Applying Boyer’s Categories: Embracing Digital Creation as a Distinct Form of Scholarship for Promotion and Tenure

The proliferation of digital platforms has transformed how knowledge is created, shared, and evaluated in academic medicine. Although Boyer’s framework of scholarship has long guided academic recognition, digital scholarship challenges traditional paradigms centered on print publications and conferences. This commentary argues that digital scholarship satisfies Boyer’s framework and should be recognized in promotion and tenure. Digital-first creation, interactivity, and flexibility enable engagement, collaboration, and dissemination, yet institutional recognition remains limited. We propose a framework to evaluate quality, reach, and impact using traditional and alternative metrics, including peer review and engagement analytics, while addressing challenges of literacy, ethics, and intellectual property.