Publication in International Journals: Tips, traps and a look at IRRODL

By Professor Terry Anderson

May 26, 2017

• Background– 10 years as editor of the International Review of

Research in Open and Distance Education

• On editorial Boards of:– RUSC. Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del

Conocimiento– American Journal of Distance Education– Journal of Distance Education– Internet in Higher Education– Canadian Journal of Learning Technology– Journal of Interactive Media in Education– The Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society– Canada Research Chairs College of Reviewers– Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society– Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning

(Advisory Bd.)

• A Scholar’s Guide to Getting Published in English: Critical Choices and Practical Strategies

• Not just how to write academic English

PUBLISHING IS A SOCIAL PROCESS

• Involves the way we think, work and talk and to who we talk to.

• Expectations are dependent on social context

• Practices are related to institutions and structures related to power and ideologies

• Social practices are ever changing

From A Scholar’s Guide toGetting Published in English: Critical Choices and Practical Strategies

Some of the major ‘discussion’

• Through exploration, referral, awareness from academic social networks:

• Strongly recommended to join one

• ResearchGate or Academia.edu

My Academia.edu News Feed

Which of my papers are most read?

Academia.edu

Try to become a reviewer of Papers for Journals in your Discipline

• Meet deadlines

• Don’t just check of rating boxes – add comments and suggestions

• Good journals return (anonymously) your review PLUS reviews from other reviewers PLUS editor’s decision.

Who are your writing for?

Citing Other works

• English language or Chinese publications?

• You may be more familiar with Chinese scholars in your area, but since the majority of readers (and editors) in English language journals do not read Chinese, it is likely best to have most of your citations from works published in English

• It is OK to cite your own works, but don’t over do it!

Promoting your work

• If possible translate into English your works already published in Chinese

• Post these translations on a public web site –they will be indexed by Google Scholar effectually

• Can lead to citatiosn and name awareness in the rest of the world.

What does “international” in the name of a journal mean?

• It has a high number of international editors and authors

• It has hopes of being read globally

• It is published in English

• It has a high ‘impact factor’

• It is a ‘scam journal’ trying to get money from desperate scholars!

Why do we care so much about Thompson Reuters WOS, SSCI

• Owned by a commercial company

• Prejudiced against open access Journals

• Does not cite emerging journals, conference proceedings, articles “in press”

• Has too much power over academic interest

• Is not demonstrably better than Google Scholar

• Only cites articles in SSCI Journals

The Great debate about Impact Factors

Curk Bonk (USA) lists

Lists 12 pros and 27 cons of the special weightplaced on SSCI in East Asia;

http://travelinedman.blogspot.ca/2013/12/whats-all-fuss-about-ssci-pros-and-cons.html

What’s Wrong with Scopius?

Check for rating tools besides SSCI

http://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php?category=3304&openaccess=true

Check Rating of Citations using Harzing’s Publish or Perish – based on

Google Scholar

One author’s publications

https://coastalpathogens.wordpress.com/2014/01/08/citation-counts-google-scholar-vs-web-of-science/

What is the Right Journal?

• Read carefully the statements about the focus of the Journal– Regional or international?

– Theory or practice?

– Focus on particular methodology?

– Descriptions of editor(s) and editorial board members

• Skim read last few issues of the journal. Is your article similar to these articles but offers something different. Determine what type of work most interests this journal.

What is the Right Journal?

• Chinese or English??• Thomson Social Science Citation Impact (SSCI) factor

– 221 Education Journals– 2 distance education journals– 1 open access DE journal - IRRODL

• Check Publish or Perish (using Google Scholar) impact factor – not just for SSCI journals

• Frequency of publication and number of articles• Rejection Rate??• Time from submission to publication• Readership within your target audience• Open Access?

Open Access

• Attracts more readers in developing countries• Can lead to higher citation rates• Can be expensive ($2,000) – can be free (ex.

