Getting published with pedagogic research

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