The Nuts and Bolts of Publication Writing - QUT - Research · CRICOS No.00213JCRICOS No.00213JCRICOS No.00213J Dr. Mark David Ryan –Film, Screen, Animation Email: [email protected];

CRICOS No.00213JCRICOS No.00213JCRICOS No.00213J

Dr. Mark David Ryan – Film, Screen, Animation

Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @Markdavidryan

Image: Elisa (Leecee) Carmichael (MFA)

The Nuts and Bolts of Publication Writing

mailto:[email protected]

https://twitter.com/Markdavidryan


• Emphasis on traditional research outputs

• Research and writing cycles

• Maximising research outcomes

• Working in teams

Today


Depends on the individual:

• Insight and intellectual satisfaction

• Making a contribution to the field

• Acknowledgment

• Creating a teaching/research nexus

• Promotion

Publishing is an important and expected component of being a contemporary

academic

Why Publish?


A Social Model of Academic Writing

Source: Murray, R., & Moore, S. (2006).


Research and have an idea and basic argument

There should be an idea for an article. However, before the actual writing process

begins, authors need to identify a publication to write for.

Each journal has a specific focus, theoretical emphasis and audience

By writing for a specific publication, from the outset you are:

• Writing for a specific audience (national or international?, inter-disciplinary rather

than disciplinary?, practitioner oriented or academic).

• You have a set style and referencing system.

• You have a set word count

• You have a deadline

Without these elements in place before drafting commences, you can flounder without a

clear objective and may ultimately have to alter the article anyway before submission.

Where to begin?


• Choose a journal

• Read instruction for authors guidelines

• Read articles from the journal

In terms of Book chapters:

• Present at conferences

• Respond to Call for Papers

So …


Publishing must be a priority – want to publish!

Academic & Research-intensive staff have different environmental moderators

- Less time & a broader range of task competing for attention

- Writing during semester near impossible

Plan for writing cycles

- Prepare for writing and publishing cycles

- Plan substantial writing for gaps in teaching semesters

- Revisions, incremental writing during semesters

- PDLs for substantial writing

- Create writing days in weekly schedule

- Cut back HDR supervisions

Planning for Writing


HERDC categories

- Book/monograph

- Journal article

- Book chapter

- Refereed conference paper

Non-weighted academic categories

- Edited Book

- Non-refereed articles

- Editorials

- Book reviews

- Conference presentation

- Technical reports, white papers

- Blogs and other forms of online writing.

NTROs

Publication Types

Traditional

research

Teaching and

Learning

scholarship

NTROs

Book

Journals articles

Book chapters

Conference papers

Book

Journals articles

Book chapters

Conference papers

Creative works

Designs

Performances

Recordings etc


Publication Timeframes

Publication timeframes

submission – publication

Pros/cons

Book (including edited) Can be 2 years Most impact

Profile raising

Most significant contribution

to knowledge

Journal article 1-2 years

High impact

Widest dissemination

Profile raising

Strong contribution to

knowledge

Book chapter

2-3 years Less impact

Not as rigorously refereed

Less prestigious

Long lead times

R/conference paper

6 months – 1 year Short turn about

Less prestigious

Less impact


Aspirational 40% research allocation:

- A/B academics – 4 pubs

- C – 8 pubs

- D – 10 pubs

To achieve an average the publication of 3-4 per outputs per year:

- Have several publications under review or development each year

- Publication across multiple types: book chapters, J-articles etc

- Use summer/mid-semester substantial writing

- Maximise outputs

Creating a Production Pipeline


“Maximising research outputs is crucial to becoming a productive researcher. Within

a research environment, workloads are fragmented between writing journal articles,

book chapters, research consultancies, competitive grants, unpublished discussion

and concept papers, lectures, and online blogs. Being strategic about your

knowledge creation with the intention of publishing can potentially increase research

outcomes” (Ryan 2012).

Conference publications - a key way to develop an article/book chapter

Turn raw research or non-published research into research outcomes

- PhD thesis

- Grant applications

- Funded reports

- Consultancies

- T&L deliverables and findings

Maximizing Outcomes


Introduction -Introductory statement/background -Research problem/gap in knowledge -Contribution of this study/research direction -Argument -signposting Theory/conceptual framework section

Section 1Section 2Section 3

Conclusion References

5,000-7,000 words

Journal Article Structure


Two key options:• Book • Journal articles/book chapter

Book• Does it translate to a book?

PhD to journal article• PhD is a huge pool of data for research outcomes• Turn 2-3 of the best chapters into articles

• Each chapter is typically the raw argument/data • Each chapter will need a new introduction • Each chapter will need to be conceptually framed • New conclusion

Turning a thesis in publication outputs


Sharples’ (1999) proposes a parallel, sequential and reciprocal model of co-authorship:

• Parallel – working on different sections in parallel

• Sequential – each author works on a draft incrementally

• Reciprocal – co-authors working together to talk through ideas, or physically writing

together in front of a computer screen).

Benefits:

• Create scales & increases productivity

• A more time-efficient means of producing articles

• Provides motivation/incentive to write

• It can pool ideas and build layers of perspective

• De facto mentorship and personal development for early-career researchers or post-

graduate students.

Writing in teams


• Silverman (1999, pp. 144-146) identifies 11 factors for successful writing collaboration:

•

• Satisfactory comfort level between co-authors.

• Co-authors should be dependable

• Equally enthusiastic about the project.

• Co-authors must be able to prioritise writing tasks

• Complementary Knowledge in the field

• There should be compatibility between critical perspectives.

• Mutual respect,

• A willingness of co-authors to compromise and negotiate.

• Co-authors must have writing ability and a compatible writing style

Factors to Consider when Forming a Writing Team


Identify an appropriate publisher or publication series

Proposal – must make it clear why the book is needed and what the gap in

knowledge is

Proposal must articulate strongly current state of knowledge in the field

Proposed structure must make sense & stated aims and goals

Publishers rely on academic readers to assess quality – read criteria before

submission

Book proposals


• What do I already have that can be a starting point?

- Data set

- Report

- Thesis

- T&L project

- Article draft

• Plan 2-3 key outputs for rest of the semester/summer break

• What publications are they targeted for?

• What your writing cycle look like for coming year?

• What support do you need to complete these outputs?

• Who can I work with on a research output?

Preparing for publication over summer …


Murray, R., & Moore, S. (2006). The Handbook of Academic Writing: A fresh

approach. Berkshire, United Kingdom: Open University Press.

Ryan, Mark David (2012) Writing and publishing research articles in teams.

Australian Journal of Communication, 39(3), pp. 143-160.

Sharples, M. (1999). How we write: Writing as creative design. London: Routledge.

Silverman, F. H. (1999). Publishing for Tenure and Beyond. Westport: Praeger

Publishers.

References

Documents

The Nuts and Bolts of Publication Writing - QUT - Research · CRICOS No.00213JCRICOS No.00213JCRICOS No.00213J Dr. Mark David Ryan –Film, Screen, Animation Email: [email protected];