Service activities in academia need to be properly valued and supported

In US and UK universities, the job responsibilities of most professors are often grouped into three categories — teaching, research, and service. In European universities, service is often less explicitly recognized despite its crucial importance for institutions. Regrettably, service can become a ‘trap’ for women at all levels. We provide suggestions on how to value and manage service activities, so they serve the university and society without hijacking an academic career. This is a copy of a post published in the Epistimi blog series at: https://www.epistimi.org/blog/service-activities-in-academia-need-to-be-properly-valued-and-supported

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-02-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18386147
Primary Topic
Service-Learning and Community Engagement
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Service activities in academia need to be properly valued and supported

Janet Gordon Hering, Patricia A. Maurice
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Service-Learning and Community Engagement
article

Service activities in academia need to be properly valued and supported

Janet Gordon Hering, Patricia A. Maurice
article en

Abstract

In US and UK universities, the job responsibilities of most professors are often grouped into three categories — teaching, research, and service. In European universities, service is often less explicitly recognized despite its crucial importance for institutions. Regrettably, service can become a ‘trap’ for women at all levels. We provide suggestions on how to value and manage service activities, so they serve the university and society without hijacking an academic career. This is a copy of a post published in the Epistimi blog series at: https://www.epistimi.org/blog/service-activities-in-academia-need-to-be-properly-valued-and-supported

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
University of Notre Dame (US), ETH Zurich (CH), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH), Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (CH)
Gender equality
Openalex Percentile: Top 70%
Service-Learning and Community Engagement
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Service activities in academia need to be properly valued and supported — Janet Gordon Hering, Patricia A. Maurice · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS