Reader (academic rank)
Encyclopedia
The title of Reader in the United Kingdom
and some universities in the Commonwealth
nations like Australia
and New Zealand
denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research
or scholarship. It is an academic rank
above Senior Lecturer (or Principal Lecturer in the New Universities
), recognising a distinguished record of original research at a level of a full Professorship. In the British ranking, for some universities a Reader could be seen as a Professor
without a Chair, similar to the distinction between professor extraordinarius and professor ordinarius at some European universities, Professor and Chaired Professor in Hong Kong and Professor B and Chaired Professor in Ireland. Both Readers and Professors in the UK would correspond to Professors in the US.
The promotion criteria applied to a Readership in the United Kingdom are similar to those applied to a Professorship: advancing from Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Associate Professor in the United States and Hong Kong) to Reader requires evidence of a distinguished record of original research as well as a significant record of teaching excellence and service to the university.
An incompatibility of ranking systems between different (English-speaking) countries makes the position of Reader difficult to place outside the context of the United Kingdom.
A similar title used in some countries, for instance in Sweden, is Docent
, which is officially translated in English as Reader.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and some universities in the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
nations like Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
or scholarship. It is an academic rank
Academic rank
This list of academic ranks identifies the hierarchical ranking structure found amongst scholars in academia, whether tenured or non-tenured. The lists below refer specifically to colleges and universities throughout the world, although other institutions of higher learning may follow a similar...
above Senior Lecturer (or Principal Lecturer in the New Universities
New Universities
The term new universities has been used informally to refer to several different waves of new universities created or renamed as such in the United Kingdom. As early as 1928, the term was used to describe the then-new civic universities, such as Bristol University and the other "red brick...
), recognising a distinguished record of original research at a level of a full Professorship. In the British ranking, for some universities a Reader could be seen as a Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
without a Chair, similar to the distinction between professor extraordinarius and professor ordinarius at some European universities, Professor and Chaired Professor in Hong Kong and Professor B and Chaired Professor in Ireland. Both Readers and Professors in the UK would correspond to Professors in the US.
The promotion criteria applied to a Readership in the United Kingdom are similar to those applied to a Professorship: advancing from Senior Lecturer (equivalent to Associate Professor in the United States and Hong Kong) to Reader requires evidence of a distinguished record of original research as well as a significant record of teaching excellence and service to the university.
An incompatibility of ranking systems between different (English-speaking) countries makes the position of Reader difficult to place outside the context of the United Kingdom.
A similar title used in some countries, for instance in Sweden, is Docent
Docent
Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor . Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach...
, which is officially translated in English as Reader.