turning research into an article for feminist economics and other scholarly journals
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Turning Research into an Article for Feminist Economics and other Scholarly Journals. Günseli Berik and Diana Strassmann Editors, Feminist Economics Barcelona, June 27-29, 2012. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Turning Research into an Article for Feminist Economics and other
Scholarly Journals
Günseli Berik and Diana StrassmannEditors, Feminist Economics
Barcelona, June 27-29, 2012
This PowerPoint presentation is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivs License; additional terms may apply.
Key Questions
• What are the characteristics of a good article?• How can you enhance your chances of
publication?• Common submission mistakes• Where to submit? • How to respond to conflicting reviews• What if your paper is rejected?• What is a good example of an empirical
Feminist Economics article?
Common Starting Points
• Crafting a paper from:• A PhD dissertation or a Master’s Thesis• A Report
• Keep in mind that journals care about importance, originality, and potential impact of their papers
• Remember: an article is not a report
Developing Your Article: A Good Article
What are the characteristics of a good article?• A well-focused research question, situated
within the literature• Makes the case for the importance,
originality, and potential impact of the article
• Is a good fit for the journal:• genre• mission• current debates
Developing Your Article: Share Your Draft Paper with Others
• Form a network of peers• Workshop your paper locally• Present your paper at conferences• Respond to the advice you get• Ask others to comment on your paper• Consider a co-author
Developing Your Article: For Non-native English Speakers• Short sentences• Use grammar and spell check• Solicit advice on usage/language• Consider professional editing help
Consider the Journal’s Audience
• Revise papers originally developed for an audience different from your target journal’s• e.g., national audience, specialist group,
conference, etc.• Provide a contextual framework, especially for
broader or different audiences• Consider genre, length, and level of detail
appropriate for your audience• Read and follow journal policies and guidelines
carefully
Developing Your Article: International Orientation
• Explain things unique to your country• Do not treat a phenomenon as though a
particular country's experience is universal • Explain country-specific economic behaviors
and international relevance• Include citations to contributions from other
parts of the world• Specify geographical context of any cited
studies
Developing Your Article: Choosing a Journal
Many possible reasons for choosing a journal• potential impact on debates• prestige, reputation, impact ranking• reviewing speed• audience for journal• which issues/proportion of journal
welcome “open” submissions?• diversity in where you publish
How to Judge Whether Your Paper Might Fit
• Review the journal’s website• Examine the journal’s mission• Look at past and themed issues• Consider whether you could connect your paper
to better fit into the forum
Edited Books versus Journals
Disadvantages of books• Not a referred publication• If not yet accepted by a press, may not get
published• Contents often less accessible through indexing
and reference sources (can lead to lower impact, citations)
• Many universities count book essays as less important
• Often published more slowly than themed journal special issues; more expensive
Revise Your Paper to Better Fit the Journal
• Recast introduction and reorient paper • Consider the journal’s audience• Engage with and cite existing literature,
especially if from the journal• Conform to journal guidelines and policies
Conform to Journal Policies and Guidelines
• Read policies and guidelines carefully• If any are not clear, ask for clarification• Most journals do not permit submissions under
review elsewhere or already published in a book• Follow procedures to the letter to avoid
reviewing delays and rejections
Rewrite Again• Get more feedback after recasting paper• Make sure paper is clearly developed and
tightly argued• Don’t include excessive tables
During and After the Reviewing Period
• Contact the editor if you have questions or if you have particular circumstances (upcoming review)
• Ask for clarifications if you don’t understand a revision request or if you would like more guidance
• Alert the editor as soon as possible if you need extra time to revise, particularly if you’ve been given a deadline
• Don’t ignore revision requests: if you disagree, explain your position thoroughly and respectfully
After Acceptance• Respond punctually to queries, requests for
publishing agreements, and proofs• Keep in mind journal’s copyediting processes are
meant to improve paper’s readability and citations
• Don’t expect that paper will appear in next issue; journals often have planned their contents several issues ahead
Participating in a Community of Scholars
• Offer to review papers, and if invited to do so, accept and do a careful, timely job
• Acknowledge the help of others
Example: Empirical Feminist Economics Article
Structure of an Article*1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Methodology and Analysis
4. Discussion of Results
5. Conclusions
6. References
7. Appendix
* Section headings do not have to be cut and dried as above, but each should signal the content of the section.
