Me and the husband, many moons ago, won a three-year research grant from our government. It was a kind of breakthrough for me, as I was just graduated with some academic-related scars during my master’s study, haha. It turned out to be pretty big for me: a three-year-long project, 25 undergraduate student thesis, and some of my own publications. The most important take of this project, I think, is the confidence I got during the process.
I can do it. I am capable of it.
It’s priceless for people in my position, I tell you.
I took another look at the project in 2019, you know, time is in the liberty of some Ph.D. student. It’s applied well to me. I re-read the results and wrote some articles. I wrote some other more when the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic hit us earlier this year. As the results, we have 3 and 2 publications more in Scopus- and Sinta 2-indexed journals, respectively. I also learned to be patient and choose a good journal in the publication process, in a hard way. My impatience and a not-so-well-managed-journal have tainted our work, with an ugly retracted article as the evidence. Shit happens, and I have learned my lesson.
At this point, with all that I have learned during the process, those ups and downs, I know that we should have done better. The methodology is weak, to mildly say it. One thing I can assure, there was no harm intended, we did not intentionally down-graded in order to gain any advantages. We did it in the best way we can, based on our best knowledge at that time.
If I see it from another point of view, I have to be grateful. I have grown in a way, I have learned one thing or two, to be able to spot the weakness of my past works (I may use this point of view more often, I should).
Yes, I made mistakes. It is OK. I accept it.
-rumahliliput- 