Publish or Perish

Inspiration, perspiration,
publication
Jean-Marc Dewaele
Deptm of Applied Linguistics
 Structure
• Introduction
• Obtaining data, analysing results
• Getting feedback
• Finding journals
• Submitting
• Revisions
• Establishing networks, attending conferences
• Moral and ethical standards
 How much is enough?
• Under the academic adage "publish or perish," would
Galileo receive tenure at the University of Pisa
today?
• Sure, he was smart- he proved Copernicus's theory
that the earth moves around the sun.
• But what about his publishing record? Galileo took 6
years to write his treatise, The Dialogue on the Two
Chief World Systems: Ptolemaic & Copernican.
Church censorship, peer review, & plague caused
further delays, & 3 more years passed before the
book was published (not by a university press).
• How original was The Dialogue anyway? Was Galileo
simply proving Copernicus's ideas?
• Donna Euben (2002) Publish or perish: The ever-higher publications hurdle for
tenure. Academe
 The importance of publications
• Academic career depends on publication list
• Young PhD graduate: a few publications may
convince potential employer of research
potential
• Something is better than nothing
• Yet, avoid publishing crap
• Strategic plan is useful: publish what, where,
at what pace, with whom?
 How to get published
• Is the research topic hot?
• Do you belong to a network of people
interested in the topic? => go to conferences,
talk to major researchers in the field, contact
authors if paper if not easily accessible (a
little flattery can help)
• Keep an eye on call for papers of
conferences or special issues or edited books
 Create your own network
• If you work on a novel topic: organise
workshops, colloquia at international
conferences
• Have contributors agree on submitting their
papers for special issues in international
refereed journals, or an edited book
• Plant the flag and establish your own little turf
• => one criterion for later promotion is whether
you are recognised as a leading figure in one
(sub)field
 Become a “node” in networks
• Become a member of professional organisations
• Be present at their annual meetings
• Stand for election of executive committees
• Accept invitations to become member of editorial
boards of journals (after regular reviewing)
• Accept invitations to become actively involved in the
running of journals and bookseries (but don’t overdo
it)
 What to publish?
• Small research project =>pilot study
• MA thesis findings
• Critical review of literature on topic
• Critical analysis of popular concept
• “Discussion forum”
TYPE?
• Book reviews => good way to get free books!!
• Research paper (typically (6000-12000 words)
• Short paper (research in progress) (3000-4000
words)
• Review paper
• Position paper
 BEFORE WRITING

The research paper starts with an intuition, a gut feeling

that something original is worth investigating, and that you are
the best person to do it
This intuition needs to be formalised, a research design
needs to be developed and the hypotheses need to be
spelled out
Do the literature review, collect the data, do the analysis, see
to what extent it dis/confirms previous research, adds a grain
of sand to the pyramid of knowledge
Assemble all the data BEFORE writing the paper, rather than
during the process
Just start writing the data as if you were describing them
to your colleagues
 Co-authored or single
publications?
• Depends on field
• Co-authoring with experienced
researchers can be great experience
• Combination of specific skills of authors
 Finding the right journal: Aim high or low?
Quantity or quality?
• Aim for balance: some quick “low” level: conference
proceedings, web-based journals. Invest time &
energy in at least one/ a few prestigious
publication/s => “if you can do one, you can do
more!”
• Get your best work in the best journals (check them
out: impact factor?)
• Avoid non-refereed journals (unless it’s reviews or
opinion pieces for general public)
• Avoid volumes with low-prestige editors &/or
authors, &/or publishers
• Avoid editors that work slowly
 What to avoid in the paper
• Superficial literature search
• Don’t claim that “very little” research has been done
in an area if you’re not 100% sure! => reviewers
may react negatively
• Sloppiness in presentation of text: stick to style
sheet, make sure the references are in the right
format, double-check the list of references, make
sure the spelling of surnames is correct
• Sweeping generalisations
• Claims that cannot be substantiated
• A rhetorical style that does not match that of the
journal
 Getting your paper accepted
• Keep it simple (focus on one specific theme):
better to explain one idea in detail than many
superficially!
• Announce that idea in abstract, intro &
conclusion: refer to it in title
• Follow style, structure of papers published in
journal you have in mind
• If more ideas or themes come to mind: split it
off for future publications
• Think hard about title after finishing paper
 Tips
• Good intro! 1st paragraph is crucial for catching
attention of readers & for conveying the
importance of the questions addressed in the
paper
• Text can be written in either the past or present
tense
• Past tense is OK for describing results of an
experiment but use present tense for a general
conclusion (be consistent).
• Keep sentences short. 15-20 words is about right
but shorter ones can be used for impact or
emphasis.
• Avoid complex ways of saying a simple thing
Good introductory sentences 1:
The purpose of this paper is to draw on recent
studies of bilingualism and emotions to argue that
future models of the bilingual lexicon need to
acknowledge – where relevant – not only linguistic
and cognitive but also affective aspects of the
lexicon.

Pavlenko (2008) Emotion and emotion-laden

words in the bilingual lexicon
Good introductory sentences 2:
In this article I will attempt to provide an overview of
recent research in crosscultura intimate
relationships. Of course, such an undertaking
immediately poses the question: what is a cross-
cultural intimate relationship? I will focus on only one
type of intimate relationship, namely romantic and
sexual couple relationships with various degrees of
duration, commitment and exclusivity, ranging from
life-long monogamous marriage on the one hand to
short-lived prostitution encounters on the other.
Piller (2008) Cross-cultural communication in intimate
relationships
 Re-writing
• Be prepared to re-write ad nauseam
• Go through several revisions, feedback from
colleagues, supervisors, native speakers (if
you are not), reviewers, editors.
• Follow suggestions from editors
• Welcome useful suggestions but make sure
you remain coherent & consistent
• Be self-critical, but not to the point of
paralysis
 What to do with rejected
papers?
• Read rejection letter (or first para), take deep
breath, don’t send angry impulsive emails
• Return to it when you’ve calmed down (couple
of days?)
• Take criticism into account, maybe change
angle of the paper, focus on strongest points, if
necessary rework design & analysis
• Submit to another journal
• See it as new project
• Aim for a slightly less prestigious journal
 Don’t put all your eggs in the
same basket
• Work on different projects
simultaneously
• If one “fails” it isn’t a total disaster!
• Have studies at different stages of
completion
• Collaborate in other people’ projects
(but don’t end up doing all the work)
 Moral standards
• Establish a reputation of a reliable & honest
researcher (always acknowledge your sources)
• Be prepared to give advice to those who seek
advice from you
• Accept to review papers from journals or
chapters in edited volumes
• Stick to deadlines
• Don’t be pretentious, don’t take your work too
seriously
• Be optimistic and friendly with colleagues
 Ethical standards
• As a reviewer, make sure your give constructive
criticism together with your honest opinion
• Never be nasty or dogmatic
• If you guessed who reviewed your paper and you
meet that person: don’t start talking about the
paper unless the reviewer starts about it
• Don’t cite or use data of a paper you have been
asked to review
• If you wish to contact the author/s, ask the editor
to pass on the message
 Final recommendations
• Research is fun!
• Publish and flourish! (it’s a game really)
• Writing up requires patience & perseverance: it
is worth the effort!
• Nobody is perfect: everybody sweats!
• Be thankful of the reviewer who sends you a 10
page report with criticism & comments: that
person has spent a lot of time and effort on
your work (and it may be a major name, who
might start referring to your work)