Publishing Strategies and Conference Etiquette for Emerging Scholars

Navigating the pressures of publishing and getting the most out of conferences are key skills for developing an academic career. During two separate seminars targeting the topics, Professor David Gabriel Herbert of Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway, drew on his experience of publishing in around 35 journals and attending over 85 international conferences on November 17.

Prof Herbert began his first seminar, Strategies for Publishing in Refereed Journals, by remarking that universities increasingly expect their employees to publish in refereed journals, but the practical aspects of how to achieve this are often missing from academic training. The discussion developed with a demonstration about how to design a research project and complete the process for publication in a major journal.

The demonstration introduced seven strategies: (1) Demonstrating the need for the study as well as its novelty, (2) Clarifying essential aspects of the method and design, (3) Connecting with a state-of-the-art theoretical framework, (4) Developing an effective Discussion section, (5) Selecting and submitting to journals, (6) Responding to critical reviewers, (7) Sustaining one’s motivation and inspiration across time.

Prof Herbert drew on his personal experience and observations for the second seminar, Academic Conferences: Any Unwritten Rules? Despite a lack of formal guidelines, Prof Herbert stressed that behaviour at academic conferences can make or break one’s career. He noted that academics are not as open-minded as we might like to believe, and it can be difficult to overcome an awkward first impression.

Navigating conferences, suggested Prof Herbert, may be easier by considering the following questions: How can we honestly assess our personal weaknesses, transform and best prepare ourselves to make a positive impression? How can we share our personal achievements with enthusiasm without looking boastful? How can we prompt reflection through helpful criticism without provoking resentment? These questions were used to illustrate the different ways that brilliant academics can inadvertently create negative impressions of themselves, and how this can be prevented, so that others will appreciate us for who we actually are (rather than who we might nervously appear to be at a conference).

Prof David Gabriel Hebert is Professor in the Department of Arts Education at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway