Making the Most of Your Thesis or DissertationPublication Strategies for Graduate Students and Recent Graduates in Evaluation and the Social SciencesChris L. S. Coryn, Ph.D.Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program in EvaluationAgenda• Brief presentation• Discussion and question session• NOTE: For those interested in more about this topic there is a multi-paper session at this year’s AEA conference including presentations by myself (converting a dissertation to a book) as well as the editors of New Directions for Evaluation, American Journal of Evaluation, and Evaluation and Program Planning on November 10thAims and Objectives• The purpose of this Café is to provide useful information and strategies to graduate students and recent graduates on publishing their work, including– How to plan in advance for converting a dissertation or thesis into a publishable journal or book manuscript– Getting it published– And most importantly, getting it and you noticed• It is NOT a step-by-step guide…merely some practical advice to get you startedSome Important Facts• Nearly 90% of papers published in academic journals are never cited• Approximately 50% are never even read by anyone other than their authors, their referees, and the journal editors• Historically, nearly 50% of Nobel laureates prize winning works were originally rejectedWhy Publish?• So, why is this important?– If you intend to pursue a career in academia, publications are one of your greatest assets…so start now!– If your work is important you need to communicate it…dissemination!– Publishing is a good mechanism for starting a career in evaluation and/or the social sciences– In some cases, your job depends on it– CREDIBILITYGetting Started• First things first…1. A thesis and/or dissertation is a COLLABORATIVE effort—one between the student and her/his advisor(s)2. MUST interest you (and your advisor)…this is a long-term commitment!3. SHOULD be of interest to others…does the work:• Respond to or provide a potential solution to a longstanding or emerging problem or issue?• Contribute to or advance current knowledge, theory, or practice?Identifying a Topic• Common stages– HAVING and THINKING about an idea– DISCUSSING the idea with others (preferably experts or persons knowledgeable about the subject area)– CHECKING the existing scientific literature to see if it makes sense (e.g., relevant?, doable?, has been done?)– DECIDING exactly what goals and objectives are to be achieved– DEFINING questions more precisely to formulate hypotheses—if appropriateNext Steps• Your thesis or dissertation prospectus has been approved and you are hard at work, now what?– DO get to know (personally if possible) the leaders/key figures in the topic area/field of study (don’t rely only on your advisor)• Potentially one of your greatest assets• Do they believe the work is important?• Often, they can draw more attention to your work than you aloneNext, Next Steps• DO begin considering where your work is most relevant (i.e., what publication outlet?)…BEFORE the thesis or dissertation is complete• DO get to know the editors of journals or acquisitions editors of publishers you are considering (e.g., introduce yourself and your work via e-mail, in person at conferences, through work samples)…– They should know WHO YOU ARE and WHAT YOU ARE DOINGNext, Next Steps• DO review books and/or referee papers for your targeted journal (can be a good strategy to “get you in”)• DON’T wait to begin preparing your manuscript…start DURING the writing of your thesis of dissertation!• DON’T underestimate your committee…they are (or should be) known by others in the fieldJournal Publication• Typical elements of submission– Cover letter• Take this seriously as it can have an immediate influence on a journal editor’s reaction to your manuscript– The manuscript• Check, double-check, triple-check, and if possible have someone else check (e.g., errors, grammar & syntax, voice, tone, style)• Follow the journal’s guidelines carefully (e.g., formatting, reference & citation style, blinding, paper or electronic submission)Journal Publication• Interim correspondence– Don’t pressure editors if the review process seems overly long (for some journals can be up to 6 months or longer)• Decision– Usually a letter from the editor summarizing reviewers’ decisions/comments + reviewers’evaluations• Accept (ideal scenario)• Revise and resubmit (most frequent decision)• Reject (don’t panic)Journal Publication• Reorganizing after “rejection”– Study editor and reviewers’ evaluation carefully– Learn from it and use it (often reviewers comments can help improve the quality of your manuscript)– Start over?– Did you target the right journal?– Remember, peer review is the “quality control system” of science (the tyranny of small numbers [e.g., typically 2 – 3 reviewers]…were their judgments accurate?)…AND reviewers are selected by editors (i.e., non-random)Book Publication• Unless a publisher directly solicits you to write a book manuscript this can require dramatically reorganizing (or completely rewriting) a thesis or dissertation– Usually, a thesis or dissertation is too narrow in scope to be EASILY reorganized into a book– A single study is not adequate for a book in MOST publisher’s minds– Publishers are in the business to make MONEY…if they don’t know you or your work it is likely that they will not even look at a prospectus…NETWORK!Book Publication• The typical elements of a book prospectus– Author qualifications and authority on the subject matter– Substantive focus– Intended audiences– Unique characteristics– Comparison to existing related texts– Proposed outline (i.e., chapters)– Sample