Here is a post for my academic readers. Warning: It is long.
As we all know, faculty are evaluated for tenure and promotion based on three categories: teaching, service, and scholarship. Colleges weigh the “scholarship” category differently, depending on the nature of the institution. History departments at research universities usually require a book (sometimes more) for tenure and another one for promotion to full professor. Other departments are less demanding. But how does one measure what counts as “scholarship” in the field of history? I think we might all agree that an academic monograph or scholarly book should carry more weight than a published article or a conference paper. But how much more weight should it carry?
This morning I discovered a great answer to these questions in a post on the American Historical Society’s listserv for department chairs. The post was by Timothy Gilfoyle, the chair of the history department at Loyola-Chicago. Gilfoyle has designed a system to measure the weight of faculty scholarship in his department. Based on his metric (which I have posted in full below), a faculty is entitled to a 2-2 teaching load (two courses a semester) if over the course of seven years he or she are able to accumulate 140 research units. Faculty who accumulate between 40 and 139 research units are given a 3-2 load. Anyone under 40 research units will teach a 3-3 load. There are a host of exceptions and caveats, but you get the general idea. Here is the metric (please forgive some of the formatting errors).
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: LOYOLA-CHICAGO
STANDARDS FOR RESEARCH-INTENSIVE AND
RESEARCH-ACTIVE FACULTY
(adopted February 2010; revised July 2010)
In compliance with a request by the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, the History Department revises and recommends the following guidelines for evaluating (a) which members of the Department of History are “research intensive” (for the purposes of qualifying for a two-course per semester teaching load), (b) which members are “research active” (for a three-two teaching load), and (c) which members fall below the “research active” status (as required for a three-two load). The system outlined below is based on appropriate benchmarks for the evaluation of historical scholarship as developed by the American Historical Association.[1] The specific criteria incorporate a broad definition of scholarship and acknowledge the importance of creative collaboration, the interdisciplinarity of knowledge, and the wide variety of scholarly research made by historians and other scholars. The criteria emphasize the process of scholarship rather than simply the final product, thus covering a greater range of intensive research activity than simply scholarly monographs or journal articles. The point values imperfectly measure and assess the originality and degree of innovation manifested in the research activity, the difficulty of the research task accomplished, and the scope and importance of the research activity.
To qualify as “research intensive,” a faculty member must accumulate 140 points or “research units” over a seven year period. At least 120 research units must originate from publications in scholarly or history-related venues (designated by * below). To qualify as “research active, a faculty member must accumulate between 40 and 139 research units over a seven year period. At least 40 research units must originate from publications in scholarly peer-reviewed venues (designated by * below). Faculty who accumulate less than 40 research units will typically teach a 3-3 load, given that (a) one’s averaging below an article every 3.5 years is a sign of considerable inactivity in the area of research over seven years, and (b) such inactivity will leave considerable time for one’s making a larger contribution to the important area of undergraduate teaching.
As a general rule, faculty should average approximately 25 students per class. Research-intensive faculty with a 2-2 load should teach at least 100 students per year; research-active faculty with a 3-2 load should teach at least 125 students per year. Faculty with 3-3 teaching loads should teach at least 150 students per year; those with 4-4 loads, 200 students per year. Exceptions are granted with the approval of the chair and/or dean.
Upon evaluation a faculty member designated research-intensive or research-active will hold that privilege for three years, at which time they will be re-evaluated for research-intensive or research-active status. If a faculty member loses research-intensive or research-active status and then accumulates requisite number of research units before their periodic three-year review, they may petition the chair for evaluation to regain research-intensive or research-active status.
