Publication - Vitae

Why is publication important?

Communicating your research is as important as conducting the research.

If you don’t tell anyone about your research, how will your work reach the audience it deserves? Learning how to get your research published is crucial for researchers aiming to make an impact.

What is publication?

Publishing is the primary means of getting your research into the public domain for the purpose of sharing knowledge with research communities and the wider community.
Most journal articles go through a process of peer review before publication. This involves your work being assessed by other researchers, who did not help you create the work but who are considered informed on the subject. Peer-reviewed articles are considered highly regarded.
Many journals accept reviews of work published in a particular field as well as primary research reports. Media articles, books, blogs, policy documents or patient/public information leaflets are some of the alternative routes for communicating your findings.

Why is publication important?

Through publication your research can have an impact.
Publishing for the academic community can inform the research of others and extend the knowledge base of your field.
Publishing via alternative routes can change attitudes, behaviours and practices beyond the research community, which in turn can lead to more impact socially and economically,
Publication is an important element of public scrutiny – the performance of research institutions is a matter of public scrutiny, so the number and significance of publications produced by an institution matters in terms of research success, and therefore of public funding received.
Publications are a tangible output of your research career – and they are a key measure of research success, which is vital if you want a career as a researcher. They are just as important to demonstrate your skills and knowledge to non-academic employers.

How can you improve your chances of getting published?

Improve your writing skills

Look for courses in academic writing. Make time for writing and plan it into your schedule, even before you begin researching. Ensure you have an optimal creative environment around you to do your best work. Analyse well – written papers to learn from. Consider your writing process and any emotional challenges this can trigger – speak to other researchers for how they manage. Always seek support from training or colleagues if you struggle writing for publication, and remember that you’re not alone.

Take a strategic approach

Take time to understand the publication process – consider where to submit your research article, look at what gets published, the audience, and the reputation and impact a journal has. This comes down to the number of citations this journal receives. Consider other important metrics such as journal circulation. Consider all the stakeholders in your research and think who may be interested in your research findings; include non-traditional routes into your publication plan. Avoid publishing results in short articles or by informal or non-traditional routes without first consulting with your researcher colleagues. This extends to being aware about publication ethics. Determine who in your team will be the lead author and who will write and organise which components. Find and adhere to guidelines and checklists for authors, and ensure you understand the peer review process and conventions relevant to your field. Consider pursuing a formal or informal pre-submission enquiry – this won’t increase your chances of acceptance but it could give a sense of whether the journal is likely to accept your article. Seek feedback from experienced reviewers for your article.

How can you build upon this?

Once you have built your publication record you may be invited to review submissions as a peer reviewer. To establish yourself as an active member of the research community in your field, accept these invitations, ensuring there is no conflict of interest and respond promptly and thoroughly. Joining an editorial board of a journal is another way to build your academic reputation; this is most likely to happen if you have already published good research in a particular journal and your reputation is already growing. If you support other researchers, offer them co-authorship advice and feedback on pre-submission and in dealing with the comments from reviewers. Pass to them requests to review journal articles, with the consent of the journal. Invite them to shadow you when you undertake such activities as reviewing a paper. You could even try establishing a journal club for your research team or department for early career stage researchers to learn how to successfully critique research papers.

Final takeaways

Publishing is the primary means of getting your research into the public domain for the purpose of sharing knowledge with research communities and the wider community.
Publishing for the academic community can inform the research of others and extend the knowledge base of your field.
Always seek support from training or colleagues if you struggle writing for publication and remember that you’re not alone.
Take a strategic approach – take time to understand the publication process – consider where to submit your research article, look at what gets published, the audience, and the reputation and impact a journal has.
If you support other researchers, offer them co-authorship advice and feedback on pre-submission and in dealing with the comments from reviewers. Pass to them requests to review journal articles, with the consent of the journal. Invite them to shadow you when you undertake such activities as reviewing a paper.