So far I have focused solely on main articles in journals,
which are the primary means for advancing professional
knowledge, and the chief ‘product’ you can hope to get from
one or more of your thesis chapters. But, especially when you
are starting out on publishing, it is useful to bear in mind also
that many journals also print shorter pieces, which have lower-
quality thresholds for publication and may be easier to achieve:
◆ Research notesare usually around 4000 words maximum and
they report a specific empirical finding in an uncluttered
way, without being surrounded by an elaborate theoretical
or literature review apparatus or other lead-in material. It is
usually much better to submit a straightforward piece of
empirical reportage as a strong research note than to inflate
it into a weak or anaemic main article.