The first thing that attracts an academic in wanting to get published in Scopus indexed journals is the monetary reward. Ateneo de Davao University, for instance, pays 30k per article, now increased to 40k. It gives a monetary reward for only one article annually so that if you have multiple publications in a year, you only get awarded in the succeeding years. Other schools give bigger incentives and multiple incentives in one year. A lot of this has something to do with the school budget. Nevertheless, it is critique that a school has the right ecosystem for a researcher to flourish. Ateneo gives a lot of freedom to its faculty in terms of pursuing their interests, although the school gives guidance in terms of research thrusts and accepted topics.
But what is the point of publishing in high-impact indexed journals? It is not just the monetary incentive. My point is this. For instance, if you or your school wants to at least be at par with the best schools or scholars in Manila in terms of publications, you have to publish in international, peer-reviewed, and Scopus indexed journals, or SCI (Science Citation Index) for the hard sciences. This is because provincial schools do not have the same reputation as the elite schools in the capital. I have nothing against publishing in local journals. I don’t also think it’s right to require teachers to publish in high impact journals. But if you have a very good paper and feel so confident about your work, why not?
I have given talks on publishing in high impact journals but every time I do so, I seem not to follow my slides. The reason is that what comes to mind are the experiences that I have had. Publishing is not just about accomplishing a work requirement, although it is a priority when it comes to tenure. In universities abroad, especially in the developed world, one cannot get a permanent university position if you have not published. Scopus and SCI indexed journals, hence, serve is the standard in terms of how well one does in university research work, although there are other factors when it comes to being a competent academic, e.g. instruction and extension.
Passion is important, but a lot about publishing has something to do with culture and the conducive environment where an academic can thrive. Without any support from the administration of any school, whether private or public, it will be difficult for a young teacher to find enough courage to engage in research activities or even write a paper. Writing, however, is actually free but you need novel ideas and the time to be able to write if you so desire. In fact, the papers that you present during conferences are supposed to end up as published work. These events allow you to engage with experienced academics, including experts on a particular topic. The criticism should help you improve your paper.
Another factor is international contacts. For many years, I have engaged with foreign scholars and they have been generous with their time and ideas. I am grateful to have known and worked with top-tier global scholars such as Thomas Pogge (Yale), Darryl Macer (AUSN), John Weckert (Charles Sturt University), Wataru Kusaka (Nagoya and TUFS), Juichiro Tanabe (Waseda), Layne Hartsell (Chulalongkorn), Daniel Mishori (Tel Aviv), and Goran Collste (Linkoping University). This is an aspect that local academics can explore, but a lot of it has something to do also with support from one’s school for the opportunity to come into reality.
The bigger issue when it comes to publishing in good journals is this. If we do not upgrade our research culture in the provinces, we will continue to be second fiddle to top schools and academic elites who claim supremacy over us. Young academics must not fall into the trap of thinking that Scopus indexed journals are bad. How can Oxford, Springer, Cambridge, or even Sage journals be bad when their editors are the best in the field? Indeed, you get rejected sometimes. But if you want to be different from those who easily get discouraged, nothing replaces hard work, ambition, and a strong will to succeed.
