How to Get Published: Surviving in the Academic World Stephen E. Condrey, Ph.D. Vice President, American Society for Public Administration Editor-in-Chief, Review of Public Personnel Administration

Choosing a Journal Carefully choose the journal you would like to publish in. Do the topics covered in the journal fit your research topic? Do you cite the journal in your research? Will publication in the journal “count” toward tenure/promotion? Are you aware of the Editorial Board members and their research interests? What is the journal’s reputation for turnaround time? Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Focus your Research – Common Mistakes Don’t try to condense an entire dissertation into one article. Make sure you have a proper balance between methodology and prose. If it’s an international journal, provide some context concerning the administrative structure in your country. Tell us why your research is important and builds upon other published research. Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Quality Control Make sure you carefully edit your manuscript. If publishing in an international journal, have a native speaker read the manuscript prior to submission. After finished, set the manuscript aside for 1 or 2 days and then reread it before submission. Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Submitting a Manuscript Write a 100 word abstract that clearly summarizes your research and its contribution. Write a brief cover letter to the Editor explaining how research builds upon the research previously published in his or her journal. Many editors will informally read a manuscript and make suggestions prior to your formal submission. Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Care and Feeding of Journal Editors (What we are looking for) Quality Research – methodologically sophisticated AND grounded in the literature Research is relevant to his or her journal His or her journal and other leading journals are cited – beware of third-tier sources International reach of journals is important to Editors Impact factor – Social Science Citation Index – uses a hard science model and relies on the citation of recent publications (last two years) (last five years) (immediacy) Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Journal Impact Factor ●Impact factor (2 year) – 2010 citations to articles published in 2009 and 2008 / number of citable articles for 2009 and 2008 ●Impact factor (5 year) – 2010 citations to articles published in 2009 through 2005/ number of citable articles for ●Immediacy Factor – 2010 Citations to Articles / citable articles published in 2010 Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Public Administration Rankings Using Impact Factor ●1.Journal of Policy Analysis and Management – ●2.JPART – ●14.PAR – ●17.American Review of PA – 1.0 ●18.Administration and Society – ●19.ROPPA – Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Impact Factor Pros and Cons ●A uniform measure across journals ●May force researchers to ignore older works ●Forces the social sciences into a physical science mindset ●Many good journals are not included in the index Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Building Relationships - Journals Thank the Editor no matter what the outcome If you receive a revise and resubmit to be sure to thoroughly address reviewer concerns/suggestions in a cover letter Even if you disagree with a review, address the concerns politely and professionally Volunteer to be an ad hoc reviewer for the journal – may lead to an editorial board appointment in the future Make sure your reviews for the journal are thorough and timely Don’t refuse to serve as a reviewer for a journal if presented the opportunity Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Building Relationships - Colleagues Attend academic and professional conferences to build networks Propose entire panels – increases conference acceptance rate Consider co-authors but be sure not to be overshadowed Research shows that papers originally presented at conferences have a higher publication success rate and are cited more frequently Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

ROPPA Review Process All articles are submitted electronically Managing Editor (and Editor) reviews for relevance and chooses whether or not to send to three reviewers Reviewers are “blinded” – do not know the author’s name or affiliation – 30 days to review After three reviews are received, the Editor (in consultation with the Managing Editor) chooses whether to invite the author(s) to revise the manuscript (25%) or to reject the manuscript form further consideration (75%) Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

ROPPA Review Process – Revise and Resubmit Author(s) are given 6 months to complete the revision – best to be timely Editor reads the revised article and then sends it back to the original 3 reviewers Reviewer recommendations and comments are reviewed by the Editor and a decision is made concerning the acceptance or rejection of the revised manuscript If accepted, the manuscript is sent to SAGE for copyediting and publication preparation Published articles will appear in on-line first and then in a hard copy journal Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration

Conclusion Be focused, consistent and persistent Build networks of like-minded scholars Seek out relationships with new colleagues and with relevant journals Be cognizant of building a sustainable research agenda Your research agenda should be iterative and cumulative to some extent Develop one or two research streams and build upon these Seek our mentors to guide and advise you Review of Public Personnel Administration Review of Public Personnel Administration