The Philosophers' Cocoon

One response to “Do publications in lower-ranked journals hurt job candidates?”

1. Anonymous

   September 15, 2026

   Early in your career, when you have few publications, where you publish really matters. I have sat on hiring meetings where people dissect the various publication venues of applicants. There are two rules that seem to be appealed to most often in these discussions: (i) one is only as good as the best journal they have published in, and (ii) one is as bad as the worse journal they have published in.
   The first rule, (i) above, enables one to eliminate all those who are not publishing in the best of places. (so such a rule may tolerate a publication in a lower tier journal, provide one has one in the highest tier as well) The second rule, (ii) above, enables one to eliminate all those who published in a lower tier journal. (such a rule means you are damned for life if you ever bother publishing in journals below a certain rank).
   For the most part (with all the usual qualifications), if you are publishing in journals that the committee are unaware of, then it is very likely that where you publish will work against you. People will say: “never hard of it”. Indeed, in one department meeting I heard a job candidate described as a “bottom feeder” because of where he had published. They were fine journals, but not in the top-20.
   If you want your work read, cited, and to have an impact on scholarship, then try to place your papers in the highly regarded journals.*
   *note: I do have a paper in a lower tier journal that has been cited 140+ times. But that is anomalous.

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