"HOW TO PUBLISH AND NOT TO PERISH"
Paper presented by Professor André Wessels (Department of History, University of the Free State) at a workshop of the South African Communication Association held in the Senate Hall on the campus of the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein on 19 September 2007 Copyright strictly reserved
I am speaking to you as an historian, but also as a human scientist, and as someone who has a very broad interest in a number of disciplines and fields of research - including film and the world of media studies. Ideally, there should be much more contact across the socalled "boundaries" that sometimes "divide" disciplines.
On the one hand, I am afraid that much (if not all) of what I have to say, will be general knowledge to you – in that case, however, I would be grateful for your sake, as it indicates that you are already on the right road with regard to research and publications.
Someone once asked the big question: Why exactly does one conduct research? He then answered his own question by saying that one conducts research to be quoted; so that other people will quote from your work, or will refer to your research.
Let me state it very clearly, right from the start, that I regard research as a given, as part and parcel of the obvious work an academic must do; as a matter of fact, undertaking research is a prerequisite for anyone to qualify as an academic. Consequently, there is nothing special or mysterious about conducting research. After all: When I deliver lectures to undergraduate or postgraduate students, I use the research results of other
people in compiling my lectures. When I supervise Master’s or Ph.D. students, I guide and assist other people with their research. When I undertake research myself, I am expanding humankind's knowledge base. This is what distinguishes an academic from other teachers, and constitutes the basis of scholarship.
But why would someone quote you? You will be quoted if you said/wrote something that is worthwhile. You will be quoted if you said/wrote something that contributed substantially towards a particular debate. You will be quoted if you have discovered a new point of departure or new angle with regard to a particular question or theme – and are now exploring these new possibilities in the interest of your discipline. You will be quoted if you are leading the way in your field of research; i.e. ideally, your peers should be anxiously awaiting every new publication of yours.
These are the basic characteristics of a good researcher, a good author, and of a good article. (I prefer not to think in terms of average or poor articles). Some of the key questions any prospective researcher or author must ask him- or herself before venturing to put words on paper, and before submitting an article to a journal, include the following: Is what I want to say worthwhile? Will it contribute towards the current academic debate nationally (and preferably, also at international level) with regard to this particular topic, or field of research? Have I developed or discovered a new angle with regard to the topic, or field of research? And sometimes one should add (if you are brave enough): Am I controversial, or controversial enough? After all, the purpose of research, and of academic work in general, is not necessarily to hand out headache tablets; sometimes the purpose of research must be to cause headaches!
At a different level, one could ask: Do I have a message I would like to convey? Do I really believe (passionately) in this message? After all, honesty is very important when you conduct research. And perhaps the most important of all: Do I enjoy conducting research, and in particular the research I am engaged in at the moment? One must bear in mind that the success and reward with regard to the research I am undertaking, lie in the research itself.
Against the above background, it should be clear that the publish-or-perish debate is, in a certain sense, irrelevant: An academic does not publish driven by fear of perishing, but because he or she wants to publish; because it is part and parcel of one's everyday work. An academic should be passionate about research, and about publishing. However, in the light of research subsidies, etc., it is also important to produce accredited journal articles. Nevertheless, you should not publish out of fear or compulsion, but because you would like to contribute towards the world of art and science; because you would like to help expand humankind's knowledge base; because you would like to develop your community.
Preparing an article for publication
How can you ensure that your article will be favourably reviewed? Although this is obviously a very difficult question to answer and there are no fool-proof guidelines for guaranteed success in this regard, it might be worthwhile to ask: Have I really created new knowledge and insights? Am I formulating/distributing my new knowledge and insights in such a way that the probable reader will find them readily accessible? Am I merely presenting existing knowledge and insights in a new guise, or am I making a genuinely new and/or original contribution and/or truly adding value to what is already known?
It is of crucial importance that we should all constantly engage with our discipline and fields of research in a creative and innovative way – this includes reading as much as possible. (Of course, I am well aware that time (or a lack of time) is often a problem in this regard.)
At this point I would like to mention that, although we are primarily talking about the publication of academic articles in accredited journals today and are keeping in mind the current academic context in which we find ourselves in South Africa, Research with capital a "R" is usually associated with the publication of books, not merely articles. In
many disciplines, you are not asked about your last journal article during visits abroad, but about what your latest book dealt with, how it was received, etc. I am of the opinion that it should never be a case of articles versus books; there is a place and time for both types of publications, but to my mind too little recognition is given at the moment to the publication of academic (and other) books in South Africa, with government subsidies for research publications primarily geared towards academic and financial recognition for articles. I would like to suggest that universities should, independently of the state, give much more credit for books.
By the way: To be recognised as an academic, you must have a Ph.D. This does not imply that you should not publish (or at least attempt to publish) while working on a Ph.D., but if you were appointed at a university without having a Ph.D., your main research aim and focus must be on the completion of your doctoral studies. After all, while working on a Ph.D., you are hopefully being supervised by an established, recognised and accomplished academic, and you can and must learn a lot about research in the process of conducting the research for and writing a doctoral thesis.
I do not know whether I should elaborate on the research process as such. We all know that it is of the utmost importance, after deciding on a topic, to read as widely as possible about the topic and related matters, to identify knowledge gaps and to conceptualise the article, chapter or book. Depending on your discipline and topic, you might have to undertake archival research, newspaper research, research on the Internet or literature studies, and/or conduct interviews.
It is important that you develop your own ideas, theories and/or models as you go along, as this is where your original contribution will lie – and the bigger the original contribution, the more obvious it will be that this article is really worthwhile; the greater will its impact be, and the better the chances that it will indeed be published. Special attention must always be paid to the introduction (with its hypotheses and problem statements) and the evaluation or concluding perspectives. First and final impressions are usually lasting impressions. Write and rewrite – that is the watchword. It is also a good
idea, after the completion of the article, to put it aside for a week or more, and then to revisit it – very critically, as if you were reading someone else's article. Always remember that writing in the human sciences is both an art and a science. Consequently, emphasis must be placed on presentation, language and style. Discuss your research with colleagues; ask for their comments – for instance, ask more than one person to read the first draft of your article. In the process, debate will be stimulated. Ensure that proper linguistic editing has been done on the manuscript you submit to a journal for publication – nothing irritates an editorial board or a reviewer more than problems/errors with regard to language, grammar and style. Also ensure that you follow the guidelines with regard to references meticulously (i.e. make use of footnotes, as in the Chicago style; or follow the Harvard style) – once again: do not irritate the editorial board and/or reviewers with inconsistencies or plain shoddiness!
Important considerations regarding the paradigm requirements of journals
Know your academic journals. This implies that you must take the time to study journals; to study the composition of their editorial boards (and the publications of the board members); to study the guidelines for that particular journal, and to read the articles published in each and every journal (especially over the course of the past three years). With this background information in mind, be very careful in choosing the right journal for your particular article. Be realistic: certain journals publish specific types of articles, and are not interested in articles that do not fit their requirements. Thus: Adapt to the journal – the journal will not adapt to you.
One could say that you must read your way into academic writing. Be a copycat (but not a plagiarist!) – study what other people have done; how they approached their topic. Identify role models, and follow in their footsteps; build up a network of mentors. Even with regard to the writing of journal articles, reading book reviews is very important for developing a critical attitude. Of course, the ideal is to write book reviews yourself.
In view of the fact that postgraduate supervision must be regarded as a research activity, it is important to gain expertise with regard to supervision at Master’s degree and doctoral level. Ultimately, this may also help you in writing articles.
Take the feedback you receive from a journal very seriously. If your article has been accepted on condition that certain changes be made, be very precise in making the necessary corrections, or rewriting as required. Engage with the editorial board if necessary, but never ever get into a dispute with an editorial board!
Concluding remarks
What will your academic inheritance be? Of course you can refer to all the undergraduate students to whom you lectured, to the M.A. and Ph.D. students you supervised at postgraduate level; but your most tangible and long-lasting inheritance will be the research results you published in the course of your academic career. When you are quoted, it means that you have made a meaningful contribution to your particular discipline, but also with regard to the academic sciences in general; i.e. you have contributed towards the academic debate, and you and your contributions are recognised as such.
Your status as an academic, both nationally and internationally, is determined largely by the nature and extent of your research contributions. If there is never any reference to an academic’s research products, the question can be asked: What on earth has this person achieved in the academic world? By the way: Most research is not conducted between 8 and 5, but between 5 and 8 – and this includes weekends and so-called holidays.
Although the emphasis must always be on conducting research, rather than on speaking about research, it is important that – at this particular junction in the history of South Africa – the research debate must be kept alive and well (and at a high level) on our university campuses. Universities, faculties and departments must empower all their staff members to build their capacity with regard to publishing in academic journals (as well as the publication of books), and to improve the success rate and status of researchers.
Perhaps it would be appropriate to say something at this point about the National Research Foundation (the NRF), its funding and rating system. Those of us who have gone through the NRF rating process, and who have received an NRF rating, will know what a time-consuming and stressful exercise it can be. But: Whether we like it or not, the NRF is an important role-player at this point in time in the academic history of South Africa. It is possible to go it alone; i.e. to carry on with your own research independently of NRF funding and the NRF research clusters, focus areas, etc. However, there are
many NRF funding opportunities, and especially young researchers (young in years and/or new in the academic world) should seriously consider to what extent they can align their research interests/topics with NRF funding opportunities. In a sense, we are all doing pioneering work in South Africa – we must create a new society, we must transform our universities into organisations that will be relevant for all the people of the African continent, but in the process we must never lose sight of the bigger picture, of the bigger world. We must also ensure that, in the first and last instance, our universities will remain institutions of higher academic learning; of scholarship. In this regard, publications are of critical importance. We must produce research results that will contribute towards a better understanding of the problems and challenges facing our country and our continent, but will – at the same time – contribute towards the international/globalised knowledge base. Academics must publish – and there is no reason why anyone should perish in the process. However, there are no quick fixes – it takes many years of dedicated research, self-discipline and commitment to become a successful academic and researcher. With your feet firmly on the ground, and with a number of accredited journal articles on your CV, reach for the publication of books! If you have never been quoted thus far, I sincerely hope that you will be quoted in the not too distant future!
André Wessels Bloemfontein 1 September 2007 E-mail: wessels.hum@ufs.ac.za Copyright strictly reserved