The Introduction of the Arcanist System into the Academic World

Introduction

How we refer to people in the academic scene usually portrays the level of one's higher education, i.e., MSc, BSc, or PhD. We combine this with the field where the person earned their degree to get a rough qualifier to refer to the individual and their accomplishments. It might occur that the fellow also has other qualifiers, such as Prof. to signify their role in the education. By chaining these, we can create some URI-looking titles if we so choose to, but for that, the person in question needs to have quite a few degrees.

But more or less that is ALL.

MSc. of Computer Science does not tell us much about the holder's achievements. Did they publish any articles in journals? Did they have any breakthroughs in practical applications? We don't know. We get no information on their level of accomplishment or their impact on their field. NO! We can only assume so for the highest level of title, the doctorate. We do not know how many papers they published or if any of their published papers were peer-reviewed and accepted. Did they win a prize?

Above all this, the current titles are confusing. We don't have a general, all-encompassing system that we can apply to all fields. There is this classic joke that points this problem out quite well:
Person 1: Any doctor here?
Person 2: I am a doctor. What is going on?
Person 1: A heart attack.
Person 2: I am a doctor of philosophy.
Person 1: This person is dying!
Person 2: But did he truly live?

Last but not least, these titles are BORING!

To solve this issue, I propose the not-so-novel idea of using an adjusted version of the Arcanist System from the Throne of Magical Arcana (further on ToMA). With the help of this system, we can categorize the scientific achievements of our peers into a well-rounded and flexible model and create easy-to-understand and specific yet epic titles to show our achievements.

The Arcanist System

The main structure of the system comes from ToMA, which consists of 11 levels, starting with the Apprentice Arcanist level, followed by levels one through nine, and ending with Grand Arcanist. To measure the current level of an individual and facilitate their progression, we introduce Arcana Points (AP). Each Arcanist level has its requirement of minimum AP to progress to. There are four ways to acquire AP: by publishing peer-reviewed papers, by citation, by publishing books, or by presenting at conferences.

Earning points by peer-reviewed papers:

• Theoretical paper with no experimental proofs → 10 AP
• Paper with simulated proofs → 15 AP
• Paper with proofs proven by repeatable experiments → 20 AP
• Review paper and like → 5 AP

Earning points by citation:

• Self-citation → 0 AP
• Citation from non-peer-reviewed work → 0.5 AP
• Citation from peer-reviewed work → 1 AP
• Citation from high-impact journals → 2 AP

Earning points by book publishing:

• Peer-reviewed technical/academic book published as a solo author → 100 AP
• Peer-reviewed technical/academic book published as a co-author → 50 AP
• Popular science/textbook → 20 AP

Earning points by presenting at conferences:

• Presenting at a conference → 10 AP
• Invited keynote at a major conference → 20 AP

Citations continuously accumulate Arcana Points till the person who wrote the work is alive. Additional points can be granted based on the impact of the paper. These points can be awarded retrospectively.

In addition to the previously mentioned methods, to accommodate the current major system, the following conversion can be used:

• High school diploma → Apprentice Arcanist
• Bachelor's degree → Level two Arcanist
• Master's degree → Level three Arcanist
• Doctorate → Level five Arcanist

The minimum required points are granted by acquiring the aforementioned accomplishments.

The Arcanist Levels

Apprentice Arcanist: an individual who started their journey on the path of Arcana (Science) by completing their basic education.

Level One Arcanist: a person who recently started their higher education and can make their first steps into research. The start of the Junior Arcanist Levels.

Level Two Arcanist: someone who has a solid theoretical foundation and can contribute to real research.

Level Three Arcanist: a person who has a deeper understanding of their field and can do individual research.

Level Four Arcanist: an individual who is a developing researcher with novel contributions. The start of the middle ranks of Arcanists.

Level Five Arcanist: can demonstrate a high level of knowledge in their field and be recognized as a well-established researcher.

Level Six Arcanist: a lead researcher recognized in their field for their great contributions.

Level Seven Arcanist: an authority in their field, with high influence and wide reach. The start of the Senior Arcanist Levels.

Level Eight Arcanist: an individual, who is a leading expert and recognized authority in their field, with global recognition and groundbreaking discoveries.

Level Nine Arcanist: a world-leading researcher who redefines their field and reaches the highest levels of conventional research mastery.

Grand Arcanist: a legend who changed our history forever by introducing a paradigm-shifting theoretical system.

The following table contains the minimum necessary points for advancement:

Grand Arcanist is a special title and is only granted to pioneers who invented a paradigm-shifting theoretical system. It is also the only title that can be awarded posthumously.

Conclusion

With the introduction of the Arcanist System, we can create a well-defined structure from which we know the accomplishments of a researcher. We can also create more epic-sounding titles like Level Three Arcanist, Arcane Programmer with the introduction of classes based on research fields (which will be further expanded upon in later posts). We must acknowledge that the numbers presented here might need further adjustments to better suit the real-world application, but for that, we also need more widespread adoption to gather feedback. Another positive of the system is the possibility to induce a healthy amount of competition, as now researchers can compare their ranks and can have clear goals for improvement after their doctorates.

In the future, a central peer-based committee might need to be created, composed of high-ranking independent Arcanists, to oversee the granting of Arcanist titles, the first rounds of reviews, and Arcana Point corrections, but no clear guidance can be provided for that as of now.

I hope we can adopt this system to make the academic world more entertaining and clear, with a mist of mystery.

May our journey in Arcana enlighten us all!
Hajdu Marcell Ferenc
Level Three Arcanist