Exposing the Textbook Bias: The Need for Professional credit

Extract

Why is authorship of a textbook generally considered less of a scholarly contribution than authorship of a “scholarly” publication, such as a journal article or a university press book?

Certainly both are needed, but is it right for a political science department to reward faculty who author “scholarly” publications more than those who author textbooks?

Whether stipulated in the criteria for departmental evaluation of faculty performance or in other less overt ways, the bias is prevalent throughout our discipline.

This essay states five reasons why the bias should not exist: 1) ignorance of impact, 2) ignorance of values, 3) ignorance of the review process, 4) ignorance of purpose, and 5) ignorance of time and Scope.