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GETTING PUBLISHED

GETTING PUBLISHED. School of Town and Regional Planning Professor Jenny Dixon Presentation to The Geddes Institute PhD Seminar Series 3 November 2005. A little about Planning at the University of Auckland. Established since 1958- oldest programme in NZ

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GETTING PUBLISHED

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

  2. A little about Planning at the University of Auckland • Established since 1958- 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

  3. 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

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

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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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!!

  15. 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

  16. 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

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