Publish and Flourish How to get your paper/article/proposal accepted?

1. Publish and FlourishHow to get your paper/article/proposal accepted? Leo Van Audenhove SMIT Studies on Media, Information and Telecommunication Vrije Universiteit Brussel CoLab for eInclusion and Social Innovation University of the Western Cape Flemish Knowledge Centre for Medie Literacy - Mediawijs.be

2. The 7 Ps of PhDComics

3. Conferences

4. Overview • The publication process in your career • Why go to a conference? • How to select a conference? • Writing an abstract • Write a paper • Write a proposal

5. Overview • The publication process in your career • Why go to a conference? • How to select a conference? • Writing an abstract

6. Why go to a conference? • Present work, test ideas and get feedback • Level feedback depends on conference/summer school • Summer schools often better at feedback • Listen to others work • Look at past conferences • Look at program before going to conference • Report on the conference when coming back • Network with peers and/or established scholars • Look at who attended past conferences • Small conferences/summer schools better to interact

7. How to select conference ? • Subject focus of the conference • Subject area • Broad Conferences IAMCR, ICA, IST • Good for engaging with broad field • Focused Conferences TPRC, IST Africa, CPR South • Excellent to engage with specific fields • International/Regional/Local Focus • IAMCR critical world vs ICA positivist USA • euroCPR, CPRSouth, IST Africa • SaCOMM South African Communication Studies

8. How to select conference ?

9. How to select conference ? • Requirements for entry • Abstract, Extended abstract, Full paper • Stage of research / Preparation will be different • Form of presentation • Poster, 10-15 m presentation, with discussant • Form of publication • Abstract, PPT, Full paper • Possibility of inclusion in special issue • TPRC, euroCPR, GigaNET

10. How to select conference ? • Beware of fake / very weak conferences • Organization of conference is business • Look at past conferences • Look whether established scientists visit • If uncertain ask promotor/peers/scientists online

11. How to prepare abstract ?Structure • Attention grabber (what is it about?) • Context • Theory • Method / Data / Research • Specific contribution of paper • Hook • Strong title – Good keywords • Write title last • Try to integrate some strong keywords • To the point and scientific – Not a literary title

12. How to prepare abstract ? • What is expected? • Criteria set by conference? • Read past abstracts that have been accepted. • Typical Evaluation Criteria • Relevance to conference and conference theme • Originality • Quality of research question • Quality of literature review • Quality of methodology • Quality of empirical work and outcomes • Language • Past performance as presenter

13. How to prepare abstract ?Evaluation Criteria • Relevance to conference and conference theme • Integrate theme in abstract • Shows you prepared specifically for the conference • Originality • Write about a specific topic • Describe what is different and new • Quality of research question • Formulate a good research question • Quality of literature review • Be specific in your discussion of theory • Quality of methodology • Explain methodology carefully

14. How to prepare abstract ?Evaluation Criteria • Quality of empirical work and outcomes • Describe how empirical work was done • Highlight main ourtcomes • Language • Put effort in your writing • No typos, bad language, colloquial English • Organization of argument • Structure your abstract well • Balance all parts

15. How to prepare abstract ?Recurrent shortcomings • Language and outline • Sloppy abstracts in bad English • Same goes for accompanied communication • Research which is ongoing • Promise research which is clearly not finished • Often not realistic to finish by time of conference • Referencing • No referencing • Referencing in different forms • Unbalanced abstract • 80% literature review - No methodological part • Plagiarism

16. How to prepare abstract ?Example The 21st century is “the urban century”. Urban populations will grow, as will the significance of cities in the globalised world. On the one hand to face challenges which arise from these facts, on the other hand due to market logics and the ever increasing capacities of technology, further development and proliferation of Smart Cities seems to be inevitable today. Smart city is regarded here as both the application of various technologies amounting to an environment of networked information, and a framework enabling citizens to collaborate, participate, and to shape their environment according to their need. This study adopts and adapts Lefebvre’s notion of Right to the City as leitmotif, in order to assess the impact of Smart City on urbanism.

17. How to prepare abstract ?Example Since urbanisation and technology are both subject to market logics, it is analysed whether the application of technology can provide the mechanism for reinvesting control in the people. A business-modelling approach - originating in the non-hierarchical complexity of the Internet - is utilised, due to its capacity for assessing control and value related issues within multi-actor ecosystem, as is the city. By employing multiple examples of how actors contribute to positive adjustments of power-relations, the business modelling exercise aims at establishing whether the Smart City can serve as more than business- opportunities, namely as the possibility for citizens to establish their Right to the City. (Source: Master thesis Jonas Breuer - SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE SMART CITY – RIGHT TO THE CITY 2.0 – International master student 2012-2013)

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27. Writing a paper/proposal • Proposal follows largely structure of paper • But focus on • what you are going to research • and how you are going to do it • within what time frame with what resources • Link between research question and method • What is the research question? • What are the sub questions? • What are the methods used to get to an answer? • What are the limitations of my methods?

28. Writing a paper/proposal • Research question and method • In proposal extra focus on this connection • Explain the choices made and discuss the limitations • BE REALISTIC!!! The sky is not the limit • Time frame and resources • Develop a clear time frame in work packages • Linked to research question, sub questions and methods • Phases in data gathering and analysis • Logical flow of steps in research • Explain resources needed and where they come from • BE REALISTIC!!!! Don’t promise the moon

29. Writing a paper/proposal

30. The writing process • Writing requires time • “writing is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration” • Start writing • free-writing, write your ideas - identify different themes • Writing flow: circular process, not linear • write on what you are ready to write • Keep writing: disappointment and frustration • discipline (routine of writing) • ‘Flow of discovery’ while writing • Chop it up • see your manuscript as a collection of more manageable pieces • Software, but pen and paper are wonderful inventions

32. Publishing in your career

33. End • Leo Van Audenhove • Leo.Van.Audenhove@vub.ac.be • Thanks for input from my colleagues • Wendy Vandenbroeck , Pascal Verhoest, Kevin Smets, Nico Carpentier (VUB - Vrije Universiteit Brussel) • Julia Pohle (WZB - Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin) • Comics at www.phdcomics.com