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Ideal publication record for getting a non-R1 job?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader writes:

What's an ideal publication record for someone who's not aiming to end up at an R1 institution?

Here's why I ask: I just defended, and I lucked out to get a one year postdoc that's research oriented. I've also been lucky, in that I've had success publishing (3 publications in journals that are top ranked in my field… however my PhD isn't from a notable department). I've got more papers I could send out to journals. However, my worry is that if I publish too much, too soon, I might make myself look unattractive for jobs that are teaching orientated (even though I've taught a fair amount too). Might I inadvertently give the impression to search committees at teaching schools that I'm only interested in research? Honestly, I'd be perfectly happy in a dept. without big research expectations – not to mention, because my PhD isn't from top tier department, it's really unlikely I'd ever be able to land anything close to an R1 job anyhow.

What's the best approach to take?

This is an excellent question – though I'm not sure there is anything remotely like a determinate answer to it. For example, the OP notes that they already have 3 publications in journals that are top-ranked in their field. While I suspect a publication record like this may already price the OP out of some jobs–specifically, jobs at small, non-elite SLACs whose focus is on teaching–I suspect there are plenty of other non-R1s where those kinds of publications are likely to be looked upon favorably. Indeed, my sense is that research expectations and norms can differ dramatically across non-R1 jobs. So, I'm not sure there's an 'ideal publication record' for getting a non-R1 job. Rather, I suspect that something like the following rule of thumb is the best way for candidates to think: the more highly-ranked publications you get, the less you may look like a good 'fit' for a non-R1; the more lower-ranked publications you get, the more you may look like a 'good fit' for non-R1 jobs. Here's some anecdotal data for thinking this is true, and it certainly fits with my experience on the market.

But these are just my thoughts. What are yours? It might be especially good to hear from people who have served on hiring committees at non-R1's, as well as from people who got jobs at non-R1's on what their publication records were like at the time they were hired!

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7 responses to “Ideal publication record for getting a non-R1 job?”

  1. Big State

    I have served on a SC at a teaching focused state school without a graduate program. The OP would only benefit from publishing in top journals by my colleagues’ lights. I should add that our university is in a very desirable part of the US so my colleagues have not even mentioned flight risk as a consideration. At our institution, as long as a candidate makes clear they are interested in teaching and that they are prepared to teach, an excellent publication record will not count against them.
    All this said, I think Marcus’ view of how publication records relate to success at teaching focused schools is largely correct.

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  2. Seasoned Veteran

    I do not share Marcus’s suspicion that three highly-ranked publications makes you non-competitive for non-elite SLACs. I know people who were hired at such places with such publication records. Maybe six or seven such publications would start to raise worries about fit, but not three, given the glut of amazing candidates on the market. Of course, you need teaching experience and skills to get hired at such places, so three highly ranked pubs won’t get you hired. They just won’t prevent you from being hired.
    I was hired by an R2/R3 recently. I got a sense of who my fellow finalists were after I was hired. We all had 5+ good publications. Three pubs isn’t going to price you out of those kinds of jobs.
    One thing you might not have considered: I spent a few years bouncing around at VAP’s and such before getting hired on the tenure-track. I mined the heck out of my dissertation in my VAP time for publications and had great success getting articles published. Now I’m on the tenure-track, and I’m having to work up new stuff in order to satisfy tenure requirements. If I had held a couple of papers back, I might have an easier time putting together a tenure file. On the other hand, if I had held a couple of papers back, I might not have gotten hired. So, this is another consideration to include in your calculus.

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  3. Evan

    If a teaching-focused school’s primary aim is teaching more so than research, then you can balance out those ‘prestigious’ publications with 1) a good teaching portfolio/evidence of teaching effectiveness, 2) some teaching awards to put on your C.V. and 3) a convincing teaching statement. Don’t take this one for granted since this is your chance to explain yourself to them. I’ve read some teaching statements that were so vague and cliche. As a result, I was left unconvinced by them.
    My other advice is to look at the C.V.s and personal websites of these philosophy professors at these teaching-focused schools you want to be hired at. If you feel like your teaching portfolio and C.V. are not as strong as theirs, then that can be an indicator that you need more work or experience in that realm. See these professors at these schools as a model for how you should be. But of course, also be true to yourself. You don’t want to and should not rid yourself of all your individuality.
    So long as you meet their necessary expectations, I think ‘prestigious’ publications are considered the ‘cherry on top.’ It’s nice to have, but not necessary.

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  4. SC member at CDSU

    A PhD from a non-notable department, a few publications in top journals in your field, and a decent amount of teaching experience would make you a great fit at my institution, Cardinal Direction State U (CDSU).
    The main sticking point – for us – would not be the publications. Most of us have also published in the top journals in our field, but due to various factors – ranging from family situations to the horrid job market – we’re still here. The bigger problem might be teaching experience; but, if you’ve done a fair amount of it, and can demonstrate that you can teach the things we need taught, you’ve got a good shot.
    Seasoned Veteran has a good point about the paper submission gamble; some institutions (like mine) only ‘count’ publications for tenure if they were accepted while under contract with that institution. This can make things difficult if you are trying to publish on a new research project while adjusting to teaching 4/4 and doing a bunch of service.

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  5. Shay Logan

    One note: I think we need to strongly discount our pre-covid intuitions about these matters. Search committees are even more disastrously flooded this year (and likely for years to come) than they were before. The amount to which 3+ pubs (e.g.) stands out will be different when that puts you in the top 2% than when it barely helps you crack the top 20%. As a result, my guess is the extent to which it makes committees think you’ll be problematic in some way (flight risk, not focused on teaching, whatever) is likely going to be entirely different.
    This, sadly, is probably true across the board right now: the only advice anyone can give you is about what things were like pre-covid, and all such advice should be taken with a large grain of salt.

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  6. slactt

    FWIW, I had three publications, all respectable but none elite, when I was hired (in 2015) into a tenure-track job at a top-twenty SLAC. I did not get the impression that more (or more elite) publications would have been a problem there at all. However, I also received an offer from a non-elite SLAC during that market run, and I later learned that the search chair at that department called my PhD supervisor to make sure that I wouldn’t be too focused on research at the expense of teaching. According to my supervisor, it was my three publications that raised a red flag at the non-elite SLAC.
    My experience may have been unusual, and, in any event, I’m sure COVID has hugely affected all dimensions of hiring. Nevertheless, I figure my experience can serve as at least one useful data point.

    Reply
  7. Michel

    An anecdatum: I didn’t have much teaching experience when I was hired to my 4-4 non-degree program with zero research expectations (I’d taught twice and TAed a ton). I did, however, have five publications, two of which were in a top specialist journal and one of which was in a T10 generalist journal (I would also have had one forthcoming in a top specialist journal, if memory serves).
    They hired me anyway, in part because I’d put a lot of effort into my teaching materials. But also because I showed that I was committed to staying on a while if I could. The publications did not count against me at all (from what I’ve heard since, they may actually have helped a little).
    I’m on a search committee this semester, and while we haven’t all compared notes yet, I don’t think publications of any sort are being or would be held against anyone. We’re looking for someone with a wide range of teaching interests who will ideally stick around a few years. The publication count doesn’t seem to matter much to anyone.
    I wouldn’t generalize from my anecdote. But there are definitely teaching-focused places out there that don’t really mind much one way or the other.

    Reply

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