Advancement of Knowledge Research Units
*Scholarly books 100 (110 with dean’s approval)[2]
*Co-authored scholarly books 75 (85 with dean’s approval)
*Critical editions, translations 60-100 (with dean’s approval)
*Published oral history compilations 60
*Annotated published or on-line bibliographies or
databases 35
*Published institutional and other histories;
digital media products; exhibition scripts;
documentary film projects (based on primary research)
100,000 words or more[3] 100
50,000-99,000 words 75
25,000-49,999 words 50
17,000-24,999 words 35
10,000-16,999 words 25
5,000-9,999 words 20
2,000-4,999 words 15
50,000-99,000 words 75
25,000-49,999 words 50
17,000-24,999 words 35
10,000-16,999 words 25
5,000-9,999 words 20
2,000-4,999 words 15
*Co-authored published institutional and other histories;
digital media products; exhibition scripts;
documentary film projects (based on primary research)
100,000 words or more[4] 75
50,000-99,000 words 50
25,000-49,999 words 35
17,000-24,999 words 25
10,000-16,999 words 20
5,000-9,999 words 15
2,000-4,999 words 10
50,000-99,000 words 50
25,000-49,999 words 35
17,000-24,999 words 25
10,000-16,999 words 20
5,000-9,999 words 15
2,000-4,999 words 10
Recipient of a national grant or one in excess of
$50,000[5] 25
Recipient of a state or local grant, or one less than
$50,000 15
*Articles in refereed journals and vetted essay
collections[6]
(10,000 words or more) 25
(5,000-9,999 words) 20
(4,999 words or less) 15
*Co-authored articles in refereed journals and
vetted essay collections
(10,000 words or more) 20
(5,000-9,999 words) 15
(4,999 words or less) 10
*Articles by invitation in non-refereed journals/
essay collections/encyclopedias
(10,000 words or more) 20
(5,000-9,999 words) 15
(2,000-4,999 words) 10
*Co-authored articles by invitation in non-refereed
journals/essay collections/encyclopedias
(10,000 words or more) 15
(5,000-9,999 words) 10
(2,000-4,999 words) 5
*Revised or translated editions of previously
published books 15
Presenting a scholarly paper at workshop or
academic conference (counts one time)[7] 5
Reprinted articles 2
Application of Knowledge Research Units
*Public history research products, including:
cultural resource management reports,
expert reports to courts and judicial bodies,
contract research, exhibition reports, media
scripts, museum reports, curricula reports,
published teaching reports[8]
100,000 words or more 100
50,000-99,000 words 75
25,000-49,999 words 50
17,000-24,999 words 35
10,000-16,999 words 25
5,000-9,999 words 20
2,000-4,999 words 15
50,000-99,000 words 75
25,000-49,999 words 50
17,000-24,999 words 35
10,000-16,999 words 25
5,000-9,999 words 20
2,000-4,999 words 15
*Co-authored public history research products,
including: cultural resource management reports,
expert reports to courts and judicial bodies,
contract research, exhibition reports, media
scripts, museum reports, curricula reports,
published teaching reports[9]
100,000 words or more 75
50,000-99,000 words 50
25,000-49,999 words 35
17,000-24,999 words 25
10,000-16,999 words 20
5,000-9,999 words 15
2,000-4,999 words 10
50,000-99,000 words 50
25,000-49,999 words 35
17,000-24,999 words 25
10,000-16,999 words 20
5,000-9,999 words 15
2,000-4,999 words 10
Administration and management of
historical organizations and institutions 5-20 (with dean’s approval)
Unpublished oral history compilations 5-20 (with dean’s approval)
Scholarship presented to public; community service
drawing from scholarship
Keynote or Plenary Addresses 6
Consulting and providing expert testimony
on public policy and other matters 6
Contract research on policy formulation and
policy outcomes 6
Invited Lectures (longer than a conf. paper) 5
Public lectures 3
Editor of an academic/scholarly journal 25 (per 3-year term of service)
Associate Editor of an academic/scholarly journal 20 (per 3-year term of service)
Service on governing boards of scholarly
organizations or cultural institutions 10 (counts once per evaluation)
Service on editorial board of academic journal 10 (counts once per evaluation)
Article edited or peer reviewed 5
Guest editor of a special issue of an academic/
scholarly journal 25
Editor of a book series for an academic press 10
Peer review of a book manuscript for an academic
or other press 5
Peer review of an article manuscript for an academic
journal or publication 2
Peer review of a scholarly grant proposal 2
Integration of Knowledge Research Units
*Textbooks and surveys 60
*Edited collected articles or essays 40
*Edited textbook anthology 30
*Article in newspaper, magazine or other media
5,000 words or more 15
2,500-4,999 words or less 10
2,499 words or less 5
*Reviews, notes 5
Organizing an academic conference 5-10 (with dean’s approval)
Service on a program committee for a national,
international, regional, or field-related conference
or annual meeting 5
Organizing workshops or panels at academic
conferences; serving as a commentator 3
Confidential or public evaluation of a candidate
for tenure or promotion at another university 3
The above point allocations may be revised in special circumstances for an individual faculty member who petitions the Chair and Department Advisory Committee and provides evidence of research-intensive activity that may exceed the allocated point value.
