Feminism & Psychology Publishing Workshop Virginia Braun (& Nicola Gavey) Incoming Co-editor(s)

Outline Introductions Feminism & Psychology –Scope of the journal –Our (new) vision –Your thoughts and input Academic publishing

Introductions Your publishing experience? My publishing experience Brief intro to how journal publishing works The importance of journal publishing –Why publish?

Why publish? Establish credentials among your peers Get an academic job Move up the professional ladder Achieve recognition for specific contributions to your field Ensure recognition of ‘ownership’ of an idea/theory/analysis… Test out a new theory/idea – get responses Share information with peers, contribute to solving real world problems Compare/contrast related research results Expand the field of knowledge in an area Influence policy (social change) Demonstrate credibility of your research – ensure you get to do future research (e.g., get funding) Personal gratification

Aims & Scope Feminism & Psychology aims to provide an international forum for debate at the interface between feminism and psychology. The principle aim of the journal is to foster the development of feminist theory and practice in – and beyond – psychology, and to represent the concerns of women in a wide range of contexts across the academic-applied ‘divide’. It publishes high-quality original research and debates that acknowledge gender and other social inequalities and consider their psychological effects: studies of sex differences are published only when set in this critical context. Contributions should consider the implications of ‘race’, class, sexuality and other social inequalities where relevant. The journal seeks to maintain a balance of theoretical and empirical papers, and to integrate research, practice and broader social concerns

Aims & Scope Feminism & Psychology publishes: Theoretical and empirical articles Research reviews Reports and reviews of issues relevant to practice Book reviews Observations and Commentaries ‘Special’ Features –Special issues – the entire issue –Special features – a section of a journal issue –Reappraisals – of classic feminist psychological work –‘Spoken words’ – ‘conversations’ with or between key individuals within feminism and/or psychology –Graduate work in progress

New ‘visions’ As incoming editors, we anticipate also including the following in F&P : –‘Undisciplined’: Incisive pieces summarising theorising in key areas outside psychology –‘Current debates’: ‘dialogues between two key figures in an area –‘Practice notes’ – doing feminist psychology outside the academy

How do I decide what journal to publish in? Factors that may affect your choice: –What/why is important about this publication? –What audience do you want to speak to? –Are the ‘aims and scope’ right? –Time from submission to publication? –Rejection and acceptance rates –Impact factors –Do you cite articles from the journal? Be realistic Consider ways of getting into print other than journal articles –newsletters –book reviews and review essays –conference reports –short research reports – F&P observations & commentaries – F&P postgraduate fora, etc

How can I prepare the best possible manuscript? Do some excellent research, and write the manuscript (MS) Make sure ‘method’ & ‘results’ sections of the MS are very clear Have input from other people along the MS production process –Give early versions as conference papers, to internal research groups, or at internal research seminars –Circulate drafts to colleagues/peers for comments and criticism If you’re new to publishing, first few papers co- authored with supervisors/senior colleagues

How should I prepare my manuscript to improve my chances of acceptance? Make sure you follow the journal submission guidelines: –Format –Length –Anonymity –References –Footnotes –Number of copies of MS Edit it well; check carefully for typos etc. Look at typical articles and model yours on those Check sections are balanced in terms of length Cite the journal you are submitting to Submit to only one journal at a time(!!)

What happens after I have submitted my manuscript? Acknowledgement of submission WAIT! – the peer reviewing process is underway –Ideally completed within 2-3 months –Can take up to 6 months –What it entails Enquire politely after reasonable period has elapsed

When you get the editor’s decision letter… Make sure you understand what it is saying –Is the decision clearly stated Accept as is Accept subject to revisions Revise and resubmit Reject Seek clarification from the editor, if necessary

a) If the journal rejects your paper… A high proportion of unsolicited MSs are rejected; this is what you should expect Calm down, put the reviews away for a few days Re-read the reviewers’ comments and reasons for rejection given by the editor at a later point Consider your options: –Abandon idea of publishing this work, but see this as good experience –Submit MS to another journal as it is –Rewrite MS and submit to another journal Take advice from your supervisor/someone more experienced in journal publishing

b) If it says ‘revise and resubmit’… Probably the most frequent path to eventual publication What does this mean? Take advice if necessary How to do the revisions –The editor’s cover letter: helpful or unhelpful? –What should you do if your reviewers disagree? –What about if you disagree with the reviewer Include detailed cover letter outlining your revisions to the MS –Things you have changed –Things you have not changed, and why May need to negotiate timeframe on revise and resubmit

c) If it says accept… Pretty unusual to get this outcome Celebrate! Well done! MS will still need revisions (no substantial changes or additions) Proofs (NB for error correction only – no further changes) Proofreading conventions Copyright forms Publication date Reprints/Offprints

Finally… Consider submitting a MS to F&P ! Contact the F&P editors if you want to check if a topic is potentially suitable Contact: Any questions?