Publishing a research paper for the first time

BanjoHitter
Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:02:10 +0000

First, you won’t publish as a freshman. The publication process requires several rounds of reviews (usually three) with 3-4 months between rounds (depending on the AE). So from the time you submit a paper until it’s published takes 9 to 12 months.

Second, publishing as a freshman vs. a sophomore vs. a senior doesn’t really matter. What matters (in terms of impressing people) is where you publish. Each field ranks journals. There are “A+” journals, “A” journals, “B” journals, etc. One publication in an A+ journal is more impressive than 10 publications in B journals. There are also “trash journals” that any one can publish in. Publishing in one of those journals actually decreases your reputation. What qualifies as an A+ or A or B or even a trash journal is very dependent on the field. You’ll need to talk to faculty to find out what journals you should be looking at.

Third, publishing in a good journal is not an easy task. You’ll need to read the latest literature to determine what streams of literature are hot (what areas are of interest to current research) and where those streams are located. Once you’ve identified an area that builds off the existing literature but is untapped, you need to determine how to investigate and contribute to that literature. Then you need funding to carry out experiments. Finally, you probably need someone with “Ph.D.” in their title to co-author a paper with you (few people trust research from a university that’s no co-authored by an adviser).

All-in-all, making a real contribution to the literature takes time and effort. The best place to get started is to find a professor’s current research and ask to contribute to that. Doing that will introduce you to the literature and will help you understand the process of developing new knowledge.