One difference between an undergraduate and graduate education is that an undergraduate learns the current body of knowledge in the field, whereas a graduate student is expected to go beyond that understanding to question and critique common beliefs. Part of this questioning process comes through publications.
Publishing is also a good way to increase your marketability. A body of work demonstrates many of the characteristics that are in high demand among employers; such as communication skills, leadership, passion, and engagement with the profession. It also shows recognition of your work, and hence competency, by your peers in the field. Plus, publishing is personally satisfying as well. It feels good to know that you are advancing understanding in the field, and ultimately helping to steer the direction of your profession.
While your coursework is a good place to gather ideas and develop your writing skills, writing for publication is different from writing for classwork. Graduate schools often do a poor job of preparing students to publish, thinking that the skill will come by osmosis through informal relationships with faculty around drinks at the campus pub. At Norwich we are formalizing that process of preparing to publish, and I would like to start by providing some important tips to getting published.
Topic, topic, topic
Just as the three most important qualities that determine real estate value are location, location, and location, at least half of getting published is coming up with a publishable topic. Many potential authors forget that they are writing for someone else, not themselves. Your idea may be brilliant and interesting to you, but unless it interests others, you will not get published.
Creativity and originality are the keys to getting published. One business continuity magazine editor told me that he was getting sick of the same old “Oh my God, we’re so unprepared” article (as he put his hands on his head mimicking a panicked expression). Editors are desperate for something new, and a new idea will get noticed.
Finding an original idea often comes by looking at things from a unique perspective. My degree is in Philosophy, and I teach medical and business ethics at the undergraduate level. But I’ve published articles in all of the major business continuity journals because I bring a unique perspective to the issues. For instance, I delivered a very well-received presentation on business continuity ethics by applying medical ethics concepts to business continuity. So ask what unique perspective you can bring to the table on a business continuity issue.
It’s best to start with something from your own background. Are you the business continuity manager at college? Write about business continuity in higher education. The topic is unique because higher education is one of the few industries where a business continuity plan has to consider the health and safety of the customer as well as employee. Then ask how the lessons apply to other industries as well.
Research before Writing
Each journal has a unique audience, topic interest, and writing style. Matching these three is a key to getting the editor to accept your paper. Many writers try to save time by using the scattergun approach of sending the same article to all of the journals in their field. But this will drastically raise your rejection rate, and if every journal rejects the article—which is certainly possible—then they are not likely to accept a resubmission in the correct format. Plus, editors take offense to writers ignoring their journal’s style requirements, and will be predisposed against any future submissions from you. You’re must better off tailoring the article to each individual journal, and this means starting with research about the journal.
Start by looking at examples of articles in the journal to get a sense of what they like. Also research the writing requirements for the journal. Do they want something in an easy-going first-person voice, or an academic third person voice? What kind of length do they want? You may have to restructure the article to fit the format of different publications. It’s worth the effort. Also understand that if you do get published, your article will likely get chopped to fit space requirements, so don’t get too wedded to the final version.
It Takes a Village
Newspaper reporters work on daily deadlines and have to send their article in immediately after finishing it. But a university professor would not consider submitting an article to a journal without first having it looked over by an outside reviewer, and usually more than one. It’s a proven fact that we have a hard time seeing our own grammatical mistakes; I know that I do. We tend to read through errors. I’ve heard that the best way to proof your own material is to read it backwards because we use the context of a sentence to read through errors. This is probably good advice, but when it comes to publishing, get someone else’s review before sending it out. They will not only catch your errors, but also may give you some good ideas for elevating your work.
Your best bet is to use the NUMSBC Yahoo group (You did join, right?) to get comments on your work from fellow students and instructors. Put your work into the Files section and send out a message soliciting input from others. Contact me if you are unsure how to join.
Get Known
They say that getting to NFL Pro Bowl is hard, but getting back is easy, and the same can be said of publishing. Like everyone else, editors are overworked, and will cut down their workload by looking past names they do not recognize in favor of those with a proven track record. If you are not known by the editor, then you should find a way to make contact with him or her before sending in the work. Try to corner the editor at a professional conference to discuss your idea, as most journals in the field are aligned with conferences. If you can’t make personal contact, try to find someone on the journal’s editorial or advisory board who is willing to make contact on your behalf. Here again is where networking comes in handy. Your instructors might also be able to make the connection, as all are known in the field.
If all else fails, simply call or email the editor to ask if your topic would be of interest to the journal. Even if you’re pretty sure that the editor will like the topic, making the connection will cause the editor to expect your work, increasing the chances that it will be noticed. Plus, the editor might provide some suggestions on ways that you can cast your topic to make it even more interesting to the journal’s audience.
Weekly Question:
I would like to first recognize Matt Bambrick for correctly answering last week’s question:
What is Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom?”
Answer: It is the northeast corner of Vermont, roughly the area east of I-93. It is often considered the “real” Vermont of small towns, farms, and dirt roads. The movie “Where the Rivers Flow North,” with Michael J. Fox (who owns a home in Vermont), took place in “Kingdom County,” an inside reference to the Northeast Kingdom.
For his winning submission, Matt receives a copy of the 4 volume musical set “100 Songs about Business Continuity,” which includes the Bruce Springsteen hit “Born to do BIA.” Congratulations Matt.
This week’s question is:
What major religion was started by a native Vermonter, and who was that Vermonter?
The winner will receive a signed copy of the book “Risk Management for Dummies,” published by Lehman Brothers Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment