Reading key publications
Browse for publications of interest
Each discipline area has its own set of scholarly publications. Many interdisciplinary journals address issues that draw from a number of disciplines. More general academic journals explore topics in the academy of interest to all faculty members. New faculty members benefit from reading a broad array of publications in the library or online until they settle on several of particular interest. Once settled on a few, be sure to revisit what is available regularly to stay aware of any new sources worth following up on.
Look to professional organizations
Higher education organizations, whether general or in specific disciplines, commonly publish journals containing articles of interest to their members. Their websites are likely to link to similar publications their members may find helpful. The goal of many of these organizations is to keep members informed about the latest research, governing updates, and advocacy activities that help faculty members stay aware of changes and evolving areas of emphasis in their areas of interest.
Look for collections of publications
Often libraries prepare lists of key publications in a field, or some departments or college campuses take on the task for themselves. Utilizing these collections offers a shorthand way to sift through the hundreds of potential publications you may regularly read. Since time is always a limitation, choosing those publications that others in the field have agreed are most helpful will be an efficient way to weed through and choose those to read regularly.
Ask colleagues in the field
As a new faculty member meeting colleagues in your areas of interest, related fields, or interdisciplinary areas, take the time to ask what publications they regularly read. A pattern will begin to emerge that indicates those that are most respected, well read and helpful for keeping up-to-date in the field. While there is some individual preference involved, veteran colleagues may provide helpful insights about where to invest the time and energy to stay current.
Browse library collections
While traveling to other campuses, make a point of visiting the library to browse collections of journals. Discipline librarians are an excellent source of information about which journals are most utilized and most respected in a particular area of interest. Often libraries provide links to electronic tools for staying updated. New faculty members would be well advised to talk with librarians about how to efficiently use the available tools.
Follow up with journals that publish articles of interest
Each time an interesting article comes to light, make a note of the publication it came from and investigate to learn more about the source. If a particularly interesting book comes to your attention, note the publisher and search their website for similar books. Use Amazon to look for book reviews, and be matched with similar types of publications other purchasers order. Search online for key words that may lead to other relevant publications. Accomplished faculty members search for new publications on a regular basis, and are therefore more informed about the issues, key questions, and most recent findings in the field.
Example Professional Organizations
About ED – Educational Associations and Organizations
U.S. Department of Education
This website contains links to information created and maintained by public and private organizations.
Higher Education Associations
Institute for Higher Education Policy
This site provides a list of Higher Education associations.
Example Higher Education Journal Databases
Higher Ed Journals and Publications
Beach, A.L., Department of Educational Leadership, Research, and Technology, Western Michigan University
This site offers a compilation of higher education journals with annotation.
Support for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
Illinois State University
SoTL has been developed out of work of the Carnegie Academy for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. This site lists organizations, journals, and programs that offer support related to SoTL by discipline.
Communication of Research
American Association Special Interest Group, American Educational Research Association
This site lists open access peer reviewed, scholarly, full text journals in the field of Education worldwide at no cost.
Journals in Higher Education
Center for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Virginia Tech
This site is dedicated to providing a listing and description of journals in higher education, especially those that focus on higher education pedagogy. JIHE is multi- disciplinary and international in scope, with a special focus on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
JSTOR
ITHAKA
This is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive of over one thousand academic journals and other scholarly content. It is available in ten languages.
Oxford Open
Oxford University Press
This global publisher offers open access to more than 90 journals drawn from every subject area.
Publications and Research
American Association of University Professors
This is a collection of publications of interest to higher education professionals.
Master Journal List
Thomson Reuters
This site offers a comprehensive list of journal titles, and an essay that describes the selection process used.
Arts and Humanities Citation Index
Source Publication List, Thomson Reuters
This index lists journals in the arts and humanities.
Science Citation Index Expanded
Source Publication List, Thomson Reuters
This index lists journals in science disciplines.
Social Sciences Citation Index
Journal Search, Thomson Reuters
Use this site to locate a journal in a particular subject category.
Genamics Journal Seek
Genamics, research from your desktop
This is a categorized database of freely available journal information available on the internet, including description, homepage link, subject category and ISSN for rapid identification of potential journals to publish in, and locate new journals of interest.
Example Journals
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Washington D.C.
This publication has various columns, blogs, databases, and links that address most issues facing higher education.
Journal of Higher Education
Baird, L.L., Editor, The Ohio State University
Founded in 1930, The Journal of Higher Ed is the leading scholarly journal on the institution of higher education, combining articles on disciplinary methods with critical insight while investigating issues important to faculty, administrators, and program managers.
AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom
American Association of University Professors
This new online journal focuses on scholarship about academic freedom and its relation to shared governance, tenure, and collective bargaining. This topic is typically scattered across a wide range of disciplines, and this journal is an attempt to bring all the efforts together.