A faculty member with research intensive status who assumes extensive administrative duties as Dean, Associate Dean, Chair, Graduate Program Director, or Undergraduate Program Director (or an equally demanding administrative position) will have the periodic review of their status extended by the length of their service.
[1] American Historical Association, Redefining Historical Scholarship: Report of the American Historical Association Ad Hoc Committee on Redefining Historical Scholarship (December 1993), available at: http://www.historians.org/PUBS/Free/RedefiningScholarship.htm
[2] Books that attract extraordinary attention – reviews in national media such as the New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, Wall Street Journal, or similar outlets, or win a significant prize – can earn 110 research units with approval of the Dean of CAS.
[3] This standard assumes journal and other publications have approximately 750 words per journal page, or 250-275 per typewritten manuscript page. A 10,000 word article is approximately 13-15 pages in a journal or other publication.
[4] This standard assumes journal and other publications have approximately 750 words per journal page, or 250-275 per typewritten manuscript page. A 10,000 word article is approximately 13-15 pages in a journal or other publication.
[5] National grants include (but are not limited to) monetary awards from: NEH, NEA, NIH, NSF, Fulbright, grants from other federal departments or agencies, Social Science Research Council, John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, American Council of Learned Societies, National Humanities Center, National History Center, international and national research libraries (i.e. Library of Congress, Folger Shakespeare Library, Huntington Library, American Antiquarian Society, Newberry Library, New York Public Library). “National” is defined here on the basis of the applicant pool and recipients.
[6] “Refereed” is defined to include journals, presses, and other publications with a general policy of submitting manuscripts to external readers for peer-review evaluation, even if they publish some articles, special issues, or books by invitation.
[7] The same paper or essay may be delivered at more than one conference or lecture, but can only count one time.
[8] Such products should include some form of independent review in order to insure quality control, i.e. rebuttle reports in court and judicial proceedings; or internal peer or staff reports for work submitted to government agencies, cultural institutions or non-profit organizations. Faculty members should be prepared to submit such external documentation. If no independent review is available, the research product cannot receive more than 20 points, irrespective of length.
[9] Such products should include some form of independent review in order to insure quality control, i.e. rebuttle reports in court and judicial proceedings; or internal peer or staff reports for work submitted to government agencies, cultural institutions or non-profit organizations. Faculty members should be prepared to submit such external documentation. If no independent review is available, the research product cannot receive more than 20 points, irrespective of length.
**Posted with the permission of Dr. Timothy Gilfoyle.
If “Article in newspaper, magazine or other media” includes professionally related blog articles then I am very pleased as I think that profs should be expected to find a good way to communicate their scholarship to lay people. Such seems especially appropriate in some areas such as theology, history… although rather harder in areas like mathematics and engineering. Colleges supported by Christian denominations should have a special motivation in this regard.
Dave