‘Publish or perish’
Credit to Author: JESUS JAY MIRANDA JR. OP| Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2020 16:55:39 +0000
In higher education today, the aphorism “publish or perish” exasperates many educators. It sounds fairly like a threat or a callous meter for one’s worth in the academe. It sums up the increasing pressure on both higher learning institutions and its faculty to produce research that is relevant, useful, unique and, at times, profitable, too.
To be true, meeting the criteria alone is not easy. How much more difficult can those get when educators compete with other scholars across continents for a space in small selections of reputable journals? This unenviable task of conducting and writing the study, while working against time and opportunity that is made heavier by the risk of losing one’s job, is a reality for many of our educators.
At times, even if their work sees print, people in the academe do disservice to researchers and educators by taking their studies for granted or, worse, immediately dismissing these as “low impact” or “trivial.” In the public sphere, many of us still prove to be ignorant about the nature of research, its purpose and the benefits society can get from it. Sometimes, researchers and their works only come to mind when we start looking for band-aid solutions for daunting situations. Then, we get surprised by the data available, which could have prevented or mitigated, for example, the effects of tragic events.
The eruption of Taal Volcano reminds us of the importance of research. I have seen studies in the University of Santo Tomas conducted by its faculty and graduate students. These discuss the ecology surrounding the volcano, including biodiversity in its important lake. The studies, which have been continuously updated for many years now, have been noting critical points for risk reduction efforts by the stakeholders of that area of Batangas.
Meanwhile, historical records describe the previous eruptions of the volcano, which include its chronology, the death tolls, the destroyed properties and lands, and the long-term effects of the destructive natural phenomenon. These must be preserved and reviewed in contemporary studies to perpetuate the knowledge on this active volcano for the sake of future generations.
For sure, the researchers of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology have conducted several researchers to understand better the behavior of the Taal Volcano so as to prepare the people for and save them from any possible volcanic activity.
People need to understand and appreciate researchers. In the conduct of their study, researchers hurdle challenges — from physical discomfort to procedural glitches and even emotional problems. They can work for hours every day under the heat of the sun, expose themselves to hazards in laboratories to advance technology, or endure browsing through thousands of old documents in archives, then present the results of their research in the most effective way possible.
These tough realities make our teacher-researchers become even more admirable. They somehow give a different meaning to publish or perish.
Publication is not the end of their research. For them, aiming alone to have one’s studies ending up in high-impact journals or books is mere vanity. The gems of higher education research and publish not to bask in prestige or retain their jobs to ensure that they have food on their table. Rather, they do so because of their personal resolve to produce knowledge so that society will not “perish.” Many of them have the best interest of society at heart.
Based on last year’s record, the Philippines only has an average of 189 researchers per 1 million Filipinos. In other nations, these are the averages for every 1 million of their population: Israel has 8,300 researchers; South Korea, 6,900 researchers; Singapore, 6,700 researchers; Malaysia, 2,100 researchers; and Thailand, 974 researchers.
Much is left to be desired for this country. May the tribe of competent, compassionate and committed researchers increase!
Jesus Jay Miranda, OP is the secretary-general of the University of Santo Tomas (UST). He holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management (ELM) and teaches at the Graduate School of UST and the ELM Department of the Bro. Andrew Gonzalez, FSC–College of Education of De La Salle University-Manila. Contact him at jaymiranda.op@ust.edu.ph.