Productivity of Criminal Justice Scholars Across the Career

From the moment young scholars enter the academy, they are cautioned that they should be prepared to "publish or perish." Because a demonstrable record of scholarly publication is arguably the most important consideration at most universities and colleges that award tenure, junior faculty would be advised to heed that caution. But is there a reduction in pressure post‐tenure, and if so, does this result in a reduction in the publication productivity of faculty members? In this study, we collected and coded data on the publications of criminology and criminal justice scholars over time to determine whether tenure and promotion negatively impact publication productivity. The data, drawn from a random sample of ASC and ACJS members, were coded annually, and careers were tracked in 5‐year increments. Our findings indicate that, contrary to popular belief, the productivity of criminal justice scholars tends to initially increase post‐tenure and then stabilize as the career progresses. The findings also suggest that those affiliated with research‐oriented universities are more productive (in terms of publications) than are those at other types of institutions, and that highly productive scholars have a substantial influence on the average publication rates of scholars at research‐oriented institutions.