Expectations, Rejections, and Reviewer 2: Publishing Demystified

Abstract

Navigating the pressures and processes of academic publishing is a challenge for doctoral students and recent graduates. While there is a growing expectation that doctoral students and recent graduates are capable of immediately producing publishable research and survive in a “publish or perish” environment, many doctoral students have misperceptions of and remain uncertain about how to navigate the publishing process (Rich, 2013). However, while the quantity of publications does not necessarily equate to success in the job market, publishing productivity is critical in finding employment (Hatch & Skipper, 2016). As such, doctoral students need to consider the publishing process early in their program so they can present a competitive publishing record when entering the job market. Yet, many universities do not provide formal training on understanding scholarly publishing or devote efforts to include explicit content on navigating the publishing process (Hanafizadeh & Shaikh, 2021). This panel from ALISE’s Doctoral Student Special Interest Group will therefore address this gap by presenting advice and strategies for doctoral students at any stage of their program, focusing on expectations of publishing as a doctoral student and best practices for publishing research. Panelists, comprised of early-career faculty and doctoral candidates with admirable publication records, will discuss their experiences with publishing, specifically through discussions of (1) expectations for publishing productivity as a doctoral student; (2) their decision-making processes about where to submit research for publication; (3) their strategies for publishing most efficiently; and (4) their experiences with publication rejections. Panelists will provide insight into the typical workflows of the publishing process, detail the most common pitfalls when submitting research for publication, and describe how to effectively address these pitfalls in manuscripts to minimize chances of receiving rejections. Drawing on the experiences of the panelists, attendees will learn of best practices for submitting research for publication and understand how to address fundamental issues and pitfalls of publishing to help increase their chances of getting their work published. Attendees will be able to ask questions and/or share their own experiences after panelists present through a moderated Q&A. The session will proceed as follows: 

1. Welcome and introduction of panelists (5 minutes) 

2. Panelist presentations on key topics (60 minutes) 

3. Moderated Q&A (15 minutes) 

4. Concluding thoughts (10 minutes)