Over the course of the last month, you’ve read quite a bit about the unfortunate circumstances surrounding our current academic research system. You’ve been reminded of the dire situation most academic researchers face in today’s hard economy. It hasn’t been a pretty ride. There are the budget cuts, severely damaging the funds available to research...

Lowered teaching standards have had an effect on the perceived student quality, as well. With students dropping out due to an unsatisfactory professor or learning environment, schools are getting hit with the burden. In fact, to try to make up for the students they lose, many state schools have lowered their requirements in an attempt to get more applicants and...

There are many criteria that go into determining a university’s overall rank and reputation, but the three biggies are research, student, and staff quality. These are measured though a variety of means. Academic research, for example, is determined primarily through the annual research expenditure, though number of publications plays a role as well. Faculty...

Peer-reviewed journal articles are the most important individual publications researchers can produce. They are more highly regarded and have a longer shelf life than other publications, such as books, conference abstracts, or reviews and are a better measurement of quality for academic research. With the pressure to publish and the sheer volume of journals...

Researchers in all fields, whether academic- or industry-inclined, are trying to get their names out there. Whether it’s to build an impressive tenure portfolio, boost a professional resume, or keep up with strict publication requirements, researchers nationwide are feeling the pressure to publish, and publish often. Note, however, that there seems to be...

Though there are many reasons universities around the country are opting out of hiring tenured faculty, one leading cause is affordability. The promise to continue to pay an individual for an entirely lifetime is a large commitment, and one that many universities are not comfortable to make in the given economic situation. Admittedly, the question of tenure...