Achieving a publication in order to appear more attractive to Ph.D committees

[Phoebecaulfield]

I completed an M.A. in English Lit this past May. Though it was a Literature degree, I focused on film studies throughout my time in the program. During my two years there, I did well in my classes, put effort into building strong relationships with certain professors, and also threw myself heart and soul into a select few of the projects that I worked on. I think I made a positive impression, but because I always was working other jobs and because I saw myself going into an alt.ac career post Master's, I didn't really invest in the grad school culture very much or do things to add to an academic C.V. By that I mean I didn't really ever go to colloquium, other events, I didn't try to go to conferences or anything like that. I was just focusing on my classes and when I wasn't doing that, I was working on my freelance writing career. 

 

Despite that, I am really passionate about academia and the only reason I shied away from it is the knowledge of how thankless it can be. Well, now despite that, I think I want to apply to Ph.D programs. I just can't get enough of this stuff. Sorry, future self. 

 

One of my professors recommended a publication as a good way to get something solid on my C.V. This method is also cheaper than affording a conference. I have a film theory paper I wrote in an independent study with this professor that I think I would like to work with and submit to some publications; even if it's not good enough for a more prestigious pub, there are zillions of smaller online film journals where I might have a shot. 

 

Any advice? Do you think this is a worthwhile pursuit?

[ExponentialDecay]

I don't sit on an admissions committee. That said, for the purposes of formal academia, it's only a publication if it is published in a non-undergraduate peer-reviewed journal. As a method, it may be cheaper than a conference, but it is also more uncertain and takes a much longer time. Keep in mind that, even if it is accepted at a journal, you will most likely be asked to make revisions, and the turnover for the whole thing is six months at minimum. I would also check with your professor if he thinks the specific paper you have in mind is publishable, and is not just saying "a publication is a good way to get something solid on your C.V." in a theoretical in a vacuum sense.

tl;dr if you have a publishable paper, of course you should send it out to journals. But your PhD admissions strategy probably shouldn't be wishing really, really hard that it gets accepted, if you know what I mean.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Just time for a brief response, but an academic publication shouldn't matter TOO much at this point, nor should a conference presentation etc. unless it's a significant publication or conference. Remember that adcomms consider the whole package. Most M.A. students won't have a worthwhile publication -- it's certainly not a requirement, though it could be seen as sort of a cherry on top of an otherwise great application.

Also, this only matters if you are planning on pursuing a career in academia. If you are indeed going to apply to Ph.D. programs this cycle, then you might consider sending something out...but it certainly won't have been accepted (or even rejected) by the time adcomms convene, meaning that it might be a moot point anyhow.

Long story short: it can't hurt, but it's also likely not worth the time and effort at this juncture.

 

ETA: Cross-posted with ED.

Edited August 23, 2016 by Wyatt's Terps
Cross-posted

[Bumblebea]

I would recommend not throwing it out there for one of the zillion smaller online journals for a quick and easy publication. You're really better off working on it until it gets better (even if that takes a few years). I know it's a cliche to say "you don't want a mediocre publication following you around forever"--but you really don't. I almost published something very early on in grad school, and now I'm glad I didn't.

Honestly, I don't think there is any harm in just sending it out to a more prestigious journal--if only for the fact that you might get some feedback that will help you in the long term. You won't get your article published at this point (for the reasons Wyatt's Torch touched on), but you might get a reader's report back. A reader's report from a reputable scholar in your field is much more useful for telling you what you need to work on than a publication in a low-rent online zine. 

As far as helping you get into a PhD program--admissions committees are *not* going to expect MA students to have publications (or even conference presentations). They're looking for promise at this stage, not some finished product. 

So, tldr: Don't worry about publication right now, but it's not a bad idea to circulate your article to a reputable journal, just to see what happens. And revising a paper for submission alone will make your writing sample better, which should be the more important goal.