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This article focuses on the publication criteria for promotion in graduate departments in the United States. Promotion in rank is important to all faculty. It carries many rewards, including symbolic rewards such as recognition, and other more tangible rewards such as salary increases, priorities for office space, and increased influence in the affairs of the department and university. Hence, the criteria used in promoting faculty are of specific interest to all sociologists, and of general interest to all academics. Of the 56 departments in the lowest productivity category, 16 reported specific quantitative criteria for one or both ranks. Perhaps they are more likely to have stated criteria because they are in the throes or developing their faculty, and therefore are more concerned about the need for them to be productive. Perhaps clearly recognizable quality is so rare that, for practical purposes, distinction must be drawn on a quantitative basis. Reported expectations often were ranges, but many comments were even less precise.

The purpose of this report is to present the data from a survey of the Ph.D. granting departments in the 1972 ASA Guide to Graduate Departments. We sent chairmen a questionnaire during the 1973-74 academic year asking for the high and the low salary for assistant professors, associate professors, and professors. We had a total response rate of 69%, and a useable response rate of 63%. Some of those who did not provide information said they did not have the information because only deans or other administrators had access to it. The 63% useable responses include 65% of the faculty affiliated with the 99 original departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]