Oh Patent, Shall I Compare Thee to a Journal Paper?

This essay argues that although patents and journal papers have equal status as contributions to “the edifice of knowledge,” the full value of a patent as a credential is realized only when the patent is supplemented by other credentials that certify an inventor’s ancillary skills. Such ancillary skills are those ideally taught in graduate school, and include conducting investigations according to accepted methodology, carrying written arguments logically from premises to conclusions, and relating new contributions to the existing body of knowledge.