Should I Publish as I Go?

Abstract

There is increasing pressure for the results of postgraduate, especially doctoral, research to be made public with doctoral students more commonly being encouraged to publish not only after completion of the doctorate, but also during their study and this is presenting a new and challenging feature of their doctoral education. For postgraduate students wishing to stay in academia, having published outputs available upon completing of their doctorate greatly enhances their opportunities for employment or career advancement. Getting your research published however is not always easy. It is recognised that publishing academic material can difficult and frustrating, typically because many authors experience long delays, high rejection rates and opaque journal processes. This chapter intends to examine the advantages and disadvantages of publishing as you go, the common hesitations, suggestions for ways of slicing your postgraduate research project to ensure maximum utilisation of the material, and what to anticipate during the paper preparation and submission process.