School of Town and Regional Planning Professor Jenny Dixon Presentation to The Geddes Institute PhD Seminar Series 3 November 2005 GETTING PUBLISHED

A little about Planning at the University of Auckland Established since oldest programme in NZ Offer BPlan & MPlan Prac (professional degrees) & MUrbDes MPlan and PhD (research degrees) 130 undergrad students, 50 masters students, 15 PhDs Phd topics- sustainable development, cultural planning, low impact urban design, SEA, biodiversity, women in planning, regional governance

Possibilities for publishing… But first why?- Conference papers (including refereed papers) Professional, non-refereed articles Refereed articles and chapters in books Monographs/ Books Depends on where you are in the writing up process

First off the rank… conference papers Great means of getting started Purpose to explore ideas and get feedback Choose your conferences (professional, academic…)

Additional benefits : Develop networks- meet senior people in your field Make contacts for future Hear about research relevant for your work

Writing… Think about nature of audience Tease out key ideas that you want to explore Construct arguments and key storylines Develop structure that suits arguments Follow instructions of conference organisers Seek reviews of paper from supervisor/peers before submission

Presenting your paper… Prepare clear slides (have back up) Check arrangements for delivery Stick to rules for time! Practice giving presentation- write out notes Know what you are going to say so you can concentrate on how you will say it! Think of likely questions If you don’t know answer, say so Audiences supportive for PhD researchers

next off the rank… Professional articles Practitioners always keen to hear about research Good way of communicating what you are doing without meeting rigour of refereed journals Can assist in disseminating early results/bringing in new contacts Building others’ knowledge of your expertise

Then.. Refereed Journals Choose your journal- horses for courses! Wide range on offer- practical through to high level Read journal descriptions carefully Test out choice of journal with others Writing articles much more demanding than conference papers

Writing articles & book chapters… You will be familiar with literature and “knowledge gap’ that you are addressing Make notes of what you want to say Identify key arguments Don’t work with too many ideas Work out key story lines Construct structure-choose apt headings Signposts important- take the reader with you

Make sure you understand purpose of abstract, introduction & conclusion Best route to rewrite conference paper but may start article from scratch Seek assistance from supervisor/peers Sole authorship/co-authorship? Be prepared for substantial criticisms from refereeing process but don’t give up! Journals usually get material out quickly

Revisions Put aside - Use “fresh eyes” to revise Concentrate on content and structure Do key ideas/story lines stand out clearly? Does structure highlight your ideas? Try to see your work through someone else’s eyes Check references carefully Seek your own peer review

Editing A skill highly worth developing Change sentence structure and replace words Make each sentence clear and convey information in as few words as possible PROOF READ, PROOF READ, PROOF READ Criticism and redrafting always results in better effort

Typical writing problems Lack of clarity in expression of ideas Awkward expression Story lines not sorted clearly Assertions often not substantiated Poor referencing: check house style Poorly drafted abstracts, introductions, conclusions Article/chapter not well ‘integrated’ Is overcome by practice, perseverance and patience!!

Last off the rank.. Monographs, books Why? Who might wish to do this? Writing a book as much work as producing a thesis Does not suit everyone or every thesis Put up a proposal to publisher- may want a chapter in advance Seek some assistance in process- peer review

Concluding comments… Common failure to get PhD research published Being actively engaged during process of writing thesis is very helpful Often need motivation to publish once completed unless engaged in research post-thesis Best route is through journals If publishing at end of process, work up several ideas that can be developed into articles (say 3-4?) Publishing demonstrates follow-through for potential employers even if you do not plan an academic career