PhDs, Publications, and Academic Careers

by Janet Salmons, PhD, Research Community Manager for Sage Methodspace

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For most of us, academic writing is tied to career advancement.

We might be trying to land a faculty position in a college or university, or demonstrate merit for promotion or tenure. Or we might be trying to show our expertise in order to build credibility in our fields. In some cases career aspirations tie directly to types of publications, such as requirements for a specific number of articles in particular scholarly journals. Others are more broad, for example, an scholar-practitioner or consultant might want to publish professional publications or informal newsletters that allow them to show how their research can be applied.

The challenging issues and often difficult options for post-PhD careers are being widely discussed in academic books and articles.

Here are a few references that might be of interest. Please note that some are not open access.

Eichler, M. (2015). Being In–between: Reflecting on Time, Space and Career during the Tenure Application Process. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 27(2), 42-46. https://doi.org/10.1002/nha3.20101

Elangovan, A. R., & Hoffman, A. J. The pursuit of success in academia: Plato’s ghost asks “What then?”. Journal of Management Inquiry, 0(0), 1056492619836729. doi:10.1177/1056492619836729

Enders, J., & Kaulisch, M. (2006). The binding and unbinding of academic careers. Wenner Gren International Series, 83, 85. 

Guerin, C. (2019). Stories of moving on HASS PhD graduates’ motivations and career trajectories inside and beyond academia. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474022219834448 (not open access)

Kuoppakangas, P., Suomi, K., Pekkola, E., Kivistö, J., Kallio, T., & Stenvall, J. (2021). Theoretical, practical and hybrid ex-academics: Career transfer stories. European Educational Research Journal, 20(1), 14-41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904120915026

McAlpine, L. (2013). Constructing post‐PhD careers: negotiating opportunities and personal goals. International Journal for Researcher Development, 4(1), 39-54. doi:10.1108/IJRD-01-2013-0002 (request a copy)

Montgomery, B. L., Dodson, J. E., & Johnson, S. M. (2014). Guiding the way: Mentoring graduate students and junior faculty for sustainable academic careers. SAGE Open, 4(4), 2158244014558043. doi:10.1177/2158244014558043

Pietilä , M 2019 , ' Incentivising academics : experiences and expectations of the tenure track in Finland ' , Studies in Higher Education , vol. 44 , no. 6 , pp. 932-945 . https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1405250

Roach, M., & Sauermann, H. (2010). A taste for science? PhD scientists’ academic orientation and self-selection into research careers in industry. Research Policy, 39(3), 422-434. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2010.01.004 (not open access)

Xu, D., & Solanki, S. (2020). Tenure-Track Appointment for Teaching-Oriented Faculty? The Impact of Teaching and Research Faculty on Student Outcomes. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 42(1), 66-86. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373719882706

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