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Getting published with pedagogic research

Getting published with pedagogic research. Peter Ashworth. Dimensions. What kind of work are you doing? It needs to be specified so that you can target an audience and therefore an appropriate medium of publication

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Getting published with pedagogic research

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  1. Getting published with pedagogic research Peter Ashworth SHU

  2. Dimensions • What kind of work are you doing? It needs to be specified so that you can target an audience and therefore an appropriate medium of publication • For example, is the work of general interest or specific to education for a certain profession or discipline? • Is it practical pedagogy, empirical research, theoretical, a contribution to debate… SHU

  3. So -Types of research Descriptions / evaluations of innovative pedagogy e.g. using a new software package Research in a sub-discipline of H E e.g. education policy Educational research within a discipline e.g. nurse education Higher Education Research pure-and-simple Theory, empirical study, debate SHU

  4. A paper is specific • Related to the movement of debate - and choose a target journal accordingly • Has a particular audience in mind • Methodologically sound (be clear about relevant method and techniques) • Focus on a definite message / narrative SHU

  5. Where are you coming from? • Clear relationship with existing research • The literature review will be constructed partly to indicate the articulation of the research with existing scholarship • Or the state of play within a specific debate will need summarising SHU

  6. Doing it right • Show appropriate awareness of the basis of the techniques used • Choice in terms of the research question; strengths and limitations understood • Evidence of mastery of the techniques (e.g. following statistical reporting conventions) SHU

  7. So what? • Findings must be a scholarly contribution to knowledge in the discipline and/or a worthwhile contribution to practical pedagogy • Timeliness and interest in the light of current debate • Or a fascinating new line of thought or practical innovation SHU

  8. Characteristics of the submission and review process SHU

  9. Choosing a journal • If you have to ask “What journal should this go in?” then one has to wonder whether the work is really related to the literature… • Where has debate in this area been published before? • What is your target audience likely to look at? • Don’t be afraid of trying for a tough journal if relevant! • If you want to check the prestige of a journal? (REF etc) http://www.scimagojr.com/ SHU

  10. SJR SCImago Journal Rank • Average number of weighted citations received in a certain year by documents published in the given journal in the three previous years. • The weighting is to recognise the distinction between citations in top journals and citations in less prestigious journals. • It is based on a calculation using the [journal cited] X [journal citing] matrix. The argument is that most-frequently cited journals are more prestigious. It is better to be cited by papers in those journals. SHU

  11. Prestige metric H • A scholar with an index of h has published h papers each of which has been cited by others at least h times. • Thus, the h-index reflects both the number of publications and the number of citations per publication. • H performs this calculation for a journal’s papers. • See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-index SHU

  12. Submission • Make it plain that the paper is intended for the targeted journal - follow its stated conventions (form of abstract, length, referencing, APA rules). Additionally, model yourself on a good current paper of the same kind. • Don’t be afraid of approaching the editor or members of the editorial board for advice about suitability etc. (Perhaps send an abstract.) SHU

  13. The refereeing process (a) • Normally the paper goes (anonymised) to 2 or 3 referees. Be aware of variations on this. • Referees comments may be excessively sharp but occasionally a referee goes out of their way to be helpful. Adopt the attitude, ‘If this was how a well-intentioned reader understood the paper, how can I put the case better?’ • Be aware of journal conventions for reporting referees’ comments to you and about the way you should act on them. SHU

  14. The refereeing process (b) • Be aware of the possible reasons for rejection – e.g. not suitable for this journal; analysis wrong; unconvincing conclusions; trivial… • Notice if the Editor has given even the least indication that a revised version could be submitted • Answer the referees’ points and say where you have done this in a covering letter / message • Points may be answered (a) by changes in argument (cuts / additions / alterations), (b) by reinforcing the paper to allay misunderstandings SHU

  15. Electronic journals • Submission via the web site; all correspondence through web site (Editor /referee communication, too). Or maybe website-generated emails. May have the possibility of seeing where the processing of your paper has got. • Possibly a pre-final version is publically available. • If open access, then possibly much wider circulation (See Int. J. Qual. Studies on Health & well-being) • Open access journal may be financed by a fee to authors. SHU

  16. SHU Student Engagement and Experience Journal • Electronic Journal of format very similar to QHW •  Author guidelines • Very wide range of acceptable types of submission • Very wide range of kinds of publication format • Author Advisory Board members can support authors in developing their ideas and writing to a level appropriate for submission to the Journal • Peer review guidelines • Note the intention to encourage resubmission SHU

  17. SEEJ Criteria for Peer Review • Original, scholarly and makes a valuable contribution to the debate on student engagement and the student experience • Aligned with the journal focus and scope • Of interest to a substantial number of SEEJ readers • Accurate and up to date (including references) • Written in a style appropriate for the journal and avoids subject specific terms or jargon SHU

  18. Finally, plan publication as part of research programme • Establish a research programme – a sequence of connected studies – and maybe a research team • Build a reputation within the relevant scholarly community by presenting at conferences etc • Form links with other research teams in the area • Target a journal or set of appropriate journals. Also be aware that articles in a relevant magazine may get you better known even among the scholarly community than only publishing in the ‘official’ literature. SHU

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