投稿國際期刊的經驗談

投稿國際期刊的經驗談 王德育 (T.Y. Wang) Illinois State University 政大政治系客座教授 tywang@ilstu.edu

My discussion is based on my experiences • As an Author • As a Reviewer • As a Co-Editor, Asia, Journal of Asian and African Studies

The Meaning of Referee Review • Institutionalized Skepticism (制度性的懷疑) = Quality Control • Institutionalized skepticism aims to avoid the type 1 error: publishing a paper that should not have been published

High standards of scholarly works is a collective responsibility • It is also called Peer Review • Usually an anonymous process

Assessment by peers as a basis for judgment of their publishability • is this research important? • is the methodology sound? • is the analysis correct and logically coherent?

The fate of the manuscript is determined by the reviewers • The editor acts as a middle man and exercises some discretion

Some General Guidelines: • Identify intended audience and appropriate journals • Begin submission to the top journals

Manuscripts should be prepared in details even though much will not appear in the final printed product • Have thoughtful/complete citations

Try to make reviewer’s job easier (e.g., proofreading, eloquent writing, clear research questions) • Follow the journal guidelines (esp. page length) • Prepare an abstract

Manuscript preparations: • Clear research questions • in question format • in paragraph(s) • Help reviewers identify theoretical/policy significance

Literature Review • plays an important role in reviewer’s decision • studies should be grouped and assessed collectively (見林不見樹) • Note trends and themes, as well as gaps

If you have a quantitative paper • the data analysis should be an essay • keep the statistics in tables • minimize the use of numbers in the main text

Conclusions • link findings to your research questions • policy/theoretical implications

When you receive a rejection • Don’t be frustrated • Consider reviewers’ criticisms for revisions • Submit to the next journal

What to do if you receive a R&R (revise and re-submit) • explain revisions in a cover letter • don’t be afraid to contact the editor if there is confusion or conflict of opinions

make a good argument if you disagree with the reviewer’s criticism, but be humble and polite

The language problem: • proofread by a professional • co-authorship

Patterson, Samuel. 1994. “The Itch to Publish in Political Science.” Rita J. Simon and James J. Fyfe. Editors as Gatekeepers (Lanham, Marland: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers): 3-19 • Caputo, Richard K. 2004. “Advice for those Wanting to Publish Quantitative Research.” Family in Society, v.85, no.3: 401-404

投稿國際期刊的經驗談