Abstract
Background: Academic sabbaticals are seen as an important aspect of academic life and require considerable resources, however, little research has been done into how they are used and whether their effects can be measured. We explored these issues at the University of Cambridge. Methods: A mixed method approach including 24 interviews with academics, eight interviews with administrators; alongside analysis of administrative and publication data between 2010 and 2019. Results: Academics underline the importance of sabbaticals in providing uninterrupted time for research that is used to think, explore new ideas, master new techniques, develop new collaborations, draw together previous work, set work in a wider context, and provide personal discretion in research direction. They also highlight sabbaticals’ contributions in allowing the beneficial effects of combining teaching and research, while mitigating some of the disadvantages. However, it is difficult to detect the effect of sabbaticals on publications using a time series approach. Conclusions: Sabbaticals provide manifold contributions to academic research at the University of Cambridge; however, detecting and quantifying this contribution, and extending these findings requires wider and more detailed investigation.
Highlights
Sabbaticals are a common feature of academic work at universities in many countries around the world, but they can be misunderstood by those outside the sector (Smith, 2020)
Any reports and responses or comments on the Results: Academics underline the importance of sabbaticals in providing uninterrupted time for research that is used to think, explore new ideas, master new techniques, develop new collaborations, draw together previous work, set work in a wider context, and provide personal discretion in research direction
Summary of academic literature review We found little academic literature that aims to understand how academics use sabbaticals or that aims to understand the contribution of sabbaticals
Summary
Sabbaticals are a common feature of academic work at universities in many countries around the world, but they can be misunderstood by those outside the sector (Smith, 2020). Sabbaticals are a form of paid leave for academics in ongoing positions at established universities. The stated reason academics have traditionally received sabbatical entitlements is to advance their research. Academic sabbaticals are seen as an important aspect of academic life and require considerable resources, little research has been done into how they are used and whether their effects can be measured. We explored these issues at the University of Cambridge. We explored these issues at the University of Cambridge. version 1 12 Jan 2022
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