How to Publish in an International Journal Joel Huber Kunming University of Science and Technology 20 September 2009

Prepare for a journey that  Will take longer than you expect  Will force you to leave your comfort zone as you Learn new ideas Develop new skills Encourage new social relationships Understand the volatility of the review process  But it will bring meaning and excitement to your life

There are 7 stages in your journey 1. Choose your topic 2. Research your topic 3. Plan a program of research 4. Choose the journal 5. Prepare your paper 6. The journal responds… 7. Starting again on another topic

Stage 1: Choosing your topic  Choose attractive research areas That are growing in interest Generate new ideas, vibrancy Have potential relevance Critical academic mass Appreciated by close colleagues

Stage 1: Choose a topic  Where you have a relative advantage Match your interests, skills, experience Potential collaborators Good resources for collecting and analyzing data

Stage 2: Research your topic  Find a few very current articles— typically with a web search or accepted article section of a journal  Research references from those articles  Try to meet with relevant experts or get in touch with them  Find an issue that enables you to create new insights

Sources of new insight  Application of a other research to a new context  Uncovering a context where previous knowledge is wrong…boundary condition  Developing a new method that is more efficient, accurate, predictive  Finding surprising results from failed experiments

Stage 3 Plan a program of research  Get access to data Students or web questionnaires Existing data sets Data from companies  Conduct test runs  Conduct test analyses  You will do numerous runs

Stage 4 Choose your Journal  One that has many related articles  One that is appropriate for your skill level—walk before you run JMS or Management Review  IJRM, or JAMS  JMR or Management Science

Stage 5 Prepare your manuscript  Adopt the journal’s style  Reference their authors  Have two or three points and focus on them  Simplify, simplify, simplify  Write your abstract--then rewrite it at the end  Get help from a copy editor and your friends

Your submission letter  Tell the editor briefly why your article fits in the journal  Suggest reviewers People you respect NOT people with whom you have a relationship If there are people who will not like this paper, let the editor know

Stage 6 The journal responds  Desk reject (25%) Lack of fit with journal  Desk revise (5%) A new revision may be sent to reviewers  Reject with reviewer comments (30%)  Revise and resubmit (40%)

Your response to rejection/revision  Four stages of grief Denial Anger Bargaining Acceptance

If rejected—submit elsewhere  Understand why it is rejected  Go back and think about the ways the new journal is different  Make your new version different

If revision is requested  Try to understand what the reviewers want Sometimes they were wrong Sometimes you were wrong Sometimes you were not clear  Show you are responsive to the issues raised

Through the revision process  Keep the main ideas uncluttered Impact is about surprising results or method, not process Alternative analyses, studies can be in a paragraph or a footnote Often you can respond to the reviewer but not change the manuscript

Your article is accepted!  Four stages of joy Denial Jubilation Bargaining Acceptance

After acceptance  Work HARD on your final revision Powerful abstract, understandable tables, strong summary  Tell the editor you would be pleased to review for the journal  Build your network of scholars Invite them to give talks Special sessions at conferences Help them with papers

Stage 6 Starting again on a new topic  Go back to stage 1  Build from your strengths: substantive, theoretical or empirical  Develop co-authors who will bring you new knowledge  Be open to others…research is a non-zero sum game  Enjoy the trip

Key points to remember  Publishing is a process not a goal  It is about good communication  It is both exciting and fun