Solicited to Write a Chapter

[jeb2433]

Hi All,

I am a first year PhD student in the humanities. I recently received a solicitation to submit a chapter for a new anthology. The request is based on some research I did in a project I have since moved on from. I am still in the same broad sub-field, but have move to an entirely different theme. It's all above board, academic publisher, respected in the field editors, etc. Two questions. 1) I am really unfamiliar with academic etiquette. Should I consult with my current advisor before coming to a decision? 2) Is there any disadvantage to publishing something outside your present project?

Thanks!

[TakeruK]

I'll answer this from the point of view of my field, assuming that these etiquette issues are common across fields.

1. How much time would it take for you to write this invited chapter? If it will use your current University's resources and take time away from work with your current project, you should definitely consult your current advisor. I am working on turning my MSc work into a paper and I have consulted with my advisor to ensure that this was okay. If this is a minimal amount of work that you can do on your own time, then you don't need to consult with your current advisor. However, I think it would still be a good idea to talk about this to your current advisor (see next question too). After all, in a good advisor-advisee relationship, they are interested in what's best for you and this is a good time to get their academic advice.

2. I think the only disadvantage to publishing outside of your present project is the time it takes away from making progress on your present project. So, if there is something else you could be working on that would benefit you more than this chapter, then I would say it is not a good idea to write this chapter. However, if writing this chapter will be more fruitful than other work you could be doing right now, then yes, go and write it! In my field, it's very common for PhD students to have side projects and publish things outside of their main project. Usually this doesn't happen until later on, unless they are publishing previous work (as in your case here). I think talking with your current advisor about this could result in very good advice about the value of this invited chapter and the "opportunity cost" of working on this chapter.

[rising_star]

Three things come to mind. 

1) Definitely consult with your current faculty about whether you should pursue this. You're in the coursework stage so returning to a previous project may take away from time you could be spending either on your courses or on your current/future research.

2) There's no disadvantage to publishing outside your current research project. It shows breadth of research, which may appeal to search committees later on. 

3) Book chapters are typically deemed less valuable than journal articles because the peer review process is less rigorous, in general. This is just something you should keep in mind as you decide about this. The advice I was given early in grad school was not to publish anything in a book chapter that you want to be read widely or cited because people tend to prefer the peer-reviewed literature (aka, journal articles). If it's something you were considering sending to a journal, then you should do that instead.

[juilletmercredi]

Chapters are the bane of graduate school existence. You will write them. They will take up inordinate amounts of your time. But they will not matter.

Okay, so I'm being overly dramatic. But in seriousness, in many fields, a book chapter means little to nothing for your CV. In my social sciences field, it doesn't. However, they often take around the same amount of time if not MORE than peer-reviewed articles. So grad students are often advised to minimize the number of them in favor of spending that time on other CV-building activities. (And yet, tenured professors keep asking us to do them.)

Yes, talk to your advisor about it, and consider the other things you have planned over the next several months.