When I was a young scholar, I constructed a journal list - so I could focus. I looked at my academic hero’s CVs- Zmud, Sambamurthy, & George - & submitted to their outlets - my logic being these journals must be good. Later, I submitted to my professional group’s journals - my logic being that association-sponsored outlets must be good. Even after journal lists like the FT50 surfaced, I resisted changing my strategy - my logic being the places that I was publishing were good - what had changed? Eventually, I came to know that a) my strategy was flawed and b) everything had changed. What was the flaw in my strategy? Well, my heroes didn’t always publish in well-read outlets. Sometimes, they placed papers in their best possible home - which focused on small interested audiences - or papers were placed in new journals - to help jump-start a publication - I didn’t understand those motivations. What changed? Journal lists introduced a new proxy for quality. Appearing on a list attracted eyeballs and became a measure of career success. For years, I ignored these facts. So I ended up with good papers that nobody read. How do I know? Nobody cited them. In 2011, I interviewed. The hiring committee asked where did I publish? I relayed my outlets. They replied that all that mattered was journals on ‘the list.’ My job search failed. That year, a senior person commented that his preferred outlet wasn’t popular any more & advised, publish in ‘listed journals’ if you wanted to be promoted. I wanted to be promoted. So I pivoted. I published in listed outlets. I was promoted. I moved. So what did I learn? First, my heroes knew the power of lists. Their most cited papers were in listed outlets. If I had asked for advice, I could have more quickly realized a better understanding of what mattered. Second, journals lists have power. Papers appearing in ‘listed journals’ transitioned me from hanging around conferences to being an invited speaker at universities. The change was striking. Third, listed journals do not have better peer review processes. All journals publish high-quality work and demand excellence. So why not aim at a listed journal first? Fourth, listed journals have narrow interests. Pivoting required reassessing how and what I researched. Learn your audience to succeed. Fifth, listed journal publications brought fleeting happiness. Chasing them can create internal pressure to keep publishing which can be overwhelming. Stay balanced and realistic. Sixth, passion is important for publishing - be it for a listed or unlisted outlet. My studies designed just for listed journals have flopped. Once you understand what is method is valued, write what you want to write. I wish I learned to craft a high-impact publication strategy for topics that I love sooner - because now I am a lot happier!
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jason-thatcher-0329764_on-picking-then-pivoting-where-you-publish-activity-6868209130742575104-4VUE?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web
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