Academic Publishing - Graduate Writing Center

Nested Applications
Academic publishing overview

Academic Publishing

Academic publishing is an exciting step as you progress within your discipline's scholarship. In addition to increasing your reputation within your discipline, publishing in peer-reviewed journals disseminates new and sometimes revolutionary scholarly and technological developments within the United States and international communities. 

Depending on the discipline, you may be co-authoring research with other graduate students or with your advisor, or your advisor may act as a sponsor for an article you wish to publish. You may be submitting on behalf of your own research.

The Road to Publication

If you are interested in developing and publishing your work, take the time to research publishing opportunities so that you may choose the right publication outlet for your article. This research will increase the odds of your article being published:

  • Stay current with the latest scholarship in your discipline.
     
  • Ask a professor or your advisor for recommendations regarding the specifics of publishing a particular article.
     
  • Read recent issues of the journal you wish to publish your work in to familiarize yourself with the journal's mission statement, the breadth of topics it publishes, and its frequency of publication.
     
  • Become familiar with both a journal's submission requirements AND the template your article must follow. The sometimes elaborate format requirements are the "first test" of your professionalism; don't give the editor a reason to reject your article before it is given a thorough read.
     
  • Understand that virtually every academic journal requires that you submit your article to only one journal at a time—because if two journals accepted your article and planned their issues accordingly, there would be conflict, with you at the center. If you have a second journal in mind, be sure to find out the amount of time your article may be in a particular editor's hands.

Academic Publishing Links