Outstanding Scholarship in English and Humanities:
Criteria, Evidence, and Assessment
Required Documentation:
Outstanding scholarship may be demonstrated through the sources of evidence listed in the table below.
Similar sources of information not listed here may also be used if appropriate. It is not intended that
each candidate for promotion include each of the listed pieces of evidence.
Please note that per the 2012-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement (Article 14, Section 3, pages 14-5
and 14-6), application for promotion must include the following pieces of information (which may be
used to help demonstrate outstanding scholarship):
 A cover letter
 A detailed and current curricula vita
 A letter of support from the chairperson of the candidate’s department
 Three (3) letters of reference or support from professional and/or academic colleagues
 For candidates seeking the rank of associate professor, a copy of the promotion and tenure plan
(including reviews)
 A narrative describing the candidate’s substantial achievements in scholarship supported by
appropriate documentation. Please note that it is important to discuss the significance, rigor,
and value of scholarship within the narrative.
Many of these required items have been integrated into the table below.
Evidence used to support the candidate’s application for promotion should be limited to pieces of
information regarding the candidate’s scholarly activity within the review period (the review period is
defined as the period since hire or previous promotion, whichever is more recent), and that evidence
should include information gathered throughout the full scope of the review period.
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Outstanding Scholarship in English and Humanities:
Criteria, Evidence, and Assessment
To demonstrate outstanding scholarship, promotion candidates in English,
Communications, Linguistics, Foreign Languages, and Creative Writing must meet
Criteria 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Criteria
Source(s) of Evidence
1. Productivity: Scholarship
has produced verifiable
academic publications*
Candidates will have a minimum of two of the following
kinds of significant scholarly publications:
*If scholarship is
collaborative, a candidate
must demonstrate his/her
specific identifiable
contribution to the
publication
1) Published book chapters or conference proceedings with
respectable academic presses (or having these accepted for
publication)
Assessment
Met
Not Met
2) Published articles, essay reviews in scholarly professional
journals or books (or having these accepted for publication)
*Note: A book publication with a reputable academic press
or having a book in press with a reputable academic press
automatically demonstrates outstanding scholarship
2. Currency: Scholarship has
been engaged while
employed at SSU and
demonstrates an awareness
of current criticism, trends,
and research in the
candidate’s given field(s)
of inquiry
Candidates will demonstrate their awareness of current
developments and research appropriate to their scholarship
through the following activities:
*Candidates should reference the scholarly activities
indicated in Criterion 3
1) Presentations given to academic organizations at state or
regional conferences
2) Presentations given to the campus community
3) Published book reviews (or having these accepted for
publication)
4) Reference entries published in scholarly professional
books or journals (or having these accepted for publication)
Met
Not Met
5) Offices or positions held in professional academic
organizations or on scholarly editorial boards (not used as
evidence of service)
6) Organized and chaired sessions at state or regional
conferences
7) Obtaining external grants or similar financial support for
research or scholarly activity
8) Presentations given to academic organizations at
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Outstanding Scholarship in English and Humanities:
Criteria, Evidence, and Assessment
competitive prestigious national or international conferences
9) Published book chapters or conference proceedings with
respectable academic presses (or having these accepted for
publication)
10) Published articles or essay reviews in scholarly
professional journals or books (or having these accepted for
publication)
11) Invited or keynote addresses to prestigious academic
gatherings
Additionally, statements from faculty, department
chairpersons, or academic professionals outside of SSU
attesting to the quality of the candidate’s scholarly
contributions and activities may also help to substantiate
currency
3. Sustained Scholarly
Activity: Scholarly
activities are based on lines
of inquiry consistently
conducted at Shawnee
State University
throughout the review
period or within the past
five years
Candidates will average more than three of the following
activities within each of the past five academic years at SSU:
1) Presentations given to academic organizations at state or
regional conferences
2) Presentations given to the campus community
3) Published book reviews (or having these accepted for
publication)
4) Reference entries published in scholarly professional
books or journals (or having these accepted for publication)
5) Offices or positions held in professional academic
organizations or on scholarly editorial boards (not used as
evidence of service)
Met
Not Met
6) Organized and chaired sessions at state or regional
conferences
7) Obtaining external grants or similar financial support for
research or scholarly activity
8) Presentations given to academic organizations at
competitive prestigious national or international conferences
9) Published book chapters or conference proceedings with
respectable academic presses (or having these accepted for
publication)
10) Published articles or essay reviews in scholarly
professional journals or books (or having these accepted for
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Outstanding Scholarship in English and Humanities:
Criteria, Evidence, and Assessment
publication)
11) Invited or keynote addresses to prestigious academic
gatherings
*Note: A book publication with a reputable academic press
or having a book in press with a reputable academic press
automatically demonstrates outstanding scholarship
*Note: If specialization is Creative Writing, then the
activities reflected above will be used along with the
additional following activities. The level of prestige of the
venues will determine how they are counted.
Met
Not Met
1) Invited public readings
2) Published creative works in reputable journals and
magazines (or having these accepted for publication)
4. Significance of
Scholarly Activity:
Scholarship is of
significant academic value
as understood by peers
within the candidate’s
discipline
N/A
1) Scholarly activity not included in Criterion 1
2) Statements from faculty, department chairpersons, or
academic professionals outside of SSU attesting to the
quality of the candidate’s scholarly contributions and
activities
3) Reviews of published works
Met
Not Met
4) Awards or honors for scholarly activities
To demonstrate outstanding scholarship, promotion candidates in Philosophy must
meet Criteria 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Criteria
Source(s) of Evidence
1. Productivity: Scholarship
has produced verifiable
academic publications
Candidates will have produced a minimum of four of the
following kinds of significant scholarly publications:
1) Published book chapters with respectable academic
presses (or have these accepted for publication)
2) Published articles and/or essay reviews in peer-reviewed
professional journals or books (or have these accepted for
publication)
Assessment
Met
Not Met
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Outstanding Scholarship in English and Humanities:
Criteria, Evidence, and Assessment
OR
Candidate will have produced the following kind of
significant scholarly publications:
1) Published a book with a reputable scholarly press (or have
a book in press)
2. Currency: Scholarship has
been engaged while
employed at SSU and
demonstrates an awareness
of current criticism, trends,
and research in the
candidate’s given field(s)
of inquiry
Candidates will demonstrate their awareness of current
developments and research appropriate to their scholarship
through the following activities:
(Candidates should reference the scholarly activities
indicated in Criteria 1 and 3)
1) state or regional conferences
2) competitive prestigious national or international
conferences
Met
3) Published book chapters with respectable academic
presses (or have these accepted for publication)
Not Met
4) Published articles and/or essay reviews in peer-reviewed
professional journals or books (or have these accepted for
publication)
OR
4) Published a book with a reputable scholarly press (or have
a book in press)
Additionally, statements from faculty, department
chairpersons, or academic professionals outside of SSU
attesting to the quality of the candidate’s scholarly
contributions and activities may also help to substantiate
currency
3. Sustained Scholarly
Activity: Scholarly
activities are based on lines
of inquiry consistently
conducted at Shawnee
State University over the
course of the review period
or within the past five
years
Candidates will have presented three scholarly papers to
academic organizations at either:
1) state or regional conferences
2) competitive prestigious national or international
conferences
Met
Not Met
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Outstanding Scholarship in English and Humanities:
Criteria, Evidence, and Assessment
4. Significance of
Scholarly Activity:
Scholarship is of
significant academic value
as understood by peers
within the candidate’s
discipline
1) Statements from faculty, department chairpersons, or
academic professionals outside of SSU attesting to the
quality of the candidate’s scholarly contributions and
activities
2) Reviews of published works
Met
Not Met
3) Awards or honors for scholarly activities
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