Publish or be damned… building your publication record John Germov Zlatko Skrbis

Overview The publication process TASA & professional development Experiences with publishing Choosing the right journal Common journal referee comments How to get a book published Q&A

Making informed choices Measures of journal prestige and journal citation reports – What is the audience for my work? – Which journal to approach? – How can I evaluate my choice? Understanding the significance of citation reports – Evaluating your own standing in the academic community – Making a case for appointment or promotion

No. of articles in a particular year The citing half-life is the number of publication years from the current year that account for 50% of the current citations published by a journal in its article references. The journal Immediacy Index is a measure of how quickly the "average article" in a journal is cited. The Immediacy Index will tell you how often articles published in a journal are cited within the same year. The journal impact factor is a measure of the frequency with which the "average article" in a journal has been cited in a particular year. The impact factor will help you evaluate a journals relative importance

Common journal referee comments Incorrect format: paper structure & references Fuzzy introduction: unclear aim/argument Literature review: over-citing & under-citing Methods: lack of detail & justification Results & discussion: supporting evidence & links to the literature Conclusion: claiming too much General advice: honing skills & networking

Book publishing: myths & realities The academic publishing environment – Its a business! You need to convince them your book has a market – who will buy it? – Royalties: range from 5% to 15%. Few authors do it for the money Approaching publishers – Know their interests: check their web sites – Conference networking: talk to publishers at conferences and them to gauge interest – Follow their submission guides

Key aspects of a book proposal Most publishers have proposal guidelines on their websites Generic proposal format: – Rationale & working title for the book – List of contents with a brief overview of what each chapter will cover – Pedagogic features (where relevant) – Estimated word length – Target market: Is it a text book? What is the audience (secondary schools, undergraduate students, postgraduates, practitioners…)? What courses may use the book? Where could the book be marketed (professional associations, conferences, overseas markets)? – Competing books: a list of any existing books on the same/similar topic & their limitations – Biographical & professional details about yourself (and any co-authors) – Referees/readers: include the contact details of 3 referees or readers whom the publisher could approach to evaluate the proposal – Sample chapter: as evidence of your writing and scholarly ability