Publishing Academic Papers

Dr Andy Wilson

UK Staff Development Advisor

Research isn’t really research until it is…

The Need to Publish

Publications determine…Institutional status etcDepartmental income etcPersonal promotion etcGetting the job!

The RAE and the REF

Assessments of the quality of research in every department in every university in the UK

Determine funding for several yearsCritical to careers and institutions’

statusBased largely on quality of publications.

This Little Piggy…Journal editors operate in a marketplace

just like any other editorSerials costs are a major drain on library

resourcesSo you’re helping the editor sell her/his

journal……by getting staff to tell their libraries……to buy the journal.

What Gets Published?On the basis of your experience…What is it that leads to papers being

published in your field? What characteristics do they have to

have? Please share your thoughts with your

neighbour(s).

Your Publications PlanWhat are you going to publish over the

next few years?Where?When?

1. Research base2. Topic for paper3. Select your

journal/conference

4. Further research5. Write your paper6. Submit

7. Wait…...for referees’ reports

8. Revise and/or resubmit

9. Publish (eventually).

The Steps to Publication

1 Research BaseThis will be your Masters or PhDAs you do these, keep publications in

mind.

2 Topic for PaperTalk to your supervisorLook for a market nicheTry ideas out in seminars.

3 Select Your Journal/ConferenceTricky judgment

Done alongside choice of topicDifferent journals/conferences require

different types of paperConsider risk, uncertainty and profitConsider timescaleTalk to your supervisor.

Journal MatrixBerridge and Wilkinson suggest…Select a list of some six journals, and

make up a matrix of their objectives, such as topic, length, treatment, intended audience, and refereeing process.

Planning ActivitiesVisit the library oftenLook at journals – ones you know and

ones you don’tSee which journals publish whatRead – and copy – journals’ missions and

notes for contributorsRead your subject-specific articles.

Strategic QuestionsWhat is your story?Who is your audience?What is your preferred outlet?Does your paper fit their needs?Have they published it already?Who is/are the editors?What is your/their timescale?

4 Further ResearchFocus this on the proposed paper and the

proposed journal/conference.

5 Write Your PaperYour paper will be read by a couple of

refereesSo it’s critical to know what they’re looking

forWe’ll examine this laterAt this stage, let’s just talk about the

business of writing…

Notes for ContributorsAll journals worth publishing in issue

Notes for ContributorsThese tell you about stylistic conventionsGet these for your target journals.

How Do You Write?What works for you?Please share your ideas with your

neighbours.

Advice on Writing

Conflict between the general advice on clarity, simplicity, etc…

…and the style sometimes seen in journals

Our work with directors of major social science research centres…

…identified the ability to write in different styles as a rare and valuable skill.

Academic StyleAlthough solitary under normal prevailing circumstances, raccoons may congregate simultaneously in certain situations of artificially enhanced nutrient resource availability.

Fowler on Writing

Be direct, simple, brief, vigorous, and lucid. Prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched. Prefer the concrete word to the abstract. Prefer the single word to the circumlocution

(use of many words where one will do). Prefer the short word to the long.

PunctuateWOMAN

WITHOUT

HER

MAN

IS

A

MONSTER

Writing Sins

Commission – what you’ve written that you shouldn’t have

Omission – what you haven’t written that you should have

Sins of commission are much easier to spot than sins of omission.

Using Your Word ProcessorLearn to use (probably) Word wellIf you’re not using Styles you are writing

with one hand tied behind your backStyles offer you…ConsistencyEasy movement of chunks of materialTables of contents.

6 SubmitGet the details right……or it’ll get thrown backUse the journal’s conventions for

references……else it looks like a reject from

somewhere else.

7 Wait…...for Referees’ ReportsThe job of the referee is to recommend:

AcceptanceAcceptance with revisionsRejectionWe’ll look at things from the referee’s

perspective……then you can act as a referee on a

paper.

8 Revise and/or ResubmitRead the commentsGo through the pain barrierDecide whether you can revise for this

journal……or whether you should offer it

somewhere else.

9 Publish (eventually)(Note that there can be long delays

throughout the process)Celebrate!