Paper short abstract:

We contribute to the strand of research by systematically investigating which role the performance-based allocation of funds plays for the criteria researchers use to choose journals to which they submit their work. The analysis draws on unique data by the 2016 DZHW Scientists Survey.

Paper long abstract:

Research on factors influencing researchers' publication strategies is relatively scarce. The few studies dealing with this topic emphasize that, nowadays, researchers are actors on quasi-markets and that funds for research are increasingly redistributed to high-performing researchers (e.g., Enders et al. 2015). We draw on this finding and contribute to the strand of research by systematically investigating how the performance-based allocation of funds affects researchers' publication strategies. More precisely, we examine which role the performance-based allocation of funds plays for the criteria researchers use to choose journals to which they submit their work. Doing so, we focus not only on the direct effects the performance-based allocation of funds has on researchers' publication strategies, but also on indirect effects of the performance-based allocation of funds, e.g. mediated by perceived pressure to publish. The analysis draws on unique data by the 2016 DZHW Scientists Survey. The survey is representative of researchers at German universities and comprises all information necessary to deliver a deeper understanding how the performance-based allocation of funds affects researchers' publication strategies. In order to account for subject-specific differences in academic disciplines, multilevel models are estimated.