1. How to get your paper published?
Conference by Women in Philosophy #3
Federica Russo
Philosophy | Humanities | Amsterdam
russofederica.wordpress.com | @federicarusso
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2. My experience
As author and co-author
Articles; Book reviews; Monographs
As editor and co-editor
Volumes; Journal special issues; Journals
Every paper has its own story!
From no corrections to several submissions
From sympathetic to nasty referees
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3. Writing strategies
Write a beautiful paper
Golden rule: one paper, one idea
Structure and logical sequence of ideas
Self-contained, but aware of neighbouring issues
Gentle to the reader, burden of explanation is on the writer
Assertive, not aggressive
All this is necessary but not sufficient
Nasty referees; diehard conservative scholars; …
Positive results are harder to publish than negative results
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4. Revision strategies
Don’t take comments personally, even when the report talks about the
author rather than the paper
Take the comments of the referees seriously; don’t blame the referee
for not understanding you
Write detailed and comprehensive reports on revisions
What you did (not) and why
If you disagree with the referee, say it firmly but not aggressively; appeal
to editor judgment if needed
Mark the revisions clearly in your text; make it easy for the referee and
the editor to check your revisions
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5. Venue selection strategies
Top journals may not be top for your paper
Look what a journal published in the last 1-2 years
Editors may make the difference
Special issues typically have higher acceptance rate (but
it doesn’t mean quality is inferior)
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6. Advertise your work
Get your publications known
Just published a paper?
Tweet it; list in email signature; …
Use it in a presentation?
Give the reference
Essential for your argument in a written piece?
Reference it!
You can reference your work in a non self-revealing way
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7. Publishing, beyond publishing papers
Some editorial work makes no harm
Start with a senior scholar
Get your name circulating
Learn to deal with referees
Make important choices about what gets published
Think prospectively
What will your monograph be about?
Not too early, not too late
Speak to acquisition editors at big conferences
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8. ‘Mosaic’ publishing
One paper one idea
And many papers make a big idea
Developing a View
Constructive rather than destructive
Collegial rather than isolated
‘Timely philosophies’
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