The review, promotion, and tenure (RPT) process is central to academic life and workplace advancement. It influences where faculty direct their attention, research, and publications. By unveiling the RPT process, we can inform actions that lead towards a greater opening of research.

“Denying a professor tenure, Harvard sparks a debate over ethnic studies,” reads a New York Times story published in January 2020. “After twice being denied tenure, this Naval Academy professor says she is seeking justice,” a more recent headline proclaims. “Academic tenure: In desperate need of reform or of defenders?” asks another.

Six years ago, Juan Pablo Alperin and Stefanie Haustein sat down at a bar in Amsterdam after a full day of participating in a conference. They came for a drink and an opportunity to connect over shared interests, but they left with an ambitious plan that would change both of their careers. On the backs of beer napkins, a project aimed at understanding the societal impact of research with the help of altmetrics started to take shape.

Our lab is growing! In our Three Questions series, we’re profiling each of our members and the amazing work they’re doing. Today, we’re highlighting Michelle La, a master’s student studying the subculture of sneaker enthusiasts at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and a research assistant at the ScholCommLab.

In this keynote presented at the Atla 2019, Juan Pablo Alperin discusses the role of incentives in opening access to scholarly research.

In this keynote presented at the FSCI 2019, Juan Pablo Alperin discusses the role of incentives in opening access to scholarly research.

What research outputs do faculty believe are valued in RPT decisions? How do these beliefs affect where and what they publish?

By Juan Pablo Alperin, Esteban Morales and Erin McKiernan.  First published on the LSE Impact Blog on July 17, 2019.

The review, promotion, and tenure (RPT) process is one of the cornerstones of academic life, influencing how and where faculty focus their attention, direct their research, and publish their work. In a recent study, the ScholCommLab analyzed this process from a new perspective—textual analysis of a representative sample of RPT guideline and policy documents—to understand the incentive structures that reinforce traditional