The primary purpose of publishing, even scholarly publishing, is communication. If you centre the communicative role of publishing, with a focus on the audience and the difference you would like your work to make for that audience, decisions about when and where to publish will change. This principle can also influence how you understand peer […]
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Dorothy E. Smith on the purpose of publishing
I’ve been pulling together my thoughts on the writing process and publishing to form Short Guides on popular ebook platforms. In doing so I remembered an early influence on my thinking around validation and communication: Dorothy E. Smith. My copy of The Everyday World as Problematic was published in 1988, the year before I began […]
Read More »From Conference Presentation to Journal Article
In my 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 […]
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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 on this. Critical ≠ negative Criticism is one of the main modes […]
Read More »From Conference Presentation to Journal Article
A conference presentation is an important stage in the development of your research. It allows you to get feedback, helps you refine your arguments, and begins to build an audience for your work. Now comes the hard part: actually sitting down to turn that excellent first draft into something good enough to submit to a journal. […]
Read More »Networking 101
You know networking is important but the thought of it makes you want to shudder. Or worse. It sounds so instrumental. And fake. And like it involves talking to people you don’t know. Out of the blue. If you’re an introvert, it’s even worse. Reassurance It shouldn’t be instrumental, even if the relationships you build […]
Read More »Your conference paper & how you present it
The academic conference paper serves a couple of purposes. draft of an eventual journal article getting feedback meeting people with similar interests You probably have 15-20 minutes to present. And one of the most common complaints about conference presentations is that they go over time. How do you prepare? Preparing for this is a 2 […]
Read More »Getting useful feedback on your conference paper
There is plenty of evidence that conference presentations don’t necessarily get you any useful feedback.
But that doesn’t mean they couldn’t.
You have to build an audience
Do you tell people you know are going to be at the conference when you are presenting? Do you ask them to come? Do you tell them you would like feedback?
Read More »Conference presentations: speed dating for academics
Scholarly conferences are a regular part of the academic life. Whether big annual conferences run by scholarly associations, or smaller more focused conferences and workshops hosted in various institutions, academics attend conferences regularly. Or as often as possible given the travel funds available. Unless you are invited to give a plenary presentation, chances are you […]
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