In search of a metaphor for the ever-eluding obligation of academic publishing

Universities have an obligation to serve the community in producing knowledge. In addition, the investment of the government in tertiary education in the form of subsidies should be repaid by furthering scientific research. Publication of academic articles is one of the most important ways to communicate research and knowledge produced. Yet more than two years elapse before a researcher’s article is published. Publication pitfalls and possible solutions for optimising publishing of academic articles were investigated in a roundtable discussion. A metaphor is suggested to better understand and manage academic publication.