This article examines how political scientists' research careers evolve differently in university settings.

Conventional Wisdom vs Reality

It challenges the common perception that all scholars follow identical paths to success. Many actually take different trajectories, demonstrating considerable diversity among faculty members.

Career Trajectories & Success Metrics

The study develops an empirically validated typology showing various ways political scientists advance their research careers over time. Surprisingly, measures of publication output and citation impact do not align neatly with these distinct career paths.

Research Context Matters

This analysis reveals that understanding scholarly productivity must account for institutional contexts (teaching institutions) alongside individual trajectories. Research outputs alone may mask important differences in professional development across political science faculty.