Gaming and Performance Metrics in Higher Education
Title: Gaming and Performance Metrics in Higher Education: The Consequences of Journal Lists
Professor Margaretha Järvinen has together with professor Nanna Mik-Meyer, CBS published a new article in the journal Sociology. The article analyses ‘gaming’ in higher education as a response to performance metrics. It shows how scholars react to journal lists that define appropriate outlets for their research. Two types of gaming are identified: the adaptation of research methods and topics to align with the perceived ideals of top US journals, and strategic networking with editors and potential reviewers before submitting articles to prestigious journals.
The study is based om qualitative interviews with 173 associate and full professors in economics, political science and sociology in Denmark. It problematises journal lists, focusing on their reported negative consequences: instrumental reliance on publication networks, a homogenisation of research, and unequal career possibilities for scholars working with different research topics and methods.
Link to journal: Gaming and Performance Metrics in Higher Education: The Consequences of Journal Lists
Link to authors’ final version: https://researchprofiles.ku.dk/da/publications/gaming-and-performance-metrics-in-higher-education-the-consequenc