[jaydaigle]

Interesting! My experience is that scooping is less of an issue in math than in any of the science fields I have friends in. Papers are lower-stakes, there's less money involved, and if two of you are working on the same project you can just co-author.

(And if you have an independent paper, that can _also_ get published; your paper is distinct even if the result isn't. I think the PT HOMFLY polynomial was independently proven in like four different papers published within two years (and it's named so that all eight authors get credit).

But also, publication lags shouldn't lead to more scooping, because you can put it up on the arXiv at the beginning of the publication process, not the end. In my experience the paper is treated as "real" once it hits the arXiv; the acceptance is mostly a formality that lets us put it on our promotion packet.

But also, publication times don't lead to scooping generally because you