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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - July 18, 2007
3. Publishing Your Dissertation: Small Steps to Branding
Yourself
By Leo A. Mallette, Ed.D.
July 18, 2007
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
As you continue the long and arduous climb up the alphabet ladder--B.A./B.S.--M.A./M.S.--A.B.D.--Ph.D.--I'd like to propose one more set of letters. No, I'm not suggesting one more rung on the ladder (whew!), but a fantastic bonus that accrues automatically when you eventually reach the ladder's top rung and claim the Ph.D. I call that bonus the B.T.D.T.
There was no way I could appreciate the B.T.D.T. until I was out in the "real" world. I had the Ph.D., of course, but it soon became apparent that I had something beyond that credential and the specialized knowledge it represented. I had, in addition, the confidence of knowing that I could meet an incredible variety of difficult challenges. The ABD process had so honed my skills, including my coping abilities, that when job pressures mounted, I could handle that. When the workload was exceptionally heavy, I could handle that. When deadlines loomed, I could handle that. And how did I know? Well, I had my B.T.D.T., which simply means "Been There" and "Done That."
Anyone who has been through the ABD en route to the Ph.D. has "been there" and "done that" and prevailed. The Ph.D. is evidence of it. By the time you overcome the final difficulty in your ABD obstacle course, you will have learned about yourself that YOU are capable of meeting all kinds of demands, from intellectual challenge to stress management. (You are learning it even now!)
You probably didn't set out on the ABD trek to prove something to yourself, but along the way it happens. So keep moving up that alphabet ladder, knowing that when you finally claim the Ph.D., you'll also have the B.T.D.T. to help you move forward with hard-won confidence into a new set of challenges in your life--life after the doctorate!
Even as you pursue that Ph.D. (and accumulate empirical points for the complimentary B.T.D.T.), it never hurts to begin looking ahead. In fact, Dr. Leo A. Mallette advocates laying the groundwork for postgraduate employment while still in graduate school. Whether you are interested in a well paying job or a tenure track academic post after graduation, check out his suggestions in this week's guest article.
Inspirational Quote
A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.
(English proverb)
Publishing Your Dissertation:
Small Steps to Branding Yourself - And an Incentive to Finish!
By Leo A. Mallette, Ed.D.
I need a job.
I want a better job.
I want a different job.
I want to do my own research.
I think I might want to change jobs.
I'd eventually like to be a tenured professor.
These may be the goals you set for yourself when you started your doctorate. They are all worthwhile job goals and achievements, and they are attainable if you are successful in earning your doctorate. But wouldn't it be great if you could just jumpstart the process? Actually, you can. This article describes a tool that you can use right now to build momentum in changing your goals to accomplishments. That tool is being a published author.
It is important to publish peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed articles
and books. Whether you like to see your name in print, like to go to conferences,
need an ego boost, believe in the publish-or-perish theory, want to share
your knowledge with others, or a combination of all the above, it is important
to publish.
Importance of Publishing
What do you think would be positively correlated with salary increases? Webster
(1995) found that "years of professional experience, the number of publications,
and a Ph.D. or other terminal degree had a positive impact on faculty salary"
(p. 730).
Furthermore, published research is associated with promotions, tenure, and higher salaries (Blackburn & Lawrence, 1995, p. 116). Hilmer and Hilmer (2005) surveyed agricultural economists in academia and found that "the number of years since a faculty member received his or her Ph.D. is the most significant factor in determining his or her current salary. … [They further found] statistically significant economic returns to articles published in top … journals" (p 516).
This should motivate you to finish your dissertation and publish!
Conferences or Journals
One of the (unwritten) requirements of dissertations is that the information
be publishable, and many Ph.D. granting institutions now require that doctoral
students publish their work--in journals or conferences.
Journals. Peer reviewed articles in leading journals in your field should be your goal. This is a great opportunity to receive feedback on your writing from experts in the field. There are typically two or three reviewers who are knowledgeable in the subject matter who read and critique your submission and ask you to rewrite. If your submission is of the quality the journal requires and would add valuable information to the journal's readership, it will be accepted for publication. Being published in a peer reviewed journal is definitely a valuable notch in your belt.
Conferences. Many journal articles get their start as a paper at a conference. They are refined, corrected, and redirected based on feedback from the conference attendees. There are many benefits to conference publishing, including faster time-to-publication, presentation skill development, feedback, and an opportunity to network (discussed below). Publication in journals or at conferences helps develop your brand.
Branding
Publishing is a way to create or augment a brand for yourself that can shape
your image, improve your self-confidence, push your credibility index higher
as a subject matter expert, and help you become known in your field. Getting
published at a conference also adds credibility to your brand and gives you
valuable experience in presenting your ideas to a scholarly audience. These
advantages give you a competitive edge that is hard to match when you apply
for a new job or seek that promotion that you have been dreaming about.
