DARTS2 Writing for Publication

Writing for publication : researchers and the role of the library

“One thing to remember…”

Pat Gannon-LearyMoira Bent

DARTS2 June 2009 “One thing” about Writing for Publication

Structure

• Researchers– who they are – what they do

• Publication– Processes– Motivations– Barriers

• “One thing” research• The LIS role

“One thing” about Writing for PublicationDARTS2 June 2009


What is research? Researchers said ..

Research is

• Theory-led; Data-led; Scholarship

• Grounded in disciplines; multi / inter disciplinary

• Investigation; interpretation; gathering evidence

• A holistic activity; a set of transferable skills

• Collaborative / solo activity

• Related to self

• Validated by peer group

• Made meaningful by an external audience

Who are “researchers?”

“ a researcher is someone with

“enthusiasm, an almost insane desire to know more about what you are interested in”


The 7 Ages of research

• Masters students• Doctoral students• Contract researchers• Early career researchers • Established academic staff• Senior researchers• Experts

New Review of Information Networking (2007) 13 (2) : 81-99


Early• Apprenticeship - influenced by supervisors / tutors /

mentors

• Skills and competences are defined (also funded and monitored)

• Different levels of control

• Transition from structured learning to self-organization

• Managing different roles e.g. other jobs, developing teaching skills

• Information consumer, objective is production

“I reckon I spent nearly all my first year reading journal articles.” [Computing Sciences Final year PhD]


Mid• Moving field / moving role / learning a different

landscape • Balancing teaching/ mentoring with research• Situating yourself / making your name / establishing

credentials– Locally/ wider research community

• Need to be adaptable / avoiding isolation • Starting to supervise other researchers• Starting role in management / administration• Information production and consumption• Shift from systematic to pragmatic information

retrieval

“I hardly ever use databases, probably because I’m not usually starting from a position of knowing nothing. I tend to start with a few key papers and then follow up their references.”

[Senior lecturer in Biology]


Late / Senior

• Significant role in research leadership and administration

• Leading research teams / research centres / research projects

• Supervising and examining theses• Teaching research methods• Plenary conference speaker• Editorial board of journals etc.• Refereeing / peer reviewer / specialist assessor• Disseminating research practice or defining their field• Information producers

“These days all my papers are invited plenaries and similar tertiary reviews”

[Retired Professor of Chemistry, UK]


How is research changing?Researchers said…

• More accountability / Fewer blue sky opportunities

• More targeted outcomes• More collaboration (UK, overseas, across

different types of organisation)• Multidisciplinary research areas• Data archives – data mining, data storage• E science / grid• Repositories / Open access mandates• Harder to know all that is happening, especially

in China, India etc

DARTS2 June 2009

Researchers saidI have concerns about

• Resources: No full text access /Missing / unavailable material

• Space: Access/ Noisy study spaces• English as language of scholarship• Management of data• REF/ measuring my impact• Publishing – where and how• Repositories, keeping track of my publications

accurately, organising information• Time wasting, quantity/ quality of information• “E” limits research to what is easy

DARTS2 June 2009

Where can librarians contribute to the research process in future?

– Everything we do now….– More involvement in research proposals– More information literacy development– Understand REF/ personal impact measures/

metrics– Access/ resource sharing (SRX, UKRR)– Develop expertise in data mining/data storage -

E science / grid– Support Repositories / Open access mandates– Collection development – less western centric– Help researchers to publish

DARTS2 June 2009

Publication definitions• To publish is to make content publicly known.

The term is most frequently applied to the distribution of text or images on paper, or to the placing of content on a website.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publication

• Publication is the action or process of publishing something.

• Publish : prepare and issue (a book, journal, or piece of music) for public sale.

• print in a book or journal so as to make generally known.

• (From The Concise Oxford English Dictionary in English Dictionaries & Thesauruses)


Types of publication• Book• Book chapter/section• Conference paper/proceedings• E-article• E- book• Book review• Journal article• Magazine article• Newspaper article• Wiki• Report• Thesis• Webpage• Presentation• Handout • Exhibition catalogue• Musical composition (score)• Musical performance (recording)• Personal communication (letter, blog, email, discussion

list, chat room…)


Why do people publish?• Expectation of the job

• Condition of the funding

• Pressure to publish

• Contributing to debate/ body of knowledge/ networking

• Passion

• Research informed teaching

• Intellectual challenge

• Personal profile

• Sense of achievement/ enjoyable

• Advance career

• Income generation

• Develop skills

• Clarify thinking


What stops them?• RAE/REF can skew priorities

• Lack of motivation

• Don’t have to do it

• Other (work) commitments

• Too busy to get started

• Lack of support

• Confidence in own ability

• No ideas to write about

• Fear of rejection

• Fear of open criticism

• Lack of knowledge of how to start

• Language skills

• Information Literacy ability


So publication can be:

• Subject based– Peer reviewed paper

• Philosophical– Opinion piece– Letter to editor

• Pedagogical– Audit of practice– Reflective piece

• Whimsical– Laurie Taylor in THE


“One thing” The Editor’s Perspective

• Be relevant to the readership– Check purpose/aims; instructions to author.

Send your contribution to an appropriate journal

• Answer the ‘so what?’ question– Have an interesting story to tell

• Attend to quality/style of writing– phrasing, use of language (clear, precise),

punctuation , citations!• Attend to structure

– Clarify aim from the beginning, don’t be too complex or technical, have a logical structure.

“


“One thing”The Researcher’s Perspective

Be concise, clear and convincing

Quote from Pulitzer

“ Put it before them briefly so they will read it,

Clearly so they will appreciate it,

Picturesquely, so they will remember it

And, above all, accurately

So they will be guided by its light.”


“One thing”The Researcher’s Perspective

• Avoid being pressurised to publish

– Quantity over quality

• Watch the pitfalls of co-authorship

– Extent of contribution & being first-named author

• Learn to say ‘no’

– Not all publications will benefit you and your CV

• Be aware of turnaround times for journal articles

– 2 months to 2 years!

• Get to know ‘reputable’ journals – with a chance of getting published


“One thing”The Research Student’s Perspective

• Where to start – and why would I do it?

• Publication procedures• Practicalities• The ‘best’ journals• Matching your work to a journal• Content/quality of info• Referencing• Ethical concerns


“One thing”The Librarian’s perspective

• Advice & support, mentoring• Resources/collection development• Services• Training opportunities• Promote yourself• Use of other services• Use of other academic staff• Networking• Lead by example


Case studies

• NUI Maynooth www.anltc.ie • MMU• Northampton Open Access

Journals• Newcastle Research Training

programmes• JISCiPAS IL researcher leaflet• Community of Writers (CoW)


“One thing” to take away


Thank you!

• Pat Gannon-Leary

[email protected]

• Moira Bent

[email protected]


Education

DARTS2 Writing for Publication