APPS 5.04.05 Research Guidance for Promotion and/or Tenure

PPS 5: Personnel Evaluation, Reappointment, Merit and Promotion Decisions 

APPS 5.04.05 Research Guidance for Promotion and/or Tenure 

During the tenure process, the research of tenure-track faculty will be evaluated by the tenured faculty. Such evaluations will, in some ways, be subjective. However, to help ensure that the tenure-track faculty and the tenured faculty have the same basic perspective, the following guidelines are provided to help tenure-track faculty understand what the tenured faculty believe are important research-relevant criteria in the process toward tenure. These guidelines are meant to encourage tenure-track faculty to engage in the types of research efforts that are most likely to withstand critical review by department, college, and university colleagues. 

For the greatest potential of success in the tenure process relative to research, a tenure-track faculty member should 

• Engage in research that makes a valuable and relevant contribution to the academic or professional body of accounting knowledge—either through the provision of new knowledge or the extension of existing knowledge. 
• Publish in peer-reviewed journals ranked in the top or mid-tier of the Departmental journal quality list. 
• Thorough literature reviews and rigorous methodology are indications of quality. 
• Engage in research that supports his/her teaching area(s). 
• Gain exposure for his/her research by publishing in a diverse portfolio of high-quality journals. 
• Be engaged in sole-authored research in addition to co-authored research. When engaged in co-authored research, a tenure-track faculty member should strive to work with a variety of co-authors rather than relying on a small, select number of colleagues. 
• Publish in high-quality journals in which that faculty member has no vested interest (such as being part of the editorial board). 
• Publish in journals that focus primarily on accounting rather than general business (or other business disciplines) topics. 
• Have a research portfolio that demonstrates competency with more than one research technique or methodology (empirical, archival, experimental, constructive, and conceptual as well as quantitative and qualitative). 
• Demonstrate a sustained pattern of research.