Current trends of peer review publications among early career counseling psychologists in academia

Tenure and promotion procedures are an important work consideration for those seeking academic appointments. The first six years (the typical pre-tenure period) are particularly central to these concerns, with merit determinations frequently relying on scholarly contribution. Accordingly, this study examines trends in peer-reviewed journal publication amongst counseling psychologists using accessible Web of Science accounts of early career professionals (those who graduated in or after 2009) employed in tenure-track positions at Counseling Psychology programs accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Specifically, we calculate the mean and median number of publications per year during the pre-tenure period, analyze trends over time by year, as well as include a comparison on citations and citation indices, considering differences in scholarly output across universities classified differently using the Carnegie classification system. Results suggest a recent pressure to increase publications is present among pre-tenured faculty working at R1 institutions when compared to their peers at R2 institutions. The results of this study provide insight into current publication patterns of counseling psychologists. Implications of these trends for academic career planning are discussed.