Publish or Perish? A Content Analysis of Scholarship Criteria in R1 Academic Libraries' Promotion and Tenure Documentation

This study sought to understand how R1 libraries define scholarship and creative activities and how they address quality of scholarship through a content analysis of promotion and tenure documentation. Peer review is the most common indicator of quality mentioned in the documents, followed by the geographical reach of scholarship and originality of the research. Other common scholarship criteria included the need to demonstrate sustained scholarship activity, while discussions of open access research were rare. Academic libraries that offer promotion and tenure should evaluate their documentation to ensure they provide clarity to candidates and are up to date.