Publishing While Undertaking a PhD: Possibilities and Pitfalls

1
Publishing While Undertaking a PhD Possibilities
and Pitfalls

• Majid Yar

2
Writing Art or Craft?

• Writing as locus of anxiety major challenge of
  PhD process
• Waiting for inspiration to strike?
• Postponing until 'writing up' phase?
• Or craft and the cultivation of habit?
• Normalisation of writing as a routine activity
• Longer-term benefits for aspiring academics

3
Writing for Publication Practical Benefits for
the PhD

• Can help refine research
• Focuses thesis content
• Makes assembly of thesis manageable
• Exploits work that doesn't make the thesis 'cut'
• Builds confidence in one's work and ability to
  articulate it

4
Writing for Publication Strategic Benefits for
Career Development

• Changing expectations of academic profile
• Publication increasingly an 'essential' rather
  than 'desirable' feature of the post-PhD c.v.
• Research-driven HEI environment
• Competition in a contracting market
• BUT growth of publishing opportuntities

5
Writing for Publication Going It Alone?

• Solo effort?
• Support from supervisor(s)/others important
• Identifying/accessing opportunities
• Guidance on forms and conventions
• Developing and refining drafts the importance
  of readers and feedback
• Handling editors and reviewers

6
Writing for Publication Collaboration?

• Collaborative effort?
• Working with more experienced collaborators, a
  way of 'learning the ropes'
• Supervisor as obvious candidate
• Different disciplinary conventions about
  PhD-supervisor collaborations
• Challenges of collaboration unequal power
  relations, risks of exploitation, risks of
  co-option

7
'If At First...' Handling Criticism and Rejection

• Self-confidence takes time to develop
• Reviewing process can be brutal
• Success can take time
• Criticism and rejection a normal feature of the
  process
• Making sense of what it means
• Finding positive strategies and responses