LIBRARY FACULTY HANDBOOK

3.b.1.a.1  Guidelines for the Evaluation of Electronic Publications

      With the advent of digital publication and all of the varied opportunities that it allows, it is important that these materials be fairly evaluated in a manner consistent over time and across format as part of Category II in the tenure, promotion and review process.  Standards for the evaluation of printed materials are well established within the academy, with peer-review as the primary standard for quality.  If the peer-review process is applied to digital publications, then those publications should be treated in the same manner as print publications that have received peer-review.   However, it is possible to publish materials electronically without any type of formal peer or editorial review.  In these cases it is essential that materials be judged consistently over time in order to insure a fair tenure and promotion process.  These guidelines were derived in part from the guidelines established by the American Association for History and Computing. http://mcel.pacificu.edu/JAHC/JAHCIII3/EDITORIAL/tenrec.html [2001]

     

Guidelines for the Libraries:

1.       Engage Qualified Reviewers

            Faculty members who work in non-print media should have their work evaluated in two areas:

·         The intellectual content of the work

·         The efficacy of the use of the media (this could be usability, appearance, innovation, etc.)

If the necessary expertise to evaluate a faculty member's work is not available among the tenured faculty, then outside reviewers should be engaged.

 

2.   Review Work in the Medium in which it was Produced

Evaluative bodies should always review faculty members' work in the medium in which it was produced (e.g., Web-based projects should be viewed online, not in printed form)

 

Guidelines for Candidates and Faculty Members:

1.   Document and Explain the Work

In the faculty activity report and/or tenure documentation, it is incumbent upon faculty members who work with digital media to:

·         Make explicit the results, theoretical underpinnings, and intellectual rigor of their work.

·         Describe how the work is related to a spectrum of previous research, scholarly/creative or professional achievements and activities.

·         Describe the process underlying the creation of the work including design activities required to deliver the content in the particular media employed.

·         Describe collaborative relationships with other faculty members and students required by the work in digital media.

 

(Approved by Library Faculty at 5/22/01 meeting; repaginated 3/25/02)

 

 

5/22/01

NS: 3b1a1 Guidelines for the Evaluation of Electronic Publications