1. IntroductionProvides an overview of the article• What is the research problem? • Why is this an important research question? • Spells out the main positions in the literature
to situate the problem • Places the paper within the journal’s mission
(engages with topics, ideas addressed by journal)
• How will you analyze this issue?• What contribution is the research likely to make
to the literature?
2. Literature Review
• Purpose: to justify the article by evaluating the state of knowledge on the topic; provides context• What do we already know about this issue? • What is contested? • What do we not know?
• Join a conversation: tie your paper in with current discussions
• Engage with other papers published by the journal on the topic
2. Literature Review: A Critical, Thematic Evaluation
Identify the main trends and patterns in the literature:
• Contribution of each scholar’s work• Common/differing assumptions; concepts;
methodologies• The points of agreement/disagreement among
authors• Strengths and weaknesses of studies• The evolution of literature on the topic in recent
years
2. Literature Review A Critical, Thematic Evaluation
• Avoids stacking summaries of one study after another
• Shift the focus from existing literature to the argument you are developing
• Be selective in citations: “Why am I including this reference?” The answer must:• Make a similar argument or an argument you
are disagreeing with • Illustrate a weakness that you propose to
overcome
2. Literature Review The Relevant Literature
• Move from general statements on background to detailed and critical evaluation
• Three types of relevance:1. Background• acknowledge, but not at length or in detail • e.g. studies on history of the problem
2. Somewhat relevant • greater attention but without critical detail• e.g. general literature on the problem
3. The most relevant• careful examination of studies that directly pertains to article• e.g. region- or country-specific literature
Topic: Microcredit in KenyaQuestion: Does microcredit empower women in Kenya?Literature review:• Poverty reduction policies in developing countries• General literature (mostly South Asia focused) on the question • Sub-saharan Africa and/or Kenya-specific literature on poverty
reduction policies and microcredit-empowerment nexus
Literature review could span separate sections, each with informative and engaging headings
2. Literature Review The Relevant Literature
Example
2. Literature Review The Relevant Literature
ExampleQuestion: What is the impact of financial crisis of 2008
on gender inequalities in labor market of country X?Literature review:• Background on Country X macroeconomic policies • General literature on the question (includes review of
methodologies used, empirical findings) • Regional and/or Country X-specific literature on the
question
2. Literature Review Thesis Statement
• Comes at the end of the literature review• concludes section with the most relevant literature
• Explain how your study will • fill the gap or add to the scholarship • connect and contribute to the accumulated
knowledge on the topic
• Explain what you expect to find or show • Bridge into the Methodology section of the
paper
Make Clear Your Contribution
• Old question/new evidence• Old question/new methodology (and evidence)• New question• New theoryIndicate contribution in the Introduction, the
thesis statement, Methodology, and Conclusion sections
Do not claim as original the points already made in previously published papers.
3. Methodology and Analysis
• Explain:• how you will examine the research problem• the methodology and the data you will use
• The analysis (e.g. regression analysis)• Aim to communicate methodology to a broad
audience • Avoid excessive jargon
4. Discussion of ResultsFocus on the results that are most relevant for
your paper’s main question/argument • Not every single coefficient • Not every robustness check
5. Conclusions• Summary of the main findings• Discussion of implications of the study• e.g. theoretical, empirical, or policy
• Emphasize the contribution of the study to existing literature
• Future directions for research (the gaps that emerge/are left based on your article)
Overview of a Research Article
FE Questions to Reviewers1. Does the manuscript make an important contribution to feminist
economic scholarship?
2. Does the manuscript build upon and adequately reference the appropriate literature?
3. Is the manuscript clearly written and accessible to a broad audience with any tables and figures clearly laid out?
4. Is the manuscript’s length appropriate to its purpose? Are there an appropriate number of tables and/or figures?
5. Is the manuscript appropriately worded for an international audience e.g. with specific country references and institutional definitions included where necessary? (Please see the journal's policy on international orientation.)
6. If statistical techniques are used, is the journal's policy on statistical reporting adhered to? (Please see the journal's policy on statistical reporting.)