Publish or perish: Where are we heading?

Frequent publication is one of the few powerful methods at scholar’s disposal to demonstrate academic talent to peers. Successful publication of research brings a􀄴 ention to scholars and their institutions. This in turn may bring in more funding for the institute and also ensure an individual’s progress through their fi eld. Academic institutions and university frequently use the number of publication to an individual’s credit as the measure of competency. Administrators are increasingly using this as the criteria during recruitments. Scholars, who publish infrequently or who focus on activities that does not result in publications like instructing undergraduates, may fi nd themselves out of contentions for many teaching positions. It is due to these reasons that there is an immense pressure to publish. The phrase “Publish or perish” initially coined by Coolidge[1] in 1932 is now becoming a harsh reality.