ABSTRACT
As a first step in determining the pervasiveness of the principle of merit in the American university, this chapter reviews what researchers have learned about the judgmental processes affecting the professional activities of academics. It begins by threading through the jumble that surrounds what has proven to be an elusive concept, that of teaching effectiveness and examines how seriously even the much publicized scientific and scholarly products of academics are taken in advancing a university career. Both seasoned and budding academics assume the authenticity of the publish-or-perish maxim. Research conducted prior to World War II, when universities were supposedly becoming more professional, that is, moving toward a publish-or-perish standard, suggests that those with the greatest scholarly productivity did not necessarily receive the greatest rewards. Finally, the chapter focuses on the potency of the putative indispensability of publication—an unadulterated manifestation of merit—for helping individuals succeed, not as scholars or scientists but occupationally.
