Publish or perish

Template:Globalize/US "Publish or perish" is a phrase coined to describe the pressure in academia to rapidly and continuously publish academic work to sustain or further one's career.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Frequent publication is one of few methods at scholars' disposal to demonstrate academic talent. Successful publications bring attention to scholars and their sponsoring institutions, which can facilitate continued funding and an individual's progress through their field. In popular academic perception, scholars who publish infrequently, or who focus on activities that do not result in publications, such as instructing undergraduates, may find themselves out of contention for available tenure-track positions.^{[citation needed]} The pressure to publish has been cited as a cause of poor work being submitted to academic journals.^[4]

Origin

The phrase appeared in a non-academic context in the 1932 book "Archibald Cary Coolidge: life and letters" by Harold Jefferson Coolidge.^[5] In 1938, the phrase appeared in a college-related publication.^[6] The expression also appears in The Academic Man: A Study in the Sociology of a Profession, published in 1942.^[7]

Advantages

Research-oriented universities may attempt to manage the unhealthy aspects of the publish-or-perish practices, but their administrators often argue that some pressure to produce cutting-edge research is necessary to motivate scholars early in their careers to focus on research advancement, and learn to balance its achievement with the other responsibilities of the professorial role. The call to abolish tenure is very much a minority opinion in such settings.^{[citation needed]}

Disadvantages

There are a number of criticisms of this phenomenon, the most notable being that the emphasis on publishing may decrease the value of resulting scholarship, as scholars must spend more time scrambling to publish whatever they can manage, rather than spend time developing significant research agendas.

The pressure to publish-or-perish also detracts from the time and effort professors can devote to teaching undergraduate (and some graduate) courses. The rewards for exceptional teaching rarely match the rewards for exceptional research, which encourages faculty to favor the latter whenever they conflict.^{[citation needed]}

Many universities do not focus on teaching ability when they hire new faculty, and simply look at the publications list (and, especially in technology-related areas, the ability to bring in research money).^{[citation needed]} This single-minded focus on the professor-as-researcher may cause faculty to neglect or be unable to perform some other responsibilities.

Another important aspect of professorship is mentorship of graduate students, an aspect rarely assessed when new faculty are admitted to a department.^{[citation needed]}

Regarding the humanities, teaching and passing on the tradition of Literae Humaniores is given secondary consideration in research universities and treated as a non-scholarly activity^{[citation needed]}.

Notes

^ Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 20844492, please use {{cite journal}} with |pmid= 20844492 instead.
^ Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 20422014 , please use {{cite journal}} with |pmid= 20422014 instead.
^ Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 18596904, please use {{cite journal}} with |pmid= 18596904 instead.
^ Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi:10.1063/1.1712503, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi=10.1063/1.1712503 instead.
^ Archibald Cary Coolidge: life and letters, page 308 [1]
^ Association of American Colleges bulletin, Volume 24 (1938) [2]
^ Eugene Garfield (1996). "What Is The Primordial Reference For The Phrase 'Publish Or Perish'?" (PDF). The Scientist. 10 (12): 11. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

References

Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath, Who Killed Homer? The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom. New York: The Free Press, 1998.
Thomas K. Grose "21st Century Professor" ASEE Prism, January 2007
Richard L.S. Evans, "Chrysoloras' Greek: The Pedagogy of Cultural Transformation."
Herb, Ulrich (2010) "Sociological implications of scientific publishing: Open access, science, society, democracy, and the digital divide" First Monday, Volume 15, Number 2 - 1 February 2010
Publish or Perish calculates various statistics, including the h-index and the g-index using Google Scholar data

External links

[1] Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 20844492, please use {{cite journal}} with |pmid= 20844492 instead.

[2] Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 20422014 , please use {{cite journal}} with |pmid= 20422014 instead.

[3] Attention: This template ({{cite pmid}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by PMID 18596904, please use {{cite journal}} with |pmid= 18596904 instead.

[4] Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi:10.1063/1.1712503, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi=10.1063/1.1712503 instead.

[5] Archibald Cary Coolidge: life and letters, page 308 [1]

[6] Association of American Colleges bulletin, Volume 24 (1938) [2]

[7] Eugene Garfield (1996). "What Is The Primordial Reference For The Phrase 'Publish Or Perish'?" (PDF). The Scientist. 10 (12): 11. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]