What Does it Mean to Publish or Perish?
Research Leaves Two Choices – Publish Your Work or Find a New Career
Medical doctors, at some point in their careers, often must choose between clinical work and research. Some medical doctors choose to do both. A strong publication history helps in both career paths. It’s important for doctors to become well-known in their field, both among colleagues and also the general public.
Drawing attention to their own work and research will bring in not only money but also attract other great minds to the same task. Publishing is essential for a doctor to become a cornerstone in a community of people working toward solving a problem, whether that problem is in a fundamental understanding of some aspect of research or curing a disease.
PhD Holders and Research
Doctors of philosophy most often find themselves working in research before embarking on a career in either academia or industry. If they opt for a career in industry, a strong publication record doesn’t hold as much sway as it might in academia, though it still helps any doctor become well-known in his chosen field and can contribute to how well-founded his area of research is regarded by his peers.
Research often makes up at least a third of the criteria by which tenure-track positions are judged and offered.
Consistent Publication Record
The guidelines for a passing publication record denote an author should aim for at least one publication each year. If one goes for a few years without publishing, it shows inconsistency. Even with a very good reason for not publishing, whether one gets seven papers the following year or even if one takes some time off work, nothing makes a better lasting impression of consistent progress in effort than a consistent publications record.
Publish Many Papers
Some people will hold out and submit a paper to a well-known journal, thinking it’s better to have a paper in a well-known publication than many articles in lesser-known journals. While this might be the case (especially if one is an assistant professor working on tenure), it’s not always a good idea to fret too much about where a paper comes out. If one can edit it and get it into a stellar journal with just a little tweaking, it’s worth the while, but it’s better to publish it in a mediocre journal than to wait another six months to a year.
Variable Topics: Good or Bad?
To be known as an expert in one's field, some people argue that it’s better not to associate a name with more than one topic. If one wants to become a founder in science, he must find his niche and stick to it.
There are others who disagree. “Follow your passion,” they advise. Even if a person thinks he's found the right niche, it might not be the best area in which he could devote his efforts. People must publish on what interests them and only then are they sure to have a successful publication record.
Publications Affect Grant Funding
When grants are applied for, especially federal grants (offered, for example, by the National Institute of Health or the National Science Foundation) oftentimes the grant reviewers will look at a publication record to determine the principal investigator’s expertise in the field and the depth as well as the breadth of his experience. From this information, the reviewers will try to determine the viability of the offered proposal, and it can have a significant impact on whether or not the proposal is granted funding.
People often say that in research, if one doesn’t publish (often, many articles, and quality work), one is sure to perish in the research community. In short, the choice is a simple one: publish or perish.
Old Publications
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Education & Career
Latest Articles