Publish or Perish | A Note to Emerging
Researchers on Why It’s Important to Publish!
We’ve all heard the
expression ‘publish or perish’; many of us taking it to heart, some even scared
by it. It’s probably an ‘inevitability’ for most of us on the PhD journey,
ensuring that we communicate and disseminate our research to a wider audience –
even if just a predatory journal or two – but the bigger picture is of sharing knowledge
and ensuring its availability to others.
If you plan to
continue your journey through the ranks of academic, publications are a given;
if you’re leaving academia for another pursuit, don’t discard the relevance
that your work, and publishing it, may have. Give it some thought too!
Regardless, don’t wait
till after your PhD is done and dusted; start exploring how you can disseminate
your research during the process too. As we wade through the PhD, it’s the
right time to identify what, where and how to publish. But word of caution,
whilst publishing won’t impact the quality of your PhD per se, be sure to make
sure that any publication you do during the process doesn’t restrict your
rights when it comes to further publications down the line.
Publishing for
researchers is though a strategic journey. Journals may restrict your use of
materials due to copyright or other limitations, so it’s essential that you
understand the obligations and limits of every piece you publish. That being
said, a little homework will put you in a stronger position as you navigate the
journey to publish.
Doing
a PhD: Why it's important to publish (Advice from postgrad.com)
Here we answer
some of the most frequently asked questions concerning PhDs and publishing your
work to provide you with some essential information.
#1:
What to publish and HOW?
As a PhD student, you will usually
publish the results of your PhD research. Although your research will be
described in your PhD thesis, publishing requires writing up your research
findings in the form of a journal article and submitting it to one of the
specialised journals within your field. It’s only when your article has been
accepted by a specialised journal that you can really celebrate because that
means you have successfully been published!
You may be
offered to work on some external projects that could result in some
publications, however be aware that accepting to work on anything that can’t be
included in your PhD thesis is risky because it may distract you from earning
your postgraduate degree.
#2:
Why is it important to publish?
To understand why publishing
determines which PhD students will become future academics, we can compare it
to the concept of Natural Selection. Competition for academic positions is
fierce, and publishing is used to select those students who stand out and
separate them from the rest. Because the publishing process is highly
competitive, and to publish in a high quality journal requires you to compete
against researchers who are much more experienced than you, being able to
publish shows that you actually know what you are doing and that you have the
potential of advancing your field. Thus the strongest and best are selected.
#3:
What is ‘PhD by publication’?
In some countries, it is possible to
get a PhD by collecting a few published journal articles and submitting them as
a PhD thesis. This method is known as ‘PhD by publication’, and although it is
more common in countries, for example Australia, many universities in the UK
also encourage their students to compose their PhD thesis out of a series of
journal articles. After all, writing up your research findings in the form of a
thesis and then again rewriting them as journal articles may be a waste of
time.
#4:
How many journal articles is it possible to publish during a PhD?
The number of articles you will
publish during your PhD depends on two factors: the success of your research
and the reputation of academic journals to which you will submit your articles.
If your research has been entirely successful and everything went according to
plan, it is likely that you will be able to write a few articles. However,
sometimes things don’t go according to plan and you will barely be able to
write up even one article.
Top journals
are highly competitive, and it can take months before they actually give you
their feedback regarding the articles you have submitted. It almost never
happens that an article will be accepted without any revisions, and the chance
of getting refusal is high, therefore publishing in top journals can actually
take years and happen well beyond the duration of your PhD course. This is
something to take into consideration when deciding what is more profitable for
your future academic career. If you want to have a few publications before you
are done with your PhD to enhance the chance of getting a post-doctoral
position, publishing in moderate quality journals may be a better option.
However, if you are highly confident that your research is great, why not try
to compete with the best?
#5:
How will I learn what it takes to write a high quality journal article?
Learning how to write a high quality
journal article is a process that requires a lot of trial and error. You will
usually model the first draft of your article after other publications you have
read so far, and then spend months crafting it together with your supervisor.
This interaction with your supervisor when making steps towards your first
publication is extremely important, Make sure you choose a supervisor that has
the time and energy to help you learn how to walk.
#6:
Quality or quantity?
Many PhD students wonder whether it is
better to publish one article in a high quality journal or a few articles in
moderate quality journals. Well, for those who know little about your field
seeing a bigger number will definitely be more impressive, but the rest will be
more impressed by one publication in a high quality journal. WHY? Because there
are many academics who have a large number of publications but still never
manage to publish in a top journal. Being able to do so speaks volumes about
your quality and potential!
#7:
Will my publications make an impact?
Inexperienced researchers often assume
that as soon as they are published their research will make an impact, but
sadly this is not always the case. Specialist academic journals are usually
only read by a limited audience, and it is not likely that someone outside this
small world will hear about your research unless it is so interesting or
controversial that it attracts the attention of popular media. In fact, these
days many researchers try to make their research appealing to the media to gain
more attention. But even becoming a famous academic won’t necessarily make you
influential. A much more reliable indicator of your impact and the quality of
your work is how many fellow researchers have cited your article.
However, if
you truly want to make an impact on society through your work, you’ll need to
ensure that it reaches the general public without being distorted by the media.
One of the ways to do this is to write a book about your work that is
understandable by everyday people as well as by fellow academics. So to become
a truly influential scientist you’ll need to learn how to communicate your
ideas with everyday language.
Source: Why to publish | Advice | Postgrad.com
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