Publication record of selected professors and survey responses by doctoral students about the Top Five

“Top Five” publications are crucial for an academic career. Does this also apply to German universities? We compare the view of doctoral students; the advertisements for professorial positions; and actual appointments. At few Universities of Excellence, the high publication requirements are also reflected in the publications actually acquired. For assistant professorships, there is little difference between Excellence and other universities. For permanent professorships, the discrepancy between expectations and reality is smaller, but a large discrepancy exists for lower-ranked universities. A Top Five strategy is very risky, and it may be better to publish more in other scientific journals.