Tenure Effects Academic Output: Study Reveals Key Trends

Researchers in the United States have found that tenure-track academics produce a higher volume of novel research but with diminishing impact after achieving tenure. This conclusion emerges from an analysis of the publication records of over 12,000 academics across 15 disciplines. The study, led by data scientist Giorgio Tripodi from Northwestern University, examined publication history five years before and after obtaining tenure, revealing significant trends in academic productivity.

The research indicates that publication rates tend to rise sharply during the tenure-track period, typically reaching their peak in the year preceding the granting of tenure. Following this period, the average publication rate stabilizes at a level consistent with the peak value. Tripodi notes, “Tenure in the US academic system is a very peculiar contract. It features a relatively long probation period followed by a permanent appointment, which is a strong incentive to maximize research output and avoid projects that are more likely to fail during the tenure track.”

Post-Tenure Trends Vary by Discipline

The study highlights a distinct pattern in research output after tenure, particularly among academics in non-laboratory-based fields. Disciplines like mathematics, business, economics, sociology, and political science experience a noticeable decrease in research productivity post-tenure. Conversely, academics in laboratory-based fields, such as physics, maintain publication rates that hover around their pre-tenure peaks.

Tripodi explains, “In lab-based fields, collaborative teams and sustained funding streams may help maintain high productivity post-tenure. In contrast, in more individual-centered disciplines like mathematics or sociology, where research output is less dependent on continuous lab operation, the post-tenure slowdown appears to be more pronounced.”

Impact and Novelty of Research Papers

The research team also analyzed the proportion of high-impact papers, defined as those in the top 5% of a field, revealing that researchers across all disciplines publish more high-impact papers before they achieve tenure than after. While the novelty of research, characterized by atypical combinations of work, increases over time, the most innovative papers generally emerge post-tenure.

Tripodi elaborates on this shift: “Once tenure and job security have been secured, the pressure to publish shifts towards other objectives. This change explains the plateau or decline seen in the publication data.” The findings suggest that tenure allows scientists to explore riskier research avenues and reorganize their research portfolios, potentially sacrificing some impact for the sake of innovation.

This study contributes to a growing understanding of how tenure systems influence academic productivity and innovation, prompting important discussions about the implications for research quality and the career trajectories of scientists in various fields.