Have you been encouraged to publish, publish and publish?
If you want to establish yourself as an academic, it does make sense to start publishing your work as soon as possible. However, you may be wondering about how long it would take for your work to be accepted.
The time it takes to get your work published in academia can vary depending on the nature of the research. In the article below, we will look at the factors that affect publication timelines and provide tips to help you navigate the process more efficiently. As there is no one-size-fits-all approach for this, the time from submission to publication could vary significantly.
Choose the right platform
This is one of the key decisions you will need to make. You might find it helpful to consider traditional journal formats as well as open research platforms (where the publication timeline is shorter). You may have a brilliant article to submit, however, if you submit it to a journal which is not a good fit, you will likely experience some rejections. Conference papers for example, may be published quicker than journal articles. To speed up the process or know a publication date, you could respond to calls for papers or present them at conferences, where your work is usually published by the time of your presentation.
Consider the ‘best fit’ approach
Many people argue that finding the perfect fit for a journal is a good idea. Although, it may take lots of time to get your paper as perfect as possible, you could significantly increase your chances of success. It is essential that you spend a significant amount of time developing your work. Ask for feedback from a range of professionals who have expertise in your chosen field. Do not be tempted to submit your work until it looks polished and the best version it can possibly be. Do make sure that your work is free of grammatical errors, and you follow the style and formatting required. Of course, you may end up not being successful in your submission. However, it is important that you do not give up and you continue following your aspirations.
Continue making submissions
Many researchers feel despondent when their initial submissions are not accepted. As a general rule of thumb, it can take a few submissions before your work is accepted. Instead of submitting the same work and hoping for success, you should take the time to polish your work. Look at the feedback you receive and use it to improve the quality of your work. There are a range of factors which could impact on how many submissions you need to make. Some papers are harder to place. Some editors/reviewers may not like your chosen topic or they find some constraints of the sample size.
Polish your writing
How experienced are you in academic writing? Have you published before? Are you good at following feedback? Getting the first papers right could be a real learning curve for many people. You might end up making lots of drafts of your work and continuously improve it based on feedback. Some work is not accepted as it is not a good fit for the chosen journal. If your work is not coherent and clear, have significant problems with the methodology (just to mention a few areas), it is very likely to be rejected.
You need to be able to act on feedback and not to take rejections personally. If you put the hard work in and you keep on trying, you are likely to succeed. If you continue submitting your work and you improve it, your work will be accepted eventually.
Patience is key
The total time for the publication process can take from a month, a year or a few years. You need to be patient with the process, and carefully follow the instructions of the editors and the reviewers. The time from submission to publication could widely vary as there are a range of steps included in the process:
- Submission: This is the stage when you submit your work to a journal. You would need to spend some time researching the journal to ensure that it is a good fit for your area of focus.
- Initial screening: An editor will review your work. They will check if your work is within the scope and if it is aligned with the style and formatting requirements of the journal.
- Peer review: If your paper passes the above stage, it is then sent for peer review. Reviewers are experts who can look at several factors: originality and validity of the work, timeliness, importance to readers, structure etc. Peer review is a form of quality control which ensures the quality of academic journals. The reviewer may suggest revisions or rejections.
- Initial decision: In this stage, the editor will look at the reviewer’s feedback and decides on whether the paper needs improvements or whether it would be rejected.
- Revision and responses: It is essential that you meet the deadlines for making revisions and you respond to comments in a timely manner. Do make sure that you take feedback seriously and align your work with the expectations. You would need to carefully address the editor’s and the reviewer’s point of view and show flexibility. It is important that you maintain a positive working relationship and show willingness to tailor your work according to the comments.
- Final decision: Before the final decision stage, your paper could be accepted, rejected or you may receive suggestions for revision. Once all the amendments are acted on, you will receive the final decision.
- Publication: Congratulations! You have worked hard to get to this stage and your work is now published in a journal.
It can be a time-consuming process to publish your piece. You may experience several rejections and spend long hours polishing your work. However, if you work hard and follow your aspirations, you will soon see your work published in academia.
For further advice on how to get published, please take a look at the below resources:
PhD studies – https://www.phdstudies.com/articles/how-to-get-published-in-an-academic-journal
UACES – https://www.uaces.org/resources/articles/tips-publishing-journal-articles
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