Publishing for newbies?

[hopscotch]

Hey all,

I'd like to find a couple of publishing opportunities to build up my resume. I'm an English major who's never published before, and I'm wondering how to get started.

Any suggestions you might have would be great!

Thanks in advance,

hopscotch

[rsldonk]

First step is to write something you think is worthy to be published. Also, look for journals that your work would fit with. Submit it, see what happens, because a lot of what gets submitted is gets put back for revision, so that will help you. Don't get discouraged, the best work seems to come through the revision process.

[Kathiza]

Thank you for asking this question, hopscotch!

I'd like to submit part of my thesis - is this possible in general? And can one submit at any time? Or do we have to wait until there is a call for papers/anything like that?

I have never been published and I have no idea how the process works. At my university, even though I already have a Master's degree, no Master's student (or at least none I know) has ever published something. So it's not common at all. That's why professors never introduced us to this process.

Is it even possible to publish without the help of a professor? Don't we need his/her name, especially for a thesis? Do we need his/her signature?

I will look into this on my own of course; look for relevant journals etc. - but maybe there is somebody here who could explain this to me/us in a nutshell? Thanks!

[qbtacoma]

Thank you for asking this question, hopscotch!

I'd like to submit part of my thesis - is this possible in general? And can one submit at any time? Or do we have to wait until there is a call for papers/anything like that?

I have never been published and I have no idea how the process works. At my university, even though I already have a Master's degree, no Master's student (or at least none I know) has ever published something. So it's not common at all. That's why professors never introduced us to this process.

Is it even possible to publish without the help of a professor? Don't we need his/her name, especially for a thesis? Do we need his/her signature?

I will look into this on my own of course; look for relevant journals etc. - but maybe there is somebody here who could explain this to me/us in a nutshell? Thanks!

In general, professional journals accept submissions at any time. They may have specific themes for which they may issue calls for papers but you shouldn't wait around for a theme that seems appropriate. You don't need anyone else's permission to submit to a journal (though in your cover letter you can say something like "Dr. X suggested I submit this article to your journal" if you feel like it). At least in history, many, many papers come from amateur historians submitting their work, so you certainly don't have to be in the system to submit!

Here's how it works. You look at the journal submission guidelines and make absolutely sure that you follow all the formatting and word limit requirements. This will take a lot of editing time and is annoying, but essential Some journals still require multiple hard copies of papers in addition to digital submissions, so be aware of that. All the requirements for submission will be online or printed in the journal itself; you need to find these and use them. Do not annoy the editor by emailing questions about how to submit - everything will be explained elsewhere unless you want to do something really odd like submit an audio file or other media with your paper for some reason. (I would not recommend this, if possible). Include a cover letter with your submission - the letter format varies by field, so you should ask your professors what the standards are for that.

You will not hear anything for a long while, up to six months sometimes. Eventually the editor will write back and you will get either a) a rejection, b ) rejection with invitation to revise and resubmit, or c) acceptance. The last option is very, very rare. The vast majorities of acceptances occurred after revision, so don't feel bad if that happens! The work will be peer reviewed before publication and you will need to revise based on the reviewer recommendations. After that the editor will guide you through the publication process. Good luck!

Edited January 31, 2011 by qbtacoma

[Kathiza]

Thanks so much for sharing!

Is it allowed to submit the same text to different journals at the same time?

[Bukharan]

I'd say 'No'. Try one journal where you want to be published. Ideally, one writes an article with a specific journal in mind. Then give editors some time to get back to you, and if they reject the article, move on to the next journal. At least, that's the advice I got from my professors literally last Friday.

Perhaps, it works differently in different disciplines though.

Edited January 31, 2011 by Bukharan

[history_PhD]

Thanks so much for sharing!

Is it allowed to submit the same text to different journals at the same time?

Not okay. I'm pretty sure this is a universal also. Your cover letter should mention that the article is not under consideration in other journals.

[dogbert]

Agreed. It is a universal no. Everyone I have ever discussed publishing with has said absolutely, positively do not send it to more than one journal at a time. Most of the peer committees members (in a specific discipline) know one another/work with one another, and word will get around that you are just fishing for a publication. It's considered disrespectful and amateur, at least this is the advice I've been given, for what it's worth.

[Kathiza]

Thanks for telling me! Otherwise I would have done so, because I thought it's like applying to different universities and just waiting for acceptance, rejection or waitlist

[hopscotch]

Thanks so much everyone for all your help!

[rising_star]

Google the Upenn English CFP database. It might help you find a journal that is looking for articles in your area.

[hopscotch]

Thanks, rising_star!

Google the Upenn English CFP database. It might help you find a journal that is looking for articles in your area.