Business and Management INK

Jerry Davis asks “Why Do We Still Have Journals?”

May 21, 2014 975
book-look-1382050-m

Gerald F. Davis, editor of Administrative Science Quarterly, explores this question in his editorial essay from the June issue of from Administrative Science Quarterly.

The abstract:

ASQ_v59n2_Jun2014_cover.indd

The Web has greatly reduced the barriers to entry for new journals and other platforms for communicating scientific output, and the number of journals continues to multiply. This leaves readers and authors with the daunting cognitive challenge of navigating the literature and discerning contributions that are both relevant and significant. Meanwhile, measures of journal impact that might guide the use of the literature have become more visible and consequential, leading to “impact gamesmanship” that renders the measures increasingly suspect. The incentive system created by our journals is broken. In this essay, I argue that the core technology of journals is not their distribution but their review process. The organization of the review process reflects assumptions about what a contribution is and how it should be evaluated. Through their review processes, journals can certify contributions, convene scholarly communities, and curate works that are worth reading. Different review processes thereby create incentives for different kinds of work. It’s time for a broader dialogue about how we connect the aims of the social science enterprise to our system of journals.

Read “Why Do We Still Have Journals?” from Administrative Science Quarterly for free by clicking here. Want to know about all the latest from Administrative Science Quarterly? Click here to sign up for e-alerts!

Business and Management INK puts the spotlight on research published in our more than 100 management and business journals. We feature an inside view of the research that’s being published in top-tier SAGE journals by the authors themselves.

View all posts by Business & Management INK

Related Articles

We Disagree to Agree: A Call to Apply Agreement Metrics More Extensively for Advancing Management Theory
Business and Management INK
July 25, 2024

We Disagree to Agree: A Call to Apply Agreement Metrics More Extensively for Advancing Management Theory

Read Now
Rethinking Approaches to Management Research During Times Marked by Rare, Yet Increasingly Impactful Events
Business and Management INK
July 23, 2024

Rethinking Approaches to Management Research During Times Marked by Rare, Yet Increasingly Impactful Events

Read Now
Funny or Functional: Customer Engagement in Hedonic vs. Utilitarian Services
Business and Management INK
July 22, 2024

Funny or Functional: Customer Engagement in Hedonic vs. Utilitarian Services

Read Now
‘Push, Pull, Dance’: Public Health Procurement – Saving Lives and Preventing Harm
Business and Management INK
July 18, 2024

‘Push, Pull, Dance’: Public Health Procurement – Saving Lives and Preventing Harm

Read Now
Leading Boards in Chaos and Uncertainty? Have an Enlightened Approach

Leading Boards in Chaos and Uncertainty? Have an Enlightened Approach

This article addresses the pivotal question of what sets well-governed companies apart from those jeopardizing stakeholders’ wealth and well-being, and argues that the key to sustainability and effective governance lies in the presence of an enlightened chair.

Read Now
Studying Leadership Coaching in the Workplace

Studying Leadership Coaching in the Workplace

Tatiana Bachkirova and Peter Jackson reflect on coaching and other factors that led to the publishing of their research article, “What do leaders really want to learn in a workplace? A study of the shifting agendas of leadership coaching,”

Read Now
The Case of Leftist Governments in Chile and Uruguay

The Case of Leftist Governments in Chile and Uruguay

In this article, Juan Bogliaccini and Aldo Madariaga explore leftist governments in peripheral economics — the topic of their recently published article, […]

Read Now
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments