> From: John Wylie Postgraduate <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Publishing, etc.
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 11:54:18 +0000 (GMT)
> Reply-to: John Wylie Postgraduate <[log in to unmask]>
> Having just started the 2nd year of my PhD. its been a bit disturbing to
> read the many messages on the forum recently regarding publishing
> time-lags, refeering and so on. Whilst I can appreciate the problems which
> the RAE causes for lecturers and researchers, does the whole process not
> have a knock-on effect on postgrads like myself trying to publish for the
> first time?
>
> We're constantly told that publishing is an essntial prerequisite to
> getting a job in the academy at the end of a PhD. The fact that journals
> are apparently filling up even now in advance of the next RAE is
> worrying enough, but there are other problems too, caused by the
> 'natural' tendency to wish to submit to the most 'popular' journals, and
> by the fact that early completion is another CV 'booster'.Publishing for
> the first time (something I'm just beginning to try to do) is, perhaps,
> inevitably going to involve more time, more drafting, more setbacks etc?
> And maybe there won't be any jobs going anyway.
>
> Okay, I'll stop whinging there
>
> John Wylie
> Dept. of Geog.
> Univ. of Bristol.
>
This is precisely where the RAE and its effects are so damaging
...and hyped. Speaking from a knowledge of several
institutions (and in line with some of Jane Wills
comments)...publishing as be all and end all is simply not the
case ESPECIALLY AT THE FIRST STAGE. i'm not disputing that it plays
a role in decision making but it is the belief that you could
publish, do high quality work, fit research groups, are cheap, are
available, are someone's pet (whether you know it or not), etc., etc
which play the role in appointments at this level (and above!). This
assumes also the particular balance of activities and priorities
given by different departments and the diversity is still significant
(otherwise known as uneven development). It further assumes that you
go straight into lecturing...which may be an endpoint but shouldn't
be jumped in to automatically especially as most bottom-end
lectureships in departments DRIVEN by 'publishing' are about dumping
activities on the new appointment to release time for others to
publish, etc.
Producing loads of 'in press' to get in to a place which is into that
is fine but that is a particular trajectory (which is likely to
intensify), there are other trajectories...and wherever you are and
whatever you are doing as a research student YOU CAN GUARANTEE THAT
WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN THAT INSTIUTION AND FOR ANY FUTURE APPOINTMENT
IS DOING A HIGH QUALITY PHD ON TIME. (as that is still taken as one
of/ the surest signs of someone who will inevtiably publish as there
career progresses and in a system which requires 4 quality papers in
4 years). THIS IS A PUBLICATION (UNDER THE RAE AS WELL)
WHICH IS THE PRIORITY. Career progression still exists even under
the RAE and when there are only about 4 (salary-determined) stages in
over 30 years, there is more time than you think...
Easy to speak from a position as a permanent lecturer but lets get
the RAE into perspective: its big, is dominant in many of our debates
but it is yet to be (never will be?) all encompassing in
universities. Rather it is one arm of auditng, quality standards and
the like which is what has really hit higher education in recent
times.
Nick Henry
Dr. Nick Henry
School of Geography
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham B15 2TT
Tel: 0121 414 7262/5531
Fax: 0121 414 5528
email: [log in to unmask]
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