Mary Frank Fox - Scholarly Writing And Publishing

SCHOLARLY WRITING & PUBLISHING

The Business of Book Publishing: Papers by Practitioners, edited by Elizabeth A. Geiser and Arnold Dolan, with Gladys S. Topkis

Computer Literature Searching: Research Strategies and Databases, Charles L. Gilreath

A Practical Guide to the Conduct of Field Research in the Social Sciences, Elliot J. Feldman

Managing Political Change: Social Scientists and the Third World, Irene L. Gendzier

Introduction to Library Research in Women's Studies, Susan E, Searing

Introduction to Library Research in French Literature, Robert K. Baker

Introduction to Library Research in German Studies: Language, Literature, and Civilization, Larry L. Richardson

Introduction to Library Research in Education, Jamie Wright Coniglio

Available in hardcover and paperback.

edited by Mary Frank Fox

In scholarship, publication is the chief means of communicating research and a primary criterion for advancement, recognition, and reward in academic institutions. Yet, most scholars learn the skills of writing and the strategies of publishing in a capricious and sporadic manner. As the data on scholarly productivity show, failures abound.

The aim of this book is to inform scholars and to facilitate their involvement in the publication process. Although guides are available to provide technical and procedural help, there is no other book that addresses the behavioral, attitudinal, and social process of writing and publishing. The authors successfully draw together their knowledge, experience, and data on the mysteries of publishing in order to put concrete guidelines in the hands of scholars with a strong stake in the publication process.

Mary Frank Fox is assistant research scientist at the University of Michigan's Center for Research on Social Organization and Department of Sociology and was chair (1982-1984) of research and publications for Sociologists for Women in Society, for which this volume was a project. She has published extensively on social processes in organizations and occupations and is coauthor (with Sharlene Hesse Biber) of Women at Work (1984).

Issues, Problems, and Solutions

edited by
Mary Frank Fox

First published 1985 by Westview Press

Published 2019 by Routledge
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2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

Copyright 1985 by Taylor & Francis. except Chapter 5 ( 1983 Jo Freeman), Chapter 7 ( 1983 Virginia Valian), and Chapter 9 ( 1982 University of Toronto Press)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
Scholarly writing and publishing.
Includes index.
1. Scholarly publishingAddresses, essays, lectures.
2. Learning and scholarshipAddresses, essays, lectures.
3. ResearchMethodologyAddresses, essays, lectures.
4. AuthorshipAddresses, essays, lectures. I. Fox,
Mary Frank.
Z286.S37S335 1985 070.5 84-22096

ISBN 13: 978-0-367-28661-3 (hbk)

This book is a major project of the Research and Publications Committee of Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS). SWS has supported the project from its very start with organizational resources and the intellectual contributions of its members. For her early support of the project, we especially thank Roberta Cohen, SWS president, 1982-1984, All royalties from this book will return to SWS.

With a belief in the importance of scholarly publishing, the contributors' skill and responsiveness, and the support of SWS and of Westview's staff (especially Deborah Lynes, Jeanne Campbell, Christine Arden, and Sandi Genova), I have found it a pleasure to produce this collection.

Mary Frank Fox

Mary Frank Fox

Publication is the central social process of science and scholarship, the primary means of communicating research, and an important means of recognition and reward in these institutions. It is through publication that scholars keep abreast of a field, verify the reliability of information, and obtain critical response to their work (see Mullins, 1973). Correspondingly, publication is a principal basis of advancement, promotion, and reward in science and scholarship (see Cole and Cole, 1973; Gaston, 1978; Price, 1963). Published information and knowledge, alone, do not constitute science and scholarship; unpublished work and informal exchange also contribute to the development of knowledge. But informal communication is haphazard, unpublished work cannot be widely assessed, and neither qualify as the "public knowledge" (Ziman, 1968) central to science and scholarship. Yet, despite the centrality of publication, productivity is highly variable and strongly skewed. Both within and between fields, most of the work is published by a few of the participants, while the majority publish little or nothing. In a sample of academics in the social and natural sciences, for example, Cole (1979) found that one or two years after receiving their doctorates, 53 percent of these academics had failed to publish a single paper. In most years, 70 percent of the academics published nothing. Numerous other studies report similar findings (see, for example, Reskin, 1977; Yoels, 1973; Wanner, Lewis, and Gregorio, 1981).

The low rates of publication are all the more perplexing given that the Ph.D. is essentially a degree in research. In graduate school, scholars learn how to collect data and information, test ideas, and analyze relationships. Yet, as graduates, most have considerable difficulty trying to figure out ways to sustain their research and, moreover, to write and publish their work. Some are so fortunate as to be aided and guided by experienced mentors, or to be spurred on by the activity and example of valued models. But for the most part, scholars learn the strategies of publishing only very capriciously and sporadically, taking many costly stumbles and falls along the way. As the aforementioned data on productivity indicate, failure abounds. The problems are especially acute for women and minorities, who often fall outside the informal channels of information and support, and for new Ph.D. holders, who are located, increasingly, in minor colleges and in universities with restricted climates for productivity in research and publication.

This is the background that provides the incentiveand the needfor this book. The book addresses the issues, the problems, and the solutions involved in writing and publishing, and offers behavioral, attitudinal, and organizational strategies to promote and facilitate productivity in publication. A major premise of the book is that publication is not simply a responsibility, but a great opportunityto participate in, contribute to, and gain recognition within a discipline.