Preparing for Tenure and Promotion
Preparing for tenure and promotion is a complex and time-intensive process. Set up citation tracking early and allow plenty of time for compiling your materials. Below are best practices and techniques to optimize your search results and efficiency. A Research Consultation with a librarian can provide additional guidance. Some things to keep in mind:
- A complete, accurate count of citing references is not always possible.
- Citation errors are common, leading to variations that can be difficult to track.
- Citation styles differ by publisher—search for different forms of author names and journal titles.
- Expect diminishing returns at a certain point in the tracking process.
- Tenure and promotion committees assess both quantifiable impact and qualitative peer review.
Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure (APT) Committees
- Check with your unit's APT committee and the Office of Faculty Affairs regarding policies on self-citations.
- Understand which resources your department recognizes. For example, does SCImago have credibility in your field? SCImago covers more journals (e.g., ~2x in dentistry) and may complement Journal Citation Reports (JCR) for journal impact analysis.
- Ultimately, using available data, you need to present a strong case for your scholarly impact.
Limitations of Databases and Tools
- No single database tracks all citing sources.
- Some subject databases have only recently started tracking references, meaning older publications may have limited citation data.
- Certain publication types—books, conference proceedings, and dissertations—are not well-covered.
- CAUTION: Avoid double counting. The same citing publication may appear in multiple sources. Use tools like Zotero or EndNote to manage references and remove duplicates.
- Different strategies are required for different databases.
Using Open Education Resources (OER) in Tenure Dossiers - see examples
See examples of how Open Educational Resources (OER) are incorporated into tenure and promotion cases:
