they have had the essential idea of a scientific breakthrough and want recognition for this alone: they are not interested in spadework. – Pete L. Clark Nov 17 '14 at 22:02

2 Answers2

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I see a few approaches you could take (or some combination):

  • Write up the idea as a white paper and submit to http://arxiv.org (or something similar). This gets the idea documented, public, timestamped, and allows people to easily cite it.
  • Reach out to researchers in the field to see if they would be willing to help you form a scientific paper based on your idea. Not all professors are scary!
  • Submit to the industry track of a research conference if you have an industry background (if not, then maybe a workshop). Some conferences elicit papers from industry that can get your idea out there, generate discussion, and allows you to get feedback. These tracks are often less competitive and very open to non-researchers. For example, Software Engineering In Practice at the International Conference on Software Engineering
Austin Henley
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    ArXiv is not an open forum anymore; a history or endorsement is required. – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Nov 17 '14 at 19:51
  • @dmckee Do you know of an alternative website for him? Although, it seems simple enough to find an endorser. – Austin Henley Nov 17 '14 at 19:55
  • @dmckee Maybe http://vixra.org/? – Austin Henley Nov 17 '14 at 19:58
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    Vixra will serve to establish priority, but it could beget more resistance to being taken seriously. I don't know how seriously he should worry about that. – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Nov 17 '14 at 20:07
  • If the idea really is groundbreaking, it shouldn't be at all difficult to get it accepted at a conference, without needing to find special tracks for people who aren't academics. – David Richerby Nov 17 '14 at 22:16
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    @DavidRicherby Even a groundbreaking idea may require a formal evaluation, thorough lit review, and a write-up that follows the field's conventions. None of which is trivial for someone with no experience. – Austin Henley Nov 17 '14 at 22:23
  • I agree with Austin Henley (comments of mine with similar sentiments appear elsewhere on this page): maybe it shouldn't be difficult, but it certainly is. (However, as a professional researcher I am very skeptical of the distinction between a breakthrough idea and its implementation. If you think you have the first but not the second, then you have more work to do. If you're not willing to do that work, then....) – Pete L. Clark Nov 18 '14 at 01:25
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I guess there are quite a few scientists that have not graduated in a certain field and later prominently published in it. The best thing to do is to talk to people about it e.g. on conferences or seminars. Because in the end that is what you want: Get feedback/support/critique from other experts in the field. If you have discovered a breakthrough, writing it down in an abstract or discussion paper should be the easiest thing. Hand it in at conferences or local university faculties in order to get the chance to speak about it. If it is good, they will tell. If it aint, they will let you know. Most people I met in academia are open minded and willing to give you a chance (whether or not you have a degree in the field) if they found your abstract/paper interesting enough.

ChristianSo
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