Research Expectations for Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty in English
Members of the English graduate faculty are aware of trends in their areas of expertise and engage professionally with others in their fields on a regular basis. Still, as a department, we think it is important for English graduate faculty members be able to illustrate their interest and engagement in some of the following ways:
The best evidence of professional engagement is publication in one’s fields, and other professional activity, while expected, cannot replace substantial, peer-reviewed publications that external reviewers recognize as a contribution to the faculty member’s field.
Supplemental evidences of research activity:
- Publishing peer-reviewed textbooks or equivalent course materials aimed at enhancing classroom instruction.
- Publishing peer-reviewed articles aimed to provide guidance for students studying a particular area, for instance, an article in a textbook, an essay in a student-companion type volume, or an entry for a student-oriented encyclopedia, or some equivalent publication aimed at enhancing student learning.
- Publishing reviews of recent publications, performances, or creative activities in the faculty member’s field
- Showing evidence of ongoing research by, for instance a. participating in a Works-In-Progress seminar or What’s New In Your Field b. participating in conferences, that is by writing papers, serving as a commentator, or organizing panels c. disseminating the results of research to public audiences
- Writing successful proposals for research grant competitions
- Directing theses and/or dissertations successfully
- Serving as a member of an editorial board
- Serving as an external reviewer for a journal, press, non-ISU award committee or jury
- Serving on the executive board of a professional association or organization
The last three of these are also forms of professional service, and illustrate the interrelatedness of our various activities.
A candidate for tenure and/or promotion or PPR will have a research program that is satisfactory if he/she has, since the time of hire or the last promotion, participated in at least three of the activities listed in 1-7 above and published or had accepted for publication at least 2 substantial, peer- reviewed articles or chapters in refereed books. (Participation may include more than one instance within a category, for instance, two conference papers and a Works-In-Progress.) For creative writers, this would include substantial publication in equivalent venues.
A candidate for tenure and/or promotion or PPR will have a research program that is superior if he/she has, since the last promotion or PPR, participated yearly in a few of the professional activities listed above and published or had accepted for publication a peer-reviewed book and/or at least four substantial peer-reviewed articles in his/her areas of expertise which are significant contributions to the candidate’s fields.
Candidates who meet these expectations merit tenure and/or promotion or successful PPR.
The English graduate faculty is also committed to continuing to encourage the university to provide incentives and rewards for outstanding members of the graduate faculty by providing additional salary increase at the time of promotion and periodic performance review, automatic course releases just before or after promotion, sabbaticals just after promotion, and/or additional research funds to seed or finish projects. The department chair may consider nominating faculty members whose research is deemed outstanding for one of the university’s Outstanding Researcher awards.
Adopted: October 13, 2006