Academic publishing is a type of publishing that focuses on distributing research articles or scholarly work. It primarily involves publishing papers in formats like academic journals, books, theses, monographs or conference papers. It serves as a formal system for spreading new knowledge and findings to the academic community and the public. It comprises a range of activities like peer review and preservation for future use, apart from submissions and dissemination to the scholarly community.
When one hears the word Research they more than often think it is scientific. They immediately link it with medicine, health, spacecraft or technology – because such research is of public value and not just intellectual. It is indeed scientific research that results in innovations, new products that can be commercialised, patents, prototypes or new empirical data which has practical value (application). Such results are due to their emphasis on improving comprehension of a phenomenon with the aim of practical utility or problem solving. Nonetheless, academic publishing is not limited to scientific research. It also includes theories and philosophies from the Humanities, bringing to light new interpretations and critical analysis.
Research in the Humanities is characterised by its objective being interpretations, critiquing culture, history, literature and language. It often crosses disciplinary boundaries but remains rooted in humanistic experiences and culture, embracing ambiguity. While some quantitative methods are used for the research, scholars most often employ qualitative methods, relying on comparative studies, discourse analysis and theoretical frameworks. Unlike scientific research, the results are more intellectual and intangible. Their findings do not offer any chances of commercialisation or practical use, but only new ideas or interpretations regarding any texts or pre-existing theories.
Academic publishing traces its roots to the 17th century, to the Journal des sçavans and the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, both launched in 1665, which are widely recognised as the earliest academic journals in Europe. These journals established a new platform for scholars to display or share their work, moving away from the privately circulated monographs. By the 18th and 19th centuries, academic publishing expanded further, with journals becoming an important vehicle for scholarly communication- with the peer review process beginning to shape. After being dominated by print, the late 20th century and early 21st century saw a shift in pattern with advancing digital technologies and the advent of the internet. Now, digital publishing has become the norm, making research more accessible than before.
Research productivity is measured by the quantity and quality of the research article or paper. However, present-day academic publishing has become a vast and global industry which produces millions of scholarly works each year. In even more recent times, unfortunately, the parameters of measuring research productivity have become more focused on the number of research papers written or published and less on their quality. With the ‘Publish or Perish’ culture, as coined by Logan Wilson in 1942, in academic publishing, the research scholars have donned on their shoulders a pressure of producing more and more articles and papers in a minimum time. This pressure naturally affects the quality of their work.
The pressure to publish may result in unethical practices like plagiarism, data manipulation and peer review. It may inhibit innovation by engaging the researcher in safe projects rather than groundbreaking and riskier work. Researchers face anxiety, burnout and stress due to being unable to meet their publishing quotas. Lack of a set number of publications also deepens this stress. Journals emphasise publishing ‘exciting’ results, sidelining the important negative findings- leading to a bias and thus, building pressure to find ‘exciting’ knowledge.
Thus, this increasing pressure only leads to increasing competition. The volume of and perceived impact of faculty publications contribute to a university’s standing directly. Therefore, several researchers in the temptation of being associated with a prestigious institute, try to produce a volume of articles on topics that are supported by the institute, rather than finding a topic of their own choice. Akin to the job market, even linked to it, academic publishing has become overtly competitive over the recent decades, making it difficult for budding researchers to find their niche and produce groundbreaking knowledge.
On the other hand, this competition may boost a researcher’s credibility and even expertise in their area of knowledge, building a good reputation and opening doors for funding and collaboration. Nevertheless, this cutthroat competition cannot be seen as affecting every scholar in an equal manner. Guidelines should be maintained in order to ensure the quality of the research as well as the mental health of the researcher, giving them a chance to write about a topic they wish to and not be compelled to.
Well written!