This monograph provides an overview of traditional academic publishing in America today. Discussed first are the philosophical differences between trade and text publishing (which includes scholarly books), as they apply to the types of manuscripts selected for publication and expectations for profit. The paper goes on to explain how editors who…

For a communication studies administrator, the scholar envisioned in Ernest Boyer's "Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate" is an instructive guide to faculty and administrators pondering the balance or relationship between teaching and research. It is an immodest claim that each discipline teaches well but broadly…

The traditional model used by all institutions of higher education include the three broad areas of teaching, scholarship, and service as part of faculty evaluation. This paper examines the definition of scholarship in higher education, focusing on current definitions of scholarship, administrators' perceptions about scholarship, measures of…

This paper discusses survey results from 68 assistant professors concerning the following areas: (1) their experiences with the promotion process; (2) the state of the respondents' publication writing skills; (3) their publication records; and (4) the nature of institutional support. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents did not consider the…

An approach for studying faculty research productivity over time as measured by the number of scholarly articles published was developed and tested. The approach attempts to take into account the fact that both the amount of available professional journal space and the number of faculty competing for publications have changed over time by…

The paper argues that a gap exists between institutional policy and practice as it pertains to the relative emphasis placed on teaching and research by university and college professors, and that the teaching-research debate will not be settled until administrators and trustees bring official policies and operating practice into line. Evidence is…

Discusses the lack of communication and the need for a community of scholarship among literary critics and rhetoric theorists. (SRT)

A study focused primarily on determining whether women and men are being published at equal rates in the leading journals of the National Communication Association (NCA). The study also examined whether: females publish more in a particular area or journal; mixed-sex collaboration is as prevalent as same-sex collaboration; female scholars produce…

Despite all the complicating factors brought about by changes in the applicant pool, increased participation in the selection process, and the pervasiveness of institutional operational biases, the academic search process is now more inclusive and responsive to its constituents. A broader spectrum of candidates is being considered. (MLW)

A survey of 100 University of Transkei (South Africa) faculty investigated extent of agreement or disagreement with the slogan "publish or perish." Results suggest that, overall, faculty were neither for nor against the slogan itself, although response varied by discipline. However, the implications of the expression are seen as…

Examines perceptions of faculty and promotion and tenure-committee members regarding the perceived prestige and legitimacy of electronic journals as an outlet for scholarly communication. Respondents gave the greatest importance to the role of peer-reviewed publications to the tenure, promotion, and merit-review process; therefore, the long-term…

Surveyed editors of academic journals about publication issues related to Britain's Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), a process of grading and funding universities based on published research output. Editors were asked about research quality and output, publication practices, academics' willingness to referee manuscripts, and proliferation of…

Examines the relative importance of teaching and scholarship in academia. The article scrutinizes the reasons for requiring academics to combine research and teaching and argues that scholarship and teaching are inextricable parts of the larger process of learning. The article concludes that good teaching must accompany the constant quest for the…

A study examined a number of sources regarding a growing trend against the importance of academic publishing, including various articles that have appeared in the popular and academic press both for and against the "publish or perish" mentality. The literature review was grounded in E. Boyer's 1990 report "Scholarship Reconsidered:…

This study examined the relative importance of teaching and research at 33 public and 14 private research universities. In particular the study sought to understand the perceptions held by the study participants of the relative importance of teaching and research and to compare and contrast the perceptions of different groups within the university…