The Dabbler Problem — Is CDR Research a Side Hustle?
Update: V2 Data (March 2026) We’ve reclassified 122,674 researchers using an LLM-based methodology instead of keyword-only matching. 42,292 researchers lost their CDR designation because their papers weren’t actually about CDR — they were tangentially related but didn’t cross the threshold. This leaves 80,382 researchers with a genuine CDR pathway. The dabbler percentage dropped from 69% to 52.8%, which at first looks like bad news. But the real story is subtler — and slightly more hopeful. Previous version: first shot · Feedback? ...