Negotiating the rapidly changing research, publishing, and career landscape

Abstract

The career prospects of tourism and hospitality academics have changed radically in the past 40 years, and this study examines how senior researchers, mid-career academics, and new and emerging scholars are negotiating the rapidly changing research, publishing, and ultimately career progression landscape. A total of 264 respondents were recruited via TRINET and CIRET. Respondents assessed their perceived pressures to adopt research and publishing approaches and provided career advice that were analyzed via content analysis. Collaboration, selection of journal, topic choice, and contribution to the field were highly ranked publishing advice from academics. Pressures to adopt authorship tactics were reported among new and emerging, and mid-career academics to maximize publication output. This study suggests academics may risk sacrificing longer-term career prospects for short-term survival as increased emphasis of performance metrics becomes more common, and considers the implications of shifting goal posts in research and publishing for the field.