Developing a research strategy for early career researchers, or 'How to write papers and get them pu

1
Developing a research strategy for early career
researchers, or 'How to write papers and get them
published'

• Dr Benn Lawson
• Queens University Belfast
• 17th May 2006
• b.lawson_at_qub.ac.uk

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Getting Published

• To succeed you must make your talents well known
  and widely appreciated. Publishing provides you
  with an important way to accomplish that. Your
  papers, available in libraries around the world,
  represent not only your product, but also your
  resume
• Peter J. Feibelman
• Publications are the coin of the realm

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Developing a Research Strategy

• Many types of publication strategy
• But, its never too early to plot .
• Try to delve into topics that yield quick results
  and leave the big questions for later.

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Developing a Research Strategy

• When it's time to start submitting your first
  articles, it doesn't pay to be picky about
  journals
• Eventually though, you must start thinking about
  the top-level
• Keep the papers coming
• Grant committees often give money to people who
  are going to publish the results
• One way to improve chances of a big hit

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Organising the Research Strategy

• Selecting the right journal
• Build a writing schedule
• Managing the transformation process
• Collaboration or individual effort?
• Portfolio of projects

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My Approach

• Publications Completed
• General Management BJM x2
• Field journals JOM, IJOPM x2, IJPR x2, RTM,
  IJIM, AAP,
• Publications Under Review
• General management
• Field journals MSOM, JPIM, IJOPM
• Publications Under Preparation
• General management ?
• Field journals JOM, IMM, IJPR
• Sole authored JETM
• How to build on this?

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The Writing Process

• Tape your main results above your desk
• Follow a good recent paper as a guide
• Use short sentences
• Write the introduction last
• The only version that matters is the last one
• Print out a hard copy, forget about it, and then
  reread
• Submit the manuscript!

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What you say

• Start strong
• Tell readers why they should be interested
• Make sure the article does what it says it will
  do
• Make sure the literature review is focused,
  reasonably complete, and balanced
• Always explain what your results mean, dont
  leave it to the reader to decipher
• End strongly and state a clear take-home message
• Adapted from Sternberg (1993)

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How you say it

• Write sentences that are readable, clear and
  concise
• Emphasize logical flow and organization
• Say what youre going to say, say it, and restate
  what youve said
• Be creative and give concrete examples
• Dont assume people will know what you mean, and
  beware of abbreviation and jargon
• Write to be interesting
• The article as a story

Adapted from Sternberg (1993)
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What to do with what you say

• Proofread
• The single most annoying flaw when reviewing
  papers
• Check for fit to the journal
• Re-read the journal's Instructions to Authors
• Review the details of how the manuscript is to be
  formatted and submitted.
• Read your paper once as a critical reviewer
• Or ask a colleague

Adapted from Sternberg (1993)
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What to do with what others say

• Take journal reviews seriously, but remember that
  reviewers are not gods
• Deal with the reviewers comments
• Dont take reviewer comments personally
• Perseverance pays, to a point

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Types of Papers

• Most scientific publishing falls into one of
  three categories
• peer-reviewed papers in journals,
• conference papers, and
• research reports.
• While there are exceptions, peer-reviewed papers
  are generally of a higher quality
• They count most when reviewing a publication
  record for hiring, promotion and tenure.

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So whats in a paper?

• The article is a story
• From general to specific
• From specific to general
• Title
• Pay attention to the title
• Abstracts
• Usually 200-300 words
• Two types descriptive and informative

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The Introduction

• The introduction should
• Describe the general topic
• The motherhood statement
• List specific problems of interest
• Present the motivation for the work
• Provide a brief overview of your model
• Include statement about the organisation of the
  paper

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The Literature Review

• The literature review should
• Cite the work of others!
• Show connection between their work and yours
• Provide a balanced review of the area, including
  reviewing your variables of interest
• Give credit to future colleagues, some of whom
  will be reviewing your paper

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The Theoretical Framework

• The theoretical framework should
• Present the argument in support of each
  hypothesis

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Research Methodology Results

• These section should
• Describe the procedures you used
• Overview the results
• A good place to start writing the paper
• Construct the tables and figures
• Refrain from including raw data, but rather
  present results themselves
• Keep interpretation to a minimum

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The Discussion

• The discussion section should
• Explain the significance of your results
• Start with a mini-abstract in the first paragraph
• What happened?
• Highlight managerial and theoretical implications
  of your findings
• A poor job here is the main reason for rejection
  of most journal papers

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Future Directions Limitations

• Future directions should include
• Broad overview of the direction you see your
  research taking
• Dont include a level of detail that would fit in
  a proposal!
• No paper is perfect
• Recognise its limitations, but no need to go
  overboard!

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The Conclusions

• The conclusion section should
• State the outcome of your work
• Along with title and abstract, is the section
  most likely to be read
• End with a catchy last sentence

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References

• Reis, R. Getting Published as a Graduate Student
  in the Sciences, The Chronicles of Higher
  Education, 24/11/2000
• Sternberg, R.J. (1993) How to Win Acceptances by
  Psychology Journals 21 Tips for Better Writing,
  APS Observer
• Malhotra, Y (1996) Summary Notes of Writing for
  Social Scientists How to Start and Finish Your
  Thesis, Book, or Article WWW document,
  http//www.kmbook.com/writing.htm