By Ganiu Bamgbose, PhD
Publications constitute an essential part of academia and the job of academics. In many institutions, it is a criterion for the promotion of academic staff. For many academics, especially the budding scholars, their experience with the publication of academic works is often characterised by different levels of misplacement owing to misinformation or lack of information. Although there are many sides to the scholarly business of academic publication, I hope to share in this piece four variables that I consider relevant factors to be born in mind as one engages in academic publications especially in Nigeria. This is in no particular order of preference or significance as all the factors are interrelated and/or interconnected.
First, an academic must be driven by the quantity of papers. In most, if not all Nigerian universities, there is a required number of publications for every level of promotion. This is a piece of information that an academic should have and be prepared for. Nobody should be ignorant of this requirement in their institution in order not to get in the trap of insufficient number of publications needed for promotion. It is best to embrace the motto of the Scout here: BE PREPARED. Preparation in this context will mean preferably having more than the required number in the event that there is a change in requirement. Never be caught unawares.
The second variable to be considered in academic publication is quality. Just like the albums of a musician will vary in their artistic nutrients, a researcher’s works will also vary in their substance and intellectual solidity. This should often guide what is good enough for which outlet and for what purpose (scholarship, fellowship, public presentation and so on). Many a time, what counts as quality is a function of the rigour that time and resources enable us to put into a study. No real academic study is without its impact and usefulness; however infinitesimal or magnitudinous its contribution is. A researcher must therefore be able to tell what study counts as quantity for them and what study counts as quality.
The third variable to be considered in academic publication is visibility. Before now, the academic slogan for scholarly effort in Nigeria was mainly “publish or perish”. Recently, this has been replaced with “Be visible or vanish”. As scholars, one needs the quantity, the quality and the visibility. In recent times, visibility serves a two-way function. While on the one hand it increases the reach and affords the researcher academic opportunities, it has, on the other hand, become a source of rating for higher institutions of learning. Visibility in modern scholarship calls for strategic planning and information seeking. Being in the know about the status of journals in terms of impact factor and which journals are available on scopus, scimago, web of science and so on are crucial to boosting one’s visibility as scholars.
The fourth factor to be considered as scholars in academic publication is relevance. While impact factor is crucial, a true scholar must be concerned about the real-life impact of their publications. At the level of relevance, attention is given to what our works translate to in the real world and what benefits it brings to society. Scholars, through collaborations and multidisciplinary works, must be concerned about making genuine impact through their academic publications. This is not to suggest that many a publication does not have relevance, but to emphasise that more society-inclined studies should be done as this is a great source of fulfillment for an academic. Some studies advance theoretical knowledge and they certainly are useful in their own ways. However, studies that border on social transformation form the crux of a scholar’s intellectual relevance.
In conclusion, the intellectual accomplishment of an academic revolves round a reasonably high number of scholarly output which are of good quality that aids their visibility and social relevance. The four variables of quantity, quality, visibility and relevance must be born in mind by every academic who desires fulfillment.
(c) 2026 Ganiu Bamgbose writes from the Department of English, Lagos State University.
Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose, PhD
Department of English,
Lagos State University, Ojo
[email protected]
08093695359, 07084956118
