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Publishing Opportunities

A resource guide to help undergraduate & graduate students, and faculty, discover publishing opportunities.

Resources for Grad Students

Scholarly publishing is rapidly changing. There are an increasing number of published journals, as well as many Open Access publishers, and publishing opportunities. Where you decide to publish is an important consideration.

Have Similar Studies Been Published?

Many of the library research databases will provide you with a ranked list of journal titles based on your search results. You can search for papers in the general area of your research, and then look for a listing (generally to the left of the search results) labeled Publications, Sources, or Journals. These are typically listed , most to least, in the number of papers published in each title.  Start with the list to identify journals in your subject area to investigate further.

Journal Article Submission 

Submitting a Journal Manuscript and Peer Review - SpringerNature

Choosing a Journal - (Taylor & Francis) Questions to ask when choosing a journal to publish in.

How to Target a Journal that's Right for your Research (SciDevNet) How to find a reputable journal to publish in.

Elsevier's College of Skills Training (Elsevier) Set of lectures, videos, and quick guides for navigating the publication process.

 

There are many factors to consider when determining the most appropriate journals in which to publish your research. Below are some tips to get you started.

  • Discipline relevance and reaching the desired target audience.
  • Journal quality or impact.
  • Prestige of the editorial team, contributors, or journal circulation.
  • Open access policy.

How to Find a Publisher

  • Get advice from mentors, faculty advisors, and colleagues.
  • Search Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities database and other resources listed in the" How to Find a Journal for your Article" tab.

Below you will find listings of several scholarly publications to consider submitting an article. For more suggestions, please consult the "How to Find a Journal for your Article" tab.

Literary Studies, Philology, Modern Languages, Classical Tradition, Cross-Disciplinary

Politics, Philosophy, Psychology, Theology, Social Sciences

Organizations and publishers will often issue "Calls for Papers" on a specific topic, either for an upcoming conference or symposium or for a special topics issue of a journal publication.

  • WikiCFP List calls for papers in technology and science fields. Searchable and sortable, with option of subscribing to RSS feed for topic areas.
  • ResearchBib: Academic Resource Index Searches for CFPs for conferences, journal issues, and books in all areas. Can limit by country, year, and keyword.
  • Conference Alerts All topics covered; browse by subject or location, or search by keyword.
  • H-Net CFPs Calls for papers in the humanities and social sciences.
  • Call for Papers (University of Pennsylvania) Calls for papers in English, cultural criticism and related fields

You may also want to do a web search for Calls for Papers (CFPs) and your topic. Just add your keywords to the search below.

 

Google Web Search

Conferences allow for sharing of information and presenting at a conference will increase the exposure of your research and provide an opportunity for feedback. Presenting at a conference that offers both peer review and publishes conferenceproceedings, gives you an academic publication.

Tips for Choosing a Conference

  • Is conference a national or international event?
  • Are the papers peer reviewed?
  • Will the papers be published, and if so, where will they be indexed?

Evaluating the Quality of the Conference - Factors to Consider

  • Impact of previous papers.
  • History or longevity of the conference.
  • Relationship to industry.
  • Submission and acceptance rates.

Make your Paper Available

*Papers from a conference may be collated into conference proceedings and published as a book or in a special issue of a journal.

  • Turn your conference paper into a journal article.
    • If a conference Proceedings is not published, rework the paper and publish it as a journal article.
    • Some journals may accept previously published conference papers with revision.
      • Ensure that copyright has not been assigned to the conference organizers. It may be necessary to obtain written permission from the copyright holder to republish in a journal.
  • Make your paper Open Access.

 

 

Presentation Opportunities

Sign up for email listservs for areas and organizations of interest. Throughout the year you will receive call-for-paper announcements and conference notifications.

Check the websites of national organizations in your field of study for their annual conference dates and presentation opportunities. Below are several organizations that provide opportunities to network as well as possible presentation forums for graduate students.

Conferences provide an audience to provide feedback on your research, which may be used to revise and submit your paper for publication. In some disciplines, conferences are the expected way of publicizing new research. Conference presentations  may be in the form of a paper, a poster, or a lightning (brief) talk.

Poster Sessions

Posters are ways of communicating your work visually and concisely to interested viewers. They combine succinct written communication withe effective appealing graphic displays and the verbal skills of the presenter. A poster session is a good opportunity, not only to explain and promote your research, but to get feedback on it, make connections with researchers working in related areas, and possibly meet a future employer.

Commonly, the sponsoring conference, association, or agency establishes guidelines for the appearance of the presented poster so double-check the guidelines before beginning.

Lightning Talks

Many conferences and workshops have moved from the traditional presentation and poster sessions to use alternative mechanisms for disseminating information. Lightning talks allow many speakers to present in a session. They are typically five minutes long and provide a framework to get to the essence of what you are trying to say in the least amount of time.

How can you learn to give a good lightning talk? 

  • Delivery is often more important than context. This does not mean your content should not be good, but that you do not want the audience to forget everything you said because your delivery was poor. 
    • Practice. Make eye contact with the audience, be prepared to stop earlier or handle awkward questions,.
  • Make your point and make it quickly - do not leave it to the end.
    • Think of what you want the audience to discover. If you are talking about your research, are you presenting the audience with an unsolved question or the answer?  
  • When using slides, use large images and as little text as possible.
    • Lightning talks provide an exciting idea is a short space of time. Your talk should inspire them to search for further details on your work.
    • Do not crowd the slide with unnecessary information. You only one or two words per slide, and have a pointer to your website or email for further details.

Conference Paper Presentation

One of the best ways to become involved in a profession is to attend a conference and present your research. Presenting provides an opportunity to discuss your research, refine your ideas, network, and gain recognition in a particular area.