Efficiency of “Publish or Perish” Policy—Some Considerations Based on the Uzbekistan Experience

Abstract

Researchers from Uzbekistan are leading the global list of publications in predatory journals. The current paper reviews the principles of implementation of the “publish or perish policy” in Uzbekistan with an overarching aim of detecting the factors that are pushing more and more scholars to publish the results of their studies in predatory journals. Scientific publications have historically been a cornerstone in the development of science. For the past five decades, the quantity of publications has become a common indicator for determining academic capacity. Governments and institutions are increasingly employing this indicator as an important criterion for promotion and recruitment; simultaneously, researchers are being awarded Ph.D. and D.Sc. degrees for the number of articles they publish in scholarly journals. Many talented academics have had a pay rise or promotion declined due to a short or nonexistent bibliography, which leads to significant pressure on academics to publish. The “publish or perish” principle has become a trend in academia and the key performance indicator for habilitation in Uzbekistan. The present study makes a case for re-examining the criteria set by the Supreme Attestation Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan for candidates applying for Ph.D. and D.Sc. as well as faculty promotion requirements in the light of current evidence for the deteriorating academic performance of scholars.

Applying quantified indicators in Central Asian science: can metrics improve the regional research performance?

“…The model shows a good fit this time (R-squared > 0.7) to present a worrying conclusion to the relevant ministry that the national research impact significantly declined in the 2010s despite growing before. Eshchanov (2021) similarly identified the breakpoint and associated it with the open access model and predatory publishing. The finding would warrant further investigation.…”

“…Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan started requiring publications in journals with a positive impact factor for faculty hiring and promotion in 2011 and 2015, correspondingly (Kuzhabekova & Ruby, 2018b). The Supreme Attestation Commission of Uzbekistan revised a list of journals to publish the results of dissertations for obtaining doctoral degrees in the 2010s, making an effort to include reputable international journals (Eshchanov et al, 2021). No accurate data has been available on the prevalence of using research metrics for promotion and funding in Turkmenistan and, partially, Tajikistan, to the best of the author's knowledge; the limited results of interviews conducted by the author with representatives of the local science sectors suggest the evaluations there are still led mainly by judgment rather than data.…”

“…Meanwhile, Uzbekistan imposed unsustainable targets of annual publication for researchers' promotion and bonuses, leading to the prevalence of publishing in predatory journals (Eshchanov 2021). In contrast, publication in impact factor journals at Kazakhstan's universities was not necessarily linked to promotion but could lead to salary increases (Kuzhabekova & Ruby, 2018a).…”

“…Uzbekistan's recent experience illustrates the dangers of focusing on a single required number of publications in a given period. Defending a doctoral dissertation in the country needed at least ten scientific publications (including one international), and attestation of researchers required two publications (Eshchanov et al, 2021). Such strict requirements, as even the experienced researchers in developed countries would probably attest, seem unrealistically high for many scholars when it comes to publishing only in reputable journals.…”

“…To the best of the authors' knowledge, the most recent reports about Central Asia' 's research output in its entirety as a separate region provided only a limited comparison within the area without a detailed analysis of quantified indicators (Ovezmyradov & Kepbanov, 2020UNESCO, 2016). There exist peer-reviewed studies employing a bibliometric analysis to provide specific comparisons within and between countries in the region, but their main focus is either individual countries or generally foreign research on Central Asia (Wang et al, 2015;Kuzhabekova & Ruby, 2018b;Cмaгyлoв et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2019;Eshchanov et al, 2021). Meanwhile, this less-known part of the world presents an intriguing case for scientometrics to study.…”