As you know, I also blog for University Affairs Careers Café.
This month’s post is about the need to publish to get an academic job.
The vast majority of secure positions involve research. Hiring committees are looking to enhance the research activity of their departments and institutions. They are aware that the funding situation requires more grant funding of individual researchers.
The primary evidence of research potential is publications.
- Past experience is the best evidence they have of future performance.
- Peer-reviewed publications indicate that peers in your discipline have judged your work to be of acceptable quality.
- Your publication record is an important factor in your ability to secure grant funding.
Publishing for validation is not very motivating though. In fact it can be paralyzing. With so much riding on your publications, you can find it hard to judge when an article is good enough to send out for review.
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