Niles, M. T. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2019

Why we publish where we do: Faculty publishing values and their relationship to review, promotion and tenure expectations

Using an online survey of academics at 55 randomly selected institutions across the US and Canada, we explore priorities for publishing decisions and their perceived importance within review, promotion, and tenure (RPT). We find that respondents most value journal readership, while they believe their peers most value prestige and related metrics such as impact factor when submitting their work for publication. Respondents indicated that total number of publications, number of publications per year, and journal name recognition were the most valued factors in RPT. Older and tenured respondents (most likely to serve on RPT committees) were less likely to value journal prestige and metrics for publishing, while untenured respondents were more likely to value these factors. These results suggest disconnects between what academics value versus what they think their peers value, and between the importance of journal prestige and metrics for tenured versus untenured faculty in publishing and RPT perceptions.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2019

What’s in Your Body of Water? Reducing the Psychological Distance of Pharmaceutical Pollution through Metaphoric Framing in Risk Communication (A Pilot Study)

Aquatic pharmaceutical pollution poses ecotoxicological risks to the environment and human health. Consumer behaviors represent a significant source of pharmaceutical compounds found in water. Thus, understanding public perceptions of aquatic pharmaceutical pollution and developing effective risk communication techniques are critical to engaging society in the type of widespread change necessary for addressing the presence of pharmaceuticals in water. This mixed-methods pilot study applies conceptual metaphor theory in conjunction with construal level theory of psychological distance to assess the relationship of metaphoric framing to perceptions of aquatic pharmaceutical contamination across four principal dimensions of psychological distance (geographic, social, and temporal distance, and uncertainty). Additionally, this study assesses the direct impact of metaphor use on concern and willingness to act, which are positively associated with perceived psychological distance. Data were collected from a convenience sample (n = 20) of university students in Burlington, Vermont using cognitive interviewing. Results indicate that participants initially perceived pharmaceutical pollution as socially and geographically distant, temporally both distant and proximal, and agreed that the issue is certain. Representing aquatic pharmaceutical contamination through metaphor significantly reduced perceived social and geographic distance, suggesting a relationship between metaphoric framing and psychological distance warranting additional research. Metaphor use did not directly nor significantly impact concern or willingness to act. Additionally, participants preferred the metaphorically-framed visual intervention to the non-metaphor visual intervention. Theoretical and practical implications of metaphor use in risk communications are discussed.

scientific communication and education↗