IRRODL and Journal of Educational Technology & Society )

• “Open Access papers were between 26% and 64% more cited on average for any given years than all papers combined, whereas non-OA received between 17% and 33% fewer citations.”– Archambault, É., Amyot, D., Deschamps, P., Nicol, A., Provencher, F., Rebout, L.,

& Roberge, G. (2014). Proportion of open access papers published in peer-reviewed journals at the European and world levels—1996–2013.

Classifying Open Access

Technical Components of a Good Article

• Essential pieces:• Good English

• Appropriate audience

• Great abstract

• Sound theoretical base (I like conceptual maps)

• LIMITED literature review - up to date and telsl a story

• Clear methodology

• Clear and concise results- usually with tables/diagrams

• Meaningful results

• Less than 7,000 words

Components of a Good Article (cont.)

• Essential pieces:• Not published elsewhere

• Some Journals allow articles not published in English

• Implications for practice

• Implications for further research

Abstract

1 Context

2 Questions/problem

3 Methods

4 Results

5 Interpretations

6 Application/implications

– See Noah Grey http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noah-gray/abstract-science_b_1923214.html

One -Two Sentences

Each!!!!

Format

• Appropriate referencing (use a reference manager)• Read directions for authors 3 times before pressing

submit button!!!• Have draft proof read by at least one friend/peer and

preferably one native language speaker.• Or use an English language editing service or a

colleague in an English speaking country• Citing recent works from the selected journal helps!!

Finding Good English Academic Phrases

http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/

Can I publish a Literature Review?

• it is a systematic literature review of an important issue and shows evidence that you have methodologically searched for, read and reviewed ALL relevant literature. No general overviews.

• it contains original empirical data

• You are an undiscovered genius or a well established name in the field and have theoretical insights that are new, unique and important.

Persistence

• A “revisions required” or “re-submit for review” is NOT a rejection!!

• You do not need to follow every one of the reviewers’ recommendations, but you do need to explain why you are not following each one.

• resubmit:– Thank the editor for reviewers’ comments– A summary of the reviewers’ comments and how they

were addressed (best in table format with page number of revisions)

– Copy with tracked changes– Clean copy

• If possible, do a plagiarism check on TURNITIN or other detector

– Likely the managing editor will!!

• NEVER submit the article for review to two journals at the same time

Gaming the system-Advice from Jay Lemke

• “Mention in your review of the literature at least two members of the journal’s editorial board.

• Submit your manuscript to a journal which has recently published similar work

• Work and cite at least two things recently published in that journal, preferably by people you know or who are likely to approve of the approach used in your research.

A look at one Open Access SSCI JournalIRRODL.ORG

• Most widely read and most cited Distance Education Journal in the world

• Translations for all articles (Google Translate)

Published using Open Journal SystemOpen source system from Canada!

Behind the Scenes of an Open Journal System (OJS) Journal

Manages:• Submissions• Reviewing• Copy Editing• Publication• Distribution

The Problem with IRRODL for Chinese Scholars

• IRRODL uses a variety of Google services (analytics, translation, citation search etc)

• IRRODL is NOT blocked, but must wait for time out from each Google service called

• Expect delays in screen updates

IRRODL Readership

Behind the Scenes – Editors view of a paper in review

Why it is getting harder to publish in IRRODL (and other SSCI open access journals)

Register to be a reviewer

Name 1

Name 2

Name 3

Name 4

Reviewers’ Criteria for Recommendation

Reviewer’s form Cont.

Questions for Discussion

• Why is Thomson Reuters SSCI so important?

• What is wrong with Scopius? – larger - 28,000 journals.

• How can Chinese articles become better known in the West?

• Do you have additional suggestions or personal experiences that will be of use to all of us?

terrya@athabascau.ca

Blog: virtualcanuck.ca

Your comments and questions

most welcomed!

Terry Anderson, Ph.D.Editor EmeritusInternational Review of Research in Open and Distance LearningProfessor, Athabasca UniversityAthabasca University10005 93 StEdmonton, AB CanadaT5H 1W6 Ph 780 425 5950

These slides are available!