Publish or Perish

Academic success is closely linked to research achievements. Promotions, research grants, and academic prizes are often granted based on the recipient’s publication record. Vice versa, academics who fail to publish regularly may have difficulties receiving funding for their research or reaching the next career step. In this sense, if academics do not publish, they will “perish.”

As an expression of the pressure perceived by many academics to publish as much as possible, the phrase “publish or perish” has been known since the first half of the 20th century. Today, debates on the pressure to publish often address the use of bibliometric measures more generally in the assessment or ranking of academics. Hence, this entry provides a brief overview of how publications, citations, publication venues, and author ...