The publish or perish aphorism declares publishing a condition for survival in academe. It resonates with the imperatives of neoliberalism that privilege individual success, entrepreneurship, prestige, promotion (self- and institutional) and monetary gain. In this article, I contribute to the vast debates about this aphorism by arguing that its…

Research practices in Arab universities, especially the use of qualitative methods, tend to fall behind international standards of excellence; hence, the relatively small number of qualitative journal articles published by Arab academics. Conducting research in Palestine is particularly problematic due to the continued Israeli occupation and its…

Publication in 'reputable', peer-reviewed and indexed journals has become a key requirement for promotion and career advancement in African universities. There is little research into how bibliometric measures of journal reputation are shaping the publishing strategies and practices of Africa-based researchers. This study, drawing on 43 in-depth…

This study aims to advance global readers' understanding of the scholarly publishing (SP) activity system experienced by six English language teaching (ELT) Indonesian lecturers using the activity theory as a framework that focuses on its concepts of contradiction, boundary objects, and boundary crossing. Semi-structured interviews were used to…

The peer review of journal article manuscripts is a complex and emotionally fraught process. This article draws on how 25 academic authors used metaphor to describe their experiences of manuscript peer review. A critical analysis of these metaphors provided insight into the structures, relationships of power, and their emotional impacts. Over…

Adopting 'vulnerability' as an analytical lens and informed by a qualitative case study approach, the present study investigates two Chinese scholars' academic writing and publishing practice. The findings reveal different sources and forms of vulnerability that influenced the participants' professional engagements, social interactions and…

In the current performative climate of higher education, where academic outputs are highly valorised, professional academic writing has become 'high stakes' and is often framed as fraught with tension and anxiety. In this article, we contest the phrase 'publish or perish' and argue that is not necessarily helpful or, indeed, always true. Through…

Academics working in higher education institutions often take part in research activities as part of their role and are often under pressure to publish papers and source grant funding. In addition, academics going through the peer review process often experience negative feedback, criticism, and rejection on a regular basis. In this initial,…

The study of higher education journals--that is, refereed academic journals wholly focused on higher education--reveals much about the field of higher education research. This analysis identified 86 such journals published in the English language, considering their focus, ownership, location, orientation, age, size and ranking. From this analysis,…

Academic networks have been found to play a significant role in career trajectory via employment opportunities, publishing openings, or being alerted to prospects not widely advertised. These results are reflective of Bourdieu's notion that social capital can see an individual's position within a field (in this article the field of academia)…

Over the past decade, an increasing number of overseas Chinese PhD graduates have returned to China to develop their career. For these academic returnees, one of the challenges is to (re)construct an academic identity in a familiar context that is also strange because they have been absent for a few years. In this autobiographical paper, the…

The Thesis by Publication (TBP) is an approach to doctoral education that offers the advantage of achievement of a doctoral degree while at the same time facilitating development of transferable knowledge and skills necessary to enter and sustain a career in contemporary academia. There is a need to build deeper understanding of the demands of the…

This study draws upon motivation theories and identifies the motivations of Chinese scholars with regard to publishing articles in international journals and how their motivations influence the research output of Chinese universities. Drawing on 25 in-depth interviews with academics currently working in two Chinese universities, the findings,…

Educational scholarship is used by practitioners, policy makers, and scholars to shape educational practices. Since education takes place across the globe and incorporates students from a wide variety of backgrounds, educational scholarship should incorporate diverse perspectives. This study examines how institutionally and internationally diverse…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between organizational culture and academic performance among higher education institutions. The sample was composed of 647 faculty members working in the colleges of education, health, engineering, law, economics, and administrative sciences in four central research universities in…