Students spend most of their academic careers looking for ways to become stronger and more competitive within their discipline. Whether by volunteering, joining extracurricular activities, or conducting research, students feel the need to check off all of these imaginary boxes to display their academic value. A popular concept, especially in STEM, is publishing academic work. In fact, the notion of “publish or perish” has been engraved in the minds of many students. This aphorism expresses the idea that in order to succeed academically, students need to publish work.
Written by Navreen Dosanjh
The Benefits of This System
Just like other extracurriculars, publishing academic work is very promising. It serves as a motivator to help students produce well written, quality projects.
Producing work can also help students remember to be accurate and accountable in their writing. By making sure to edit and get second opinions, students become more articulate, attentive, and cautious.
Published work also serves as the main way for experts to communicate, regarding their findings. In the same sense, students can gain connections through their discoveries, which may become important when looking to expand their network of contacts and bolster their reputation.
The Downside To Publishing
Although publishing work is very favourable for a student’s academic career, it can be strenuous to do. Students often face stress and anxiety when producing academic work. There is great pressure involved in making sure a piece of work is valid and innovative, while operating within a strict time limit.
Additionally, students can become obsessed with the concept of publishing to the point where greater amounts of lower quality work are put out. This concept of ‘quantity over quality’ can get in the way of students producing their best work, which can in turn have a negative impact on their academic path. Pupils need to make sure that relevant and valuable writing is produced to uplift their applications when applying for scholarships and grants, as well as to become recognized and respected in their field.
Conclusion
The concept of “publish or perish” in academia can have a positive or negative impact, based on how a student approaches the system. Although getting published is a great way to get involved with your discipline and community, along with gaining valuable skills and building connections, students need to ensure that they are ready for this responsibility. Publishing work has a significant positive impact when it is of exceptional quality and has been edited and revised for validity and precision. Sometimes publishing can cause detrimental pressure and stress - in that case, there are many other things that students can do, such as volunteering, getting involved in school, and researching. There is no perfect path to success - the journey will look different for everyone, and recognizing that growth and prosperity can be found outside of traditional systems is imperative for succeeding in STEM.
Works Cited
CollegeInfoGeek. (n.d.). Essential Books for Students [Image]. Retrieved from https://images.app.goo.gl/8X3csD9wXEQgKPjG9
Dale, D. (January 22). 5 things academics need to know when they become data scientists [Image]. Retrieved from https://images.app.goo.gl/gaQ9Pny7AWwXgrEw9
Scribendi. (2020). Publish or Perish: How to Survive In Academia. Scribendi. https://www.scribendi.com/academy/articles/publish_or_perish.en.html
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Publish or perish. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publish_or_perish#:~:text=%22Publish%20or%20perish%22%20is%20an,succeed%20in%20an%20academic%20career.&text=Journals%20can%20be%20measured%20by,published%20in%20a%20particular%20journal.
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