Editing Lecturer (section)

===United Kingdom<!--'Principal lecturer' and 'Principal Lecturer' redirect here-->===
{{Further|Academic ranks in the United Kingdom}}

In the UK, the term lecturer is ambiguous and covers several academic ranks. The key distinction is between permanent/open-ended or temporary/fixed-term lectureships.

A permanent lecturer in UK universities usually holds an open-ended position that covers teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities. Permanent lectureships are tenure-track or tenured positions that are equivalent to an assistant or associate professorship in North America. After a number of years, a lecturer may be promoted based on their research record to become a [[senior lecturer]]. This position is below [[Reader (academic rank)|reader]] ('''principal lecturer'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> in post-1992 universities) and [[professor]].

In contrast, fixed-term or temporary lecturers are appointed for specific short-term teaching needs. These positions are often non-renewable and are common post-doctoral appointments. In North American terms, a fixed-term lecturer can hold an equivalent rank to non tenure-track (visiting) assistant professor. Typically, longer contracts denote greater seniority or higher rank. Teaching fellows may also sometimes be referred to as lecturers—for example, [[Exeter]] named some of that group as education and scholarship lecturers (E & S) to recognise the contribution of teaching, and elevate the titles of teaching fellows to lecturers. Some universities also refer to graduate students or others, who undertake ad-hoc teaching for a department [[sessional lecturer]]s. Like adjunct professors and sessional lecturers in North America, these non-permanent teaching staff are often very poorly paid (as little as £6000 p.a. in 2011–12).  These differing uses of the term "lecturer" cause confusion for non-UK academics.

As a proportion of UK [[academic staff]], the proportion of permanent lectureships has fallen considerably. This is one reason why permanent lectureships are usually secured only after several years of post-doctoral experience. Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that in 2013–14, 36% of full- and part-time academic staff were on fixed-term contracts, down from 45% a decade earlier. Over the same period, the proportion of academic staff on permanent contracts rose from 55% to 64%. Others were on contracts classed as "atypical".'<ref>{{cite news|last1=Else|first1=Holly|title=Zero Points: the persistence of temporary measures|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/content/few-crumbs-of-comfort-in-a-temporary-lecturers-day|access-date=22 January 2016|publisher=Times Higher Education|date=4 June 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201032540/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/content/few-crumbs-of-comfort-in-a-temporary-lecturers-day|archive-date=1 February 2016}}</ref>

====Historical use====
Historically in the UK, promotion to a senior lectureship reflected prowess in teaching or administration rather than research, and the position was much less likely to lead directly to promotion to professor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://london.ac.uk/about-us/how-university-run/policies|title=Policies|website=University of London}}</ref>

In contrast, promotion to senior lecturer nowadays is based on research achievements (for research-intensive universities), and is an integral part of the promotion path to a full chair. Promotion to reader (or principal lecturer in post-1992 universities) is sometimes still necessary before promotion to a full chair; however, some universities no longer make appointments at the level of reader (for instance, the University of Leeds and the University of Oxford). Senior lecturers and readers are sometimes paid on the same salary scale, although readers are recognized as more senior.

Many open-ended lecturers in the UK have a [[doctorate]] (50.1% in 2009–2010) and often have [[Postdoctoral researcher|postdoctoral research]] experience.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/the-rise-and-rise-of-phds-as-standard/415203.article |title=The rise and rise of PhDs as standard|work=Times Higher Education |date=17 February 2011| publisher=timeshighereducation.co.uk |access-date=2011-03-04 }}</ref> In almost all fields, a doctorate is a prerequisite, although historically this was not the case. Some academic positions could have been held on the basis of research merit alone, without a higher degree.<ref>For example, [[David Fowler (mathematician)|David Fowler]] retired as a senior lecturer in mathematics at Warwick in 1990 without having obtained a doctorate. See [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/david-fowler-549972.html "Obituary: David Fowler"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314083904/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/david-fowler-549972.html |date=14 March 2011 }}, ''The Independent''</ref>

====Current uses====
The [[new universities (United Kingdom)|new universities]] (that is universities that were until 1992 termed [[Institute of technology|polytechnics]]) have a slightly different ranking naming scheme from the older universities. Many pre-1992 universities use the grades: lecturer (A), lecturer (B), senior lecturer, reader, professor. Meanwhile, post-1992 grades are normally: lecturer, senior lecturer, principal lecturer (management-focused) or reader (research-focused), professor. Much confusion surrounds the differing use of the "senior lecturer" title. A senior lecturer in a post-1992 university is equivalent to a lecturer (B) in a pre-1992 university, whereas a senior lecturer in a pre-1992 university is most often equivalent to a principal lecturer in a post-1992 university.<ref name=Webb>Graham Webb, ''Making the Most of Appraisal: Career and Professional Development Planning for Lecturers,'' Routledge, 1994, p. 30, {{ISBN|0-7494-1256-9}}</ref>

According to the ''[[Times Higher Education]]'', the [[University of Warwick]] decided in 2006 "to break away from hundreds of years of academic tradition, renaming lecturers 'assistant professors', senior lecturers and readers 'associate professors' while still calling professors 'professors'. The radical move will horrify those who believe the "professor" title should be reserved for an academic elite."<ref>Lee Elliot Major, "[https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/get-the-drinks-its-professor-all-round/202229.article Get the drinks. It's professor all round]", ''Times Higher Education'', 31 March 2006</ref> Nottingham has a mixture of the standard UK system, and the system at Warwick, with both lecturers and assistant professors. At Reading, job advertisements and academic staff web pages use the title associate professor, but the ordinances of the university make no reference to these titles. They address only procedures for conferring the traditional UK academic ranks.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/Calendar/New_Section_F_2010.pdf | title=Section XI Election and Appointment to Professorships or Readerships or Senior Lecturerships | work=Ordinances of the University of Reading (2010-11) | access-date=18 December 2011 | pages=23–25 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416221602/http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/Calendar/New_Section_F_2010.pdf | archive-date=16 April 2014}}</ref>

====Tenure and permanent lectureships{{anchor|Tenure}}====
Since the Conservatives' 1988 Education Reform Act, the ironclad tenure that used to exist in the UK has given way to a less-secure form of tenure.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/memories-of-jobs-for-life/104896.article?storyCode=104896&sectioncode=26|title = Memories of jobs for life|work = Times Higher Education (THE)|last = Court|first = Stephen|date = 5 December 1997|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160201042445/https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/memories-of-jobs-for-life/104896.article?storyCode=104896&sectioncode=26|archive-date = 1 February 2016}}</ref> Technically, university vice-chancellors can make individual faculty members redundant for poor performance or institute departmental redundancies, but in practice, this is rare. The most noted use of this policy happened in 2012 at [[Queen Mary University of London]] where lecturers on permanent contracts were fired. The institution now has a stated policy of firing and replacing under-performing ''teaching'' staff members. This policy is complicated by the 2008 ''[[Ball v Aberdeen]]'' tribunal decision, the distinction between teaching and research faculty is blurring—with implications for who can and cannot be made redundant at UK universities, and under what conditions.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

Despite this recent erosion of tenure in the UK, it is still practised in most universities. Permanent contracts use the word "tenure" for lecturers who are "reappointed to the retiring age". This is equivalent to a US tenure decision—references are sought from world-leading academics and tenure and promotions committees meet to decide "tenure" cases. There is normally no title elevation in such instances—tenure and title are independent.