Moderator of panel discussion: Is it important for agronomists to publish in high-profile journals?

Authors: Olk, Daniel - Dan

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/2022
Publication Date: 11/7/2022
Citation: Olk, D.C. 2022. Moderator of panel discussion: Is it important for agronomists to publish in high-profile journals? [abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting. Paper No. 58-6.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Agronomy is the science of crop and soil management to produce staple food, feed, forage, and bioenergy crops while protecting natural resources and environmental quality. It is an applied ecological science that works across spatial scales from individual plots and fields to watersheds, regions, nations, and globe. Although several disciplinary journals concentrate on publishing agronomy-related research, the most widely read and cited research and expert commentaries about the future of crop production, crop production potential, and global food security are published in a few non-agronomic journals with high impact factors, including Nature, Science, and PNAS. Due to wide citation, these papers are first to appear in web searches, which further amplifies their reach, while career advancement in universities and research institutions is enhanced by publishing in these prestigious journals. Unfortunately, few agronomists are represented as authors on such papers in these elite journals despite the need for strong agronomic input to research and foresight studies about crop production, food supply, and associated environmental impacts. Hence, few policy-relevant papers have been published in these journals based on methods and approaches that have been rigorously validated for assessment accuracy across relevant ranges of climate and soils. Reliance on foresight studies based on untested methods and models represents a dangerous precedent. Validation is at the foundation of agronomic science, or any applied science for that matter. This session will consider the reasons for this situation based on direct experience of the panelists and their thoughts about how to improve the visibility of agronomic science in elite scientific journals. More broadly, panelists will consider how to extend the reach of agronomic science to have greater influence on national and international policies and regulations affecting agriculture, including the prioritization of public-sector research funding for agricultural R & D.