Survey Says: On Publishing in Early Career

By Evelyn Funda

In September 2007, I sent out a survey to our department’s faculty, both tenure‐track and lecturer‐track (just over 40 faculty members), asking them a variety of questions about  how they established a record of publication. What follows is a breakdown of the  responses. Also see the sidebar at right for quotes from respondents.

Overview:

More than 70% of respondents published while they were in graduate school, and almost 30% of those had first published while they were in a Master’s program.

Publishing Genres:

More than 50% of respondents listed book reviews as one of the first 2‐3 things that they published. 22% did entries for literary encyclopedias. 65% published a critical essay of ten or more pages, most of which were in peer reviewed journals (although 62% of these respondents also had published in other genres, including book reviews & literary encyclopedias) 35% had one of their first publications in a regional journal.

How They Got Published:

43% respondents said that one of their first publications was solicited directly by a book or journal editor. 39% submitted to a specific journal on recommendation of a colleague or prof. 30% originally submitted their work in response to a call‐for‐papers.

65% say that one or more of their early publications originated from writing assignments they had done in a class, and 56% say early pubs were based on work previously presented at a conference. 65% said they had acted on the encouragement and guidance of grad school professors. Lessons Learned:

While most of the above is self-explanatory, I want to emphasize a few important tips.

• Be visible to set yourself up for success. A significant number of respondents had presented their works at conferences prior to publication, and many of their early pubs were solicited by editors.

• Vary your early publications. For the most part, respondents didn’t put all their eggs in one basket. By publishing in a variety of genres (i.e., book reviews as well as critical  essays), they proved they could handle different audiences.

• Finally, if a prof says send it out, do it. Many respondents chalked their success up to contacts, either at their university or contacts they made at conferences. The point is, however, that they acted on advice they received.