The game of academic publishing: a review of gamified publication practices in the social sciences
In the last decades, academic publishing in the Social Sciences has experienced a shift toward research management by non-academic stakeholders and performance-based funding systems (PBFSs). The resulting conditions of knowledge production and dissemination are increasingly described with “game” met...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Communication |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1323867/full |
| _version_ | 1797348606748917760 |
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| author | Nathalie Ann Köbli Luisa Leisenheimer Mira Achter Teresa Kucera Cornelia Schadler |
| author_facet | Nathalie Ann Köbli Luisa Leisenheimer Mira Achter Teresa Kucera Cornelia Schadler |
| author_sort | Nathalie Ann Köbli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the last decades, academic publishing in the Social Sciences has experienced a shift toward research management by non-academic stakeholders and performance-based funding systems (PBFSs). The resulting conditions of knowledge production and dissemination are increasingly described with “game” metaphors. This article provides a literature review of research concerning publishing in the Social Sciences and discusses how gamification becomes a key element. Quantifying publication outcomes to assess and financially incentivize research performance results in a highly competitive playing field where access to goods and services is denied to those who play the game poorly. The pressure to publish leads to unethical behavior and predatory publishing which are two side-effects of gamified practices. The reviewed literature also shows unequal starting conditions in terms of gender and language inequalities, as well as the dominance of the Global North. We conclude that the gamification of publication practices in the Social Sciences leads to stressful and dreadful environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T12:07:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4b1e07c5b7a041188416f037ce95fec7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-900X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T12:07:37Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-4b1e07c5b7a041188416f037ce95fec72024-01-23T04:23:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2024-01-01910.3389/fcomm.2024.13238671323867The game of academic publishing: a review of gamified publication practices in the social sciencesNathalie Ann KöbliLuisa LeisenheimerMira AchterTeresa KuceraCornelia SchadlerIn the last decades, academic publishing in the Social Sciences has experienced a shift toward research management by non-academic stakeholders and performance-based funding systems (PBFSs). The resulting conditions of knowledge production and dissemination are increasingly described with “game” metaphors. This article provides a literature review of research concerning publishing in the Social Sciences and discusses how gamification becomes a key element. Quantifying publication outcomes to assess and financially incentivize research performance results in a highly competitive playing field where access to goods and services is denied to those who play the game poorly. The pressure to publish leads to unethical behavior and predatory publishing which are two side-effects of gamified practices. The reviewed literature also shows unequal starting conditions in terms of gender and language inequalities, as well as the dominance of the Global North. We conclude that the gamification of publication practices in the Social Sciences leads to stressful and dreadful environments.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1323867/fullacademic publishinggamificationSocial Sciencesdisseminationpublication patterns |
| spellingShingle | Nathalie Ann Köbli Luisa Leisenheimer Mira Achter Teresa Kucera Cornelia Schadler The game of academic publishing: a review of gamified publication practices in the social sciences Frontiers in Communication academic publishing gamification Social Sciences dissemination publication patterns |
| title | The game of academic publishing: a review of gamified publication practices in the social sciences |
| title_full | The game of academic publishing: a review of gamified publication practices in the social sciences |
| title_fullStr | The game of academic publishing: a review of gamified publication practices in the social sciences |
| title_full_unstemmed | The game of academic publishing: a review of gamified publication practices in the social sciences |
| title_short | The game of academic publishing: a review of gamified publication practices in the social sciences |
| title_sort | game of academic publishing a review of gamified publication practices in the social sciences |
| topic | academic publishing gamification Social Sciences dissemination publication patterns |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1323867/full |
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