From Publish or Perish to Publish and Thrive
From “Publish or Perish” to “Publish and Thrive”: Developing a Publication Strategy as an ECR Dr Charlotte Mathieson Teaching Fellow School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics @cemathieson Charlotte. Mathieson@ncl. ac. uk S
Creating a publication strategy: overview The Research Excellence Framework Quality – Quantity – Timing Employability
The REF S Research Excellence Framework = the system for assessing quality of research in Higher Education institutions in the UK; determines funding distribution from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) S Last round = REF 2014 (submissions November 2013) S Research outputs (65%); impact (20%); research environment (15%)
REF “outputs” S Output = piece of research (article/monograph) S Typical expectation = 4 outputs per academic S (full time, research/ research & teaching) S ECR discount Source: “Guides to Academia: The REF” by Charlotte Mathieson, on The New Academic. com
Key message S Stay aware of changing HE landscape; be flexible and responsive. S Focus on producing the best research that you can in the time available. S Aim for fewer, high-quality publications.
Quality - types of publication S Monograph S Article S Chapter in edited book collection S Book review S Edited book
Quality - types of publication S Monograph: single-author, substantial (80 -100 k words) original research; can be “double-weighted” in REF. S Article: 8 -10 k word original piece of research in peer-reviewed, respected journal. S Chapter in edited book collection: typically peer-reviewed (may lack rigour of journal); often shorter (5 -6 k words). S Book review: not original research (exceptions), shorter (1 k words). S Edited book: not (necessarily) original research, but a lot of work.
Quality – where to publish S Journals S “High impact” vs good fit S Peer-review essential S Monograph S University (Oxford, Cambridge) / commercial press (Palgrave, Routledge) S Good fit important S Peer-review essential; level of copy-editing differs
Quantity S No golden rule; S “An academic track record and/or publications commensurate with the postholder’s career stage”; S Competitive posts = ECR “discount” may not factor; S Focus on quality not quantity: employers see rigour, and understand that quantity comes with time.
Timing Working with/around REF cycles S Getting in to the current REF cycle (2019 -ish cut-off) S Lead-in time to publication S Journal = anything from 6 months to 2+ years S Monograph = anything from 10 months to x years…
Timing Working with/around REF cycles S Holding back publications for next REF cycle S 2011 – finished Ph. D S 2012 -15 – in non-REF-returnable job for REF 2014 = delayed 1 st monograph for 2015 publication i. e. within REF 2020 cycle S Next monograph = aiming for publication post-2020 REF
Writing a publication strategy: key components S What – when – where S Specifics: S draft article titles/ concepts; S journals/ presses to target; S estimated deadlines for draft/ review / final send-off S Look at the overall balance of types of publication S Check requirements of journal/presses & other factors (e. g. funding) S Remember that final send-off isn’t final – anticipate revisions S Review & revise regularly
Writing a publication strategy: benefits S Prioritising and balancing quality and quantity; S Deadlines: structure and focus to post-Ph. D time; S Basis for feedback; S Tracking progress and evaluating what is feasible; S Preparedness for job applications and interview.
Further reading S Guides to academia: the REF, on The New Academic. com http: //www. nadinemuller. org. uk/guides-to-academia/the-ref/ S Getting published as an ECR, interview on The Stylish Academic http: //stylishacademic. com/getting-published-ecr/ S The impact of the REF on ECRs, talk at Westminster Higher Education Forum https: //charlottemathieson. wordpress. com/2015/04/24/a-culture-of-publish-or-perishthe-impact-of-the-ref-on-ecrs/ S Early Career Academics in English, notes from talk on Balancing Teaching and Research https: //charlottemathieson. wordpress. com/2016/06/02/early-careeracademics-in-english-studies-discussion-day/ charlotte. mathieson@ncl. ac. uk @cemathieson charlottemathieson. wordpress. com
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