It’s weird to think of some of the things we take for granted in higher education.
Surely one of the worst is to be taken in by the publish-or-perish mindset; the idea that, unless you publish you have no future in academia. That you’ll be punished, or worse, that you’ll ‘perish’:
- To die or be destroyed, especially in a violent or untimely manner.
- To pass from existence; disappear gradually.
- To spoil or deteriorate.
This seems…melodramatic.
And at a time when all universities are under pressure to increase revenue from publishing, surely we can think of a more positive and supportive framing of the situation for our colleagues? Why focus on the punishment for not publishing (it’s either-or here, you either publish or you perish)? Why not look for the positive features that come with publishing your work? We need more carrot and less stick.
How about these variations that stick with the “things that begin with P” model (it took me all of a minute to come up with them):
- Publish and prosper
- Persist and publish
- Produce and progress
- Post and propagate
Publish and prosper: I think this one is my favourite. It keeps ‘publish’ first, highlighting it’s importance in higher education. And ‘prosper’ is a bit like ‘thrive’, which feels more holistic than the ‘progress’ that I use in the third variation below.
Persist and publish: I like the emphasis on ‘persistence’ as the thing that’s necessary in order to publish. It gives the impression that this isn’t something you do overnight. Publishing anything requires an investment over time.
Produce and progress: This is my least favourite phrasing because of the focus on what I see as an overly technical perspective. The idea of being a ‘producer’ on a ‘production line’ isn’t ideal. And ‘progress’ suggests that publishing is about career advancement (which may be true but it’s also about generating new knowledge).
Post and propagate: I appreciate the move here from ‘publishing’ to ‘posting’ which suggests that academics can share their experiences, insights, and creative ideas in many more channels than in peer-reviewed articles. And ‘propagation’ brings to mind planting seeds and organic growth, or in a supportive sharing of ideas through networks.
Why do we seem hell-bent on reminding colleagues that they’d better publish or risk destroying their career? Why not make the case that publishing is an opportunity to share what we’ve learned as part of an ongoing process of knowledge renewal? Yes, finding the time to write is difficult but academics aren’t opposed to the challenging work of thinking and writing and sharing.
We can do better in how we frame the work we do. We can be more supportive and encouraging for our less-experienced colleagues. And we can design systems that enable us to do productive work without the stress and emotional fatigue that comes with concerns about perishing.