It strikes me that many academics spend a lot of time and energy worrying about the people who will hate their work. Even before you’ve written the article, you are imagining someone criticizing it, probably in a particularly mean and hurtful way. No wonder you have trouble writing. Write for the people who are eager […]
Read More »Communicating scholarly knowledge
Publishing is an important part of your work as a scholar. Posts in this category address all times of publishing, understood as making your knowledge public: more or less formal methods, publishing for scholarly audiences, publishing for wider audiences.
For an introduction to how I approach the topic start with Communication vs Validation: Why are you publishing.
Research produces more questions than answers
The popular view of research is that it produces answers. This is not untrue. If you need answers, research is going to help you find them. The problem is that research also produces questions. In fact, it produces more questions than answers, which can have a big impact on your ability to publish and on your […]
Read More »
From Conference Presentation to Journal Article
In an earlier post, I suggested that conference presentations make great first drafts of journal articles. The hard part is actually sitting down to turn that excellent first draft into something good enough to submit to a journal. Dealing with criticism. Maybe someone in your conference session asked some awkward questions. Or made some suggestions […]
Read More »
Do Conference Papers Count?
This is a question I get asked a lot. Whether it is for hiring, tenure, or a research grant, researchers seem unsure of the value of conference papers. It’s all about impact. Conference presentations feel like they have more impact than other forms of dissemination. There are real people in the room listening. They ask […]
Read More »
Getting the most from conferences
Are you going to a large disciplinary conference? Are you worried about your conference presentation? Or excited about meeting up with colleagues you don’t see in person very often? Is this your first time? Are you unsure about what it’ll be like? What to wear? Who to talk to? How your presentation will go? Don’t […]
Read More »
Book proposals
Someone on Twitter mentioned book proposals in response to my post on planning. This is a good example of getting stuck in the plan (and then possibly getting stuck with the plan), so I thought I’d talk more about it. What is a book proposal for? The obvious answer is that it is the means by which […]
Read More »
grumble … Knowledge mobilization … grumble … wider impact … grumble
In a recent workshop I asked participants to write down all the grumpy thoughts they were having about the prospect of writing a Knowledge Mobilization plan (aka Pathways to Impact statement in the UK). I collected these and put them aside while we got on with a more positive approach. I want to return to […]
Read More »Good enough?
Does something have to be finished to publish? Doesn’t publishing something that is “good enough” but “not quite finished” suggest that you are lowering your standards? What about “excellence”? Back in 2009, I attended a production of Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Belle Moral. The author’s note in the program caught my attention, especially the part of which […]
Read More »Does it matter for tenure whether you’ve published from the PhD?
Recently, I received this query: Hi Jo, I’ve been trying to publish my dissertation for a while now since completing it 7 years ago. The manuscript has been rejected twice and reviewers have noted that the data is too dated. My question is should I keep trying or just let it go? I am applying […]
Read More »The best argument I’ve heard for Open Access publishing
Global reach. It has recently come to my attention that there are all sorts of academics out there that don’t read your academic articles either. (HT @ernestopriego) They are your audience. They are engaged in the academic debates that you are engaged in. And they can’t get access to your articles because the funding situation in their institution is even worse than it is wherever you are.
Read More »Criticism & perfectionism
One of my favorite quotes is by Samuel Silas Curry, a turn of the century speech teacher, “There is nothing so encouraging as good criticism.” He goes on to say that good criticism simply compares the actual with the ideal. Vicky@collegeparentcentral commenting on my post Confidence in the Face of Criticism Thank you for sharing […]
Read More »
Confidence in the face of criticism
Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide · Confidence in the face of criticism I received a request via Twitter DM. Have u any tips on academic speaking eg @ q & a time @ conferences. How can I gain confidence and speak with conviction in the face of criticism? As it happens I do have thoughts […]
Read More »
