Digital Scholarship in the Tenure, Promotion, and Review Process

To receive tenure college and university professors have long been required to write scholarly monographs or articles, engage in serious research, and teach effectively. In recent years, however, the emergence of digital scholarship has revolutionized - and complicated - the picture in unexpected ways as new electronic media have enabled academics to communicate scholarly material in innovative formats such as websites, PowerPoint presentations, CD-ROMs, and virtual reality "tours." Despite this growing output of sophisticated digital scholarship, there has been little attempt to set standards, define basic issues and concepts, or integrate electronic scholarship into the tenure debate. This collection of cutting-edge articles marks the first effort to evaluate the place of digital scholarship in the tenure, promotion, and review process. As a primer aimed at scholars, faculty members, and department chairs in the humanities, social sciences, and other fields, as well as deans, provosts, and university administrators, this collection examines the evolution of nontraditional scholarship, analyzes the various formats, and suggests guidelines for assessment on a scholarly level. It also examines the impact of digital scholarship in the classroom and academy and explores new directions for the future. This book will help shape policy in the murky world of tenure review and could become a central text for scholars and administrators everywhere.

Deborah Lines Andersen