AERA Wednesday: The Nuts and Bolts of Academic Publishing: A How-to for Graduate Students and New Faculty

The Nuts and Bolts of Academic Publishing: A How-to for Graduate Students and New Faculty

Division C-Learning and Instruction

Scheduled Time: Wed, Apr 13 - 10:35am - 12:05pm Building/Room: Hilton Montreal Bonaventure / Montreal Ballroom, Section Outremont

Abstract: This session will provide information for graduate students and new faculty about publishing in academic journals. The invited speaker for this session has years of experience as an author and editor and will share her knowledge in this informative session.

Amy Morris, amy.morris@ccmail.nevade.edu, University of Nevada–Las Vegas, Chair

Maeghan N. Edwards, mne102@psu.edu, Pennsylvania State University, Chair

Patricia Alexander, pa34@umail.umd.edu,
University of Maryland, Discussant editor of Contemporary Educational Psychology,
editor of Instructional Science, and on 10 other editorial boards.

How to make the system work for you: (this will all be on a website in Maryland)

Chapter 1

• READ: a knowledgeable writer is a better writer
  
  
  
  • the greatest thing about grad school is the ability to suck up the
    literature the way you can now.
  
  
  • beautiful writing will carry you far, but you need to know the literature
    to avoid making the novice mistakes, missing entire bodies of literature,
    or citing people who are actually opposed to your viewpoint, or who oppose
    each others' views.
  
  
  • protect your reading time. Get on the editorial boards in order to
    keep current
  
  
  • (you can't circumvent the process, you must read!) to put things in
    historical
  
  
  
  


• WRITE: virtual manuscripts, no matter how good, never get published
  
  
  
  • put the ideas down (on paper)
  
  
  • as amount of reading goes down toward dissertation, the amount of writing
    should go up.
  
  
  • the dissertation should not be your first publication
  
  
  • the harder it is for you, the more you need to do it.
  
  
  • practice makes a difference
  
  
  
  


• have something to say
  
  
  
  • publish to share your passion (valued message)
  
  
  • write to say "there's a hole here in the literature" or "these folks
    are missing something important"
  
  
  • know what's been done and what's not been done
  
  
  • forget the idea that "I have nothing to say" (use your perspective
    and experience). Trust that you do have something to say
  
  
  • find your niche
  
  
  • those that rise in the field have a uniqueness to their message.
  
  
  
  


• Look for Publication opportunities
  
  
  
  • Learn to convert class assignments or presentations into manuscripts
  
  
  • Ask: "how can I take what I'm interested in, frame it with my interests,
    and prepare for publication
  
  
  • leading publications were course assignments
  
  
  • don't go to a conference without a paper ready to go.
  
  
  • 15 presentations should have 15 papers.
  
  
  
  


• Collaborate and Contribute
  
  
  
  • no task is initially too small, but be sure you understand the "pay-off"
  
  
  • get into a research lab, look for collaborators
  
  
  • look for people; they won't look for you; beat down doors.
  
  
  • make linkages, build up connections
  
  
  • BUT! be careful to collaborate with someone who GETS THINGS DONE
  
  
  • look at how productive the person is;
  
  
  • know what your role is, and how that will be represented in the final
    product
  
  
  • conceptualizing and theorizing has a big weight in authorship
  
  
  
  


• Seek quality, not perfection
  
  
  
  • There's no such thing as a perfect manuscript
  
  
  • throw up on the page (brainstorm, let ideas flow, etc. first and second
    draft -- start getting it under reign by the 3rd or 4th draft (but don't
    send out crap with your name on it)
  
  
  • write all the ideas down
  
  
  
  

Chapter 2

• Get a second opinion
  
  
  
  • Be sure that others have read and commented on your work BEFORE submission
  
  
  • tell me what you think that sentence says (write things in different
    ways).
  
  
  • listen to your readers, take their advice, don't just seek confirmation.
  
  
  • look outside the field so the readers in other fields can check for
    sense-making
  
  
  
  


• Aim high
  
  
  
  • aim as high as you feel comfortable going.
  
  
  • learn from the best (go for the highest -ranked journals)
  
  
  • but be sure it's a good match
  
  
  • the higher-quality journals review more quickly (~3 months)
  
  
  • better journals have names on board that you should recognize in your
    field
  
  
  
  


• Write with a particular journal or two in mind
  
  
  
  • who am I citing and which journals have thye published in lately
  
  
  • editors look to see who you cite and try to match their reviewers with
    who you cite, so those you cite MUST be represented fairly in your work
  
  
  • look out for "opposing camps" -- send journal a note about which camp you're in, with a "I
    prefer that you do not send it to X"
  
  
  
  


• Pay close attention to journal conventions
  
  
  
  • small things can matter: if it's an APA journal, use APA style
  
  
  • "data" are plural (not "data is")
  
  
  • particularly if your article is a "cusp" piece.
  
  
  • pay attention to length
  
  
  
  


• Become familiar with the language of reviews
  
  
  
  • "revise and resubmit" is a good thing
  
  
  • rejection rate is over 80% at top journals
  
  
  
  


• Respond to Reviews in a thoughtful and Timely Manner
  
  
  
  • consider each issue point by point in letter and manuscript
  
  
  • learn how to respond back -- use your mentors for advice
  
  
  • respond to issues in a detailed, point by point letter showing how
    you responded (or why you didn't) to the reviewers' points.
  
  
  • the tracked manuscript (Word) is not acceptable
  
  
  
  


• Learn to Live with rejection
  
  
  
  • happens to the best
  
  
  • set a goal of 2 out of 5,
  
  
  • wait, decide what's sensible, make a plan (negotiated with co-authors
  
  
  
  

Chapter 3: Maintaining Momentum

• Publishing is a continuous process
  
  
  
  • people notice gaps in work
  
  
  • set up lab with whiteboard showing work: ideas, drafts, submitted,
    published, etc.
  
  
  • should be something going on all the time
  
  
  • pacing will be different, but you need to have a cycle that works
  
  
  • William James: habit of the mind
  
  
  
  


• Make writing a Priority
  
  
  
  • schedule in writing time
  
  
  • make it an absolute priority
  
  
  • committee memberships and university good citizenship can cause you
    to fail
  
  
  • if you can't be in the office and be productive, get out of the office
  
  
  
  


• Stay focused!
  
  
  
  • Become known for a line of inquiry, or program of research, etc.
  
  
  • not just locally revered, but be nationally recognized
  
  
  • be wary of being in your professor's shadow (break to find your own
    path)
  
  
  • do it for yourself, not just for tenure. Carry the passion!
  
  
  
  

My question: You said: "read read read" and "write write write"
but do you see journals evolving to accomodate other forms of media communication
that are becoming more technologically feasible?

Her Answer: yes. In her answer, she spoke of being absolutely ready
for, and already engaging in electronic publishing.

My interpretation: I don't think that she understood that I was
referring to a non-word-based medium. I don't think she can comprehend a form
of scholarly communication that doesn't use words. Kevin Leander spoke of this
(Friday morning session) and the need for academics to move in a "non-word"
direction (at least in acceptance. I'm not sure what that will look like --
it *is* a difficult thing for people whose worldview is based on words to comprehend
such a thing.