Finding work as a consultant requires that you brand yourself as knowledgeable in your area of expertise. Publishing several papers on a particular topic helps to reinforce your brand. Your brand can be crafted by the type of conferences and journals that choose to accept your paper and the topics you decide to write about. Publishing can brand you as knowledgeable in a specific area and create a competitive advantage in your next job search.
Publishing Before Graduation
Nettles and Millett (2006) stated, "What is surprising and somewhat novel
is the growing expectation that students publish while they are in the process
of pursuing their doctoral degrees" (p. 104). Studies have found that
approximately half of all doctoral graduates publish. They publish to a small
extent before graduation and to a much greater extent after graduation (Mallette,
2006). There are two types of publications that you can do before you graduate.
One is a progress paper, and the second is a comprehensive literature
review.
Progress Paper. Your doctoral research may be well underway but may not be finished, and you've found an interesting side-topic, or you've identified a different application. All of these are possible topics for a paper. One caution about publishing your research result before graduation is that you need to clear it with your advisor and possibly your school's institutional review board. There can be occasions where publishing your findings before graduation will prevent the entire dissertation from being considered new unpublished research. Avoid sabotaging yourself at all costs.
Literature Review. The lit-review that you've done (or are doing) is one of the most thorough and comprehensive reviews of the literature in your area of expertise. Other people would be interested in a summary of the synthesis of your findings. You don't want to publish the entire 40 or 80 pages of your Chapter 2. One advantage of writing a paper on your lit-review is that it forces you to put a conclusion on a part of your dissertation that is often open-ended. This will help you finish that dissertation.
Where to Publish. Take a look at the references section in your dissertation. The journals and conferences listed there have already published articles that are related to your topic and they may be interested in your topic. You can also ask your peers and advisor.
Incentive to Finish
You want to finish your dissertation, but publishing a paper will take time
away from your research and writing (yes it will). So why do it? It may help
focus you, you may meet fellow researchers and some of the experts in your
field, and conferences allow you to network.
It is important to publish papers and books because writing proves that you have the depth of experience to take your project or hypothesis or research through to completion. It is important because it shows that you have the experience, that you've taken a scholarly approach to an issue and have thoroughly thought it through. Being able to talk about a subject (in the presentation) is proof that you've learned your subject to the point where others are willing to listen to you as a peer in your field.
Writing for a journal requires that you write the paper. Conferences also require the preparation of a presentation, the physical presentation of your subject to peers, and answering questions about your topic. There is a greater amount of interaction with other human beings, the immediate feedback from your peers, and one of the best opportunities to network.
Networking
The Exhibits Area. The exhibits area (if there is one set up)
of a conference is a tremendous area for learning directly from the people
who supply the products in your field. This is also an opportunity to network
and learn the names of key individuals at these companies.
For Job Opportunities. Conferences are your opportunity to talk with potential employers officially through the career center, semiformally by arranging to meet potential employers at the conference, or informally by networking and finding out who might be interested in your expertise.
For Dissertation Assistance. This is also your opportunity to meet other graduate students in your field of expertise, or others who are in a similar field. This is the time to commiserate about the pain you are experiencing and congratulate each other on the progress you're making. They may be able to help you with an area of difficulty, or simply provide moral support -- it helps to know that you're not the only one having problems.
To Gain Support. These graduate student comrades are the ones who will be publishing papers in the next decades and will likely become paper reviewers for journals. They may be the ones reviewing your journal submissions and it's good to have reviewers who know you.
For Future Publishing Opportunities. If you presented a paper, your presentation was put into that particular session because it meshed nicely with the other presentations, under a common theme. You can approach the other authors and suggest collaborating on a joint paper for the next conference or for a peer-reviewed journal article.
Networking at conferences is an important facet of your visibility in, and into, your field of expertise. You'll meet people, discover new ideas, and it will motivate you to finish your dissertation.
Conclusion
Doctoral students (just like you) publish before and after graduation. Publication
focuses your thinking, helps to brand you in your community of interest, and
will increase your salary. A presentation of your research at conferences
allows you to network and meet peers and experts, and it will certainly encourage
you finish your dissertation!
References
Blackburn, R., & Lawrence, J. (1995). Faculty at work - motivation,
expectation, satisfaction. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Hilmer, C. E., & Hilmer, M. J. (2005). How do journal quality, co-authorship,
and author order affect agricultural economists' salaries? American Journal
of agricultural economics, 87(2), 509 to 523.
Mallette, L. A., (2006). Publishing rates of graduated education Ph.D. and
Ed.D. students: A longitudinal study of University of California schools.
Pepperdine University, Malibu CA.
Nettles, M. T., & Millett, C. M. (2006). Three magic letters, Getting
to Ph.D. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins Press.
Webster, A. L. (1995). Demographic factors affecting faculty salary. Educational
and Psychological Measurement, 55(5), 726-735.