GETTING YOUR WORK WRITTEN PUBLISHED AND DISSEMINATED DR

GETTING YOUR WORK WRITTEN, PUBLISHED, AND DISSEMINATED DR CHARLOTTE MATHIESON, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY WORKSHOP FOR ECRS @ ASYRAS 25 MAY 2018

OUTLINE Getting your work written and published What are the challenges for ECRs? Things to consider: what/when/where Workshop activity: creating a publication strategy Disseminating your work Possibilities for dissemination Workshop activity: communicating with different audiences

1. GETTING YOUR WORK WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED Introductory activity: with the person next to you discuss What experience of publishing do you have so far? What have been the main challenges /difficulties? What have been the positive aspects?

GETTING YOUR WORK PUBLISHED: WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES? Deciding what to publish – book, or shorter articles? Deciding when to publish – when is the research ready? Should you publish your Ph. D as it is, or revise substantially? Finding time to write as an ECR. The publication process takes time for factors beyond your control– from peer review, to revisions, to copyediting et cetera… Getting your work out there and read once it’s published.

GETTING PUBLISHED: THINGS TO CONSIDER Types of publication Where to publish How much to publish Timing flexibility

GETTING YOUR WORK PUBLISHED: PUBLICATION OPTIONS Monograph: single-author, substantial (80 -100 k words) original research. Article: 8 -10 k word original piece of research in peer-reviewed, respected journal. Chapter in edited book collection: typically peer-reviewed (may lack rigour of journal); often shorter (5 -6 k words). Editing a book/special issue: on the topic of your choice, can be an opportunity to develop or create an opportunity for a strand of your work. Book review: (typically) not original research, shorter (1 k words). Can sometimes be longer and research-led/state of the field summary.

GETTING YOUR WORK PUBLISHED: CHOOSING WHERE TO PUBLISH Journals “High impact” vs good fit Peer-review essential Monograph University (Oxford, Cambridge) / commercial press (Palgrave, Routledge) Good fit important Peer-review essential; level of copy-editing differs Book chapters Can be a good way to profile your work under a particular topic/author Individual chapters are not as easily searched for as journal articles but can raise profile of your work among other collaborators.

GETTING YOUR WORK PUBLISHED: HOW MUCH TO PUBLISH? No golden rule; “An academic track record and/or publications commensurate with the postholder’s career stage”; Focus on quality not quantity: employers see rigour, and understand that quantity comes with time.

GETTING YOUR WORK PUBLISHED: TIMING Publish as soon as possible or wait to develop research and ideas? Fitting writing around other responsibilities and roles e. g. teaching, admin work Balance quality/quantity Remember that finishing the work and sending off to the Journal/publisher isn’t the end – factor in lead in times for publication, which includes peer review, revisions (sometimes more than one round), final approval, copyediting, proofs, going to print: Journal = anything from 6 months to 2+ years Monograph = anything from 10 months to x years…

GETTING YOUR WORK PUBLISHED: CREATING A PUBLICATION PLAN – BENEFITS Deadlines give structure and focus to post-Ph. D time; Makes the most of the time you have available, even if it isn’t much; Gives you a way of tracking progress and evaluating what is feasible; Flexibility is key! Check back in regularly to assess and adjust Preparedness for job applications and interview: Employers want to know what your plans for the future are (1/2/5 years)

GETTING YOUR WORK PUBLISHED: CREATING A PUBLICATION PLAN – KEY POINTS What – when – where Specifics: draft article titles/ concepts; journals/ presses to target; estimated deadlines for draft/ review / final send-off Look at the overall balance of types of publication Check requirements of journal/presses & other factors (e. g. funding) Remember that final send-off isn’t final – anticipate revisions Review & revise regularly

WORKSHOP ACTIVITY: WRITING A PUBLICATION PLAN Working on your own initially, try drafting a plan of potential future publications on the handouts provided. Make sure that your plan includes: what/when/where Specifics: draft article titles/concepts; journals and presses to target; roughly when you could aim to have pieces ready Once you have drafted your plan, discuss in small groups: what are your plans? Is your plan balanced overall e. g. types of publication, timing? Are there any challenges that you envisage or factors beyond your control?

2. DISSEMINATING YOUR WORK: OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES Blogs: Individual / co-authored Can give a wider platform for dissemination, sometimes linked to the publication Help you to distil the key ideas and concepts for an academic but non-specialist audience Can help you with clarity in your academic writing Social media: Twitter / Facebook Have a very wide dissemination, particularly through use of hashtags Studies have shown Twitter can vastly increase readership Institutional profile/website Make sure your publications are visible and up to date for anyone looking up your page Networking sites : Academia. edu, Linked. In, Research. Gate Can put you in touch with relevant networks, more specified than wider social media

DISSEMINATING YOUR WORK: WORKSHOP ACTIVITY – BLOGGING RESEARCH Read the extract you have been given and consider the following questions: How do the writers engage a non-specialist? What techniques/strategies do they use? What is different to a piece of academic writing? Think about: style and tone; language; structure; length

DISSEMINATING YOUR WORK: WORKSHOP ACTIVITY– THE RADIO PITCH This exercise is designed to get you thinking about the “hook” and key messages of your research, and to distil them quickly! Imagine that you have 2 minutes to talk about your research on the radio: write a short pitch that summarises your research. A useful way in is to think of a “did you know that…? ”: One fact about your research that is engaging, entertaining, interesting, unknown, culturally relevant This gives you a “hook” to engage your audience, before you go on to summarise what your research contributes

FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES: PUBLISHING STRATEGIES Publishing strategies as an ECR: https: //charlottemathieson. wordpress. com/2016/07/06/publishingstrategies-as-an-ecr-phd-publishing-workshop-5 th-july-2016/ Balancing teaching and research as an ECR: https: //charlottemathieson. wordpress. com/2016/06/02/early-careeracademics-in-english-studies-discussion-day/ How to get published as an ECR: https: //stylishacademic. com/getting- published-ecr/

FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES: DISSEMINATING YOUR WORK Social media for academics, Mark Carrigan (Sage, 2016): https: //markcarrigan. net/social-media-for-academics/ LSE guide to Twitter for academics: http: //www. lse. ac. uk/website- archive/news. And. Media/news/archives/2011/10/twitter_guide. aspx Creating an online identity as a researcher: https: //blogs. ncl. ac. uk/nuwomen/2016/07/15/creating-an-online-identity-as-aresearcher/ Getting out there with your research: http: //www. religiousstudiesproject. com/2012/03/14/charlotte-mathieson%E 2%80%9 Cgetting-out-there%E 2%80%9 D-with-your-research C. Mathieson@surrey. ac. uk @CEMathieson