Last week, I posted about how & why I changed my publication strategy. A few people asked me what would I advise a rookie? Should they stick to publishing in journals that appear on a discipline-based or broader journal list?
I reflected on this question a lot - because I think lists are important - but I also think lists are problematic - because they often miss essential outlets or reflect the biases of a small group of scholars or don’t map well to every school.
Consider the Association for Information Systems Senior Scholars list - it was designed to help people identify good outlets for their work & to communicate to tenure committees the value of these outlets - but it was composed by a group of primarily older white people, with a North American & European bias, many of whom were no longer actively publishing. Despite good intentions, the list doesn’t reflect high-quality journals valued in Asia or some newer outlets.
The same criticism can be leveled against almost all journal lists - that they reflect a narrow worldview, are biased, & sometimes dated.
So if lists aren’t perfect, what should a young scholar do?
My suggestion is a three-pronged approach.
First, consider your discipline. Identify journals your field values by using a list or asking senior faculty at more than one school. Usually, you can tell by looking for consistency in research records across schools or found in reference lists - the same journals should pop up. These top journals are often really challenging - but deserve your attention - because publishing in them will provide the world cues about the quality of your work.
Second, consider your topic. Look at journals that you cite in your work. Usually, these outlets are read by people that share your interests. You became a scholar because you have something to say about a topic - publishing in these places makes sure what you have to say reaches an interested audience.
Third, consider your school. What your field values & where people that share your interests publish will only loosely correlate to what your school wants.
Learn the written & unwritten expectations of your school’s evaluation committee. By listening carefully, you should gain a sense of what journals are valued, what papers count (full articles, research notes, etc.), & how many papers your school expects to be published.
When learning ‘school rules,’ make time to learn what your department wants. Often, your department evaluators will employ a separate rubric from your school. The subtleties of their views should inform your thinking.
Because promotion decisions are local, consider prioritizing your school’s rules as you form your strategy.
I wish it were simpler - but it’s not - it takes time. If you do, you will be less stressed as you navigate promotion. I wish you the best of luck!
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