The Publishing Process

Scholarly publishing

Reasons to publish

It is through publication that the research, including its scientific and practical contributions, is disseminated to others in a particular field. This makes scientific researchers and practitioners with similar interests aware of new knowledge in their field, and it helps to advance knowledge and its application.

Before making a publishing decision, it is crucial to be clear about your publishing goals. You should have the following goals in mind:

• Building your academic profile and establishing your/your institution's reputation
• Communicating new knowledge and increasing the impact and visibility of your research
• Registering your research results, the time frame and who conducted the research
• Preserving a record of your research for the long term

The Think section of Strategic scholarly publishing will help you consider your target audience and purpose.

Deciding on a research source

The Think section of Strategic scholarly publishing outlines factors that will help you decide on a research source to publish in, including source quality, publisher reputation and practices and relevance to your topic.

Scientific journals are the most popular place to publish research. The reasons for publishing in journals include:

1. They distribute your work to a wide range of readers: individuals, libraries, organisations, and institutes
2. It looks good on your resume and helps differentiate you from your peers
3. It helps improve your own research and writing process
4. Publishing helps increase your visibility with relevant influencers
5. To leave a positive mark on the world and future generations

A robust body of published works helps advance your career as you are considered for academic appointments and promotions. Publishing in journals helps establish you as an expert in your field of knowledge and can give your work visibility among other researchers in your field and outside your immediate circle of contacts and colleagues.

Why publish in scholarly journals?

Scholarly journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and discussion of research. Generally, scholarly journals follow the peer review process where editors and selected experts (peers) evaluate manuscripts submitted for publication and publishing in a peer-reviewed publication provides evidence that helps in the evaluation of merit for research funding requests.

The Check section of Strategic scholarly publishing will provide guidance on which factors to check to find suitable journals.

References