Assessing research output quality in agricultural economics

Abstract A strong research program is crucial for academic faculty, as it influences promotions, tenure, salary raises, and professional recognitions/awards. We summarize relative journal rating/ranking metrics from multiple sources, and for selected journals commonly targeted by agricultural economists, to provide insights on their perceived value. We also present combined results from a survey, measuring perceptions of agricultural economists in the US regarding research quantity/quality expectations for tenure/promotion, and actual research metrics from CVs of faculty in US higher education institutions who recently received tenure. We hope this article provides useful insights for junior faculty to better understand the assessment of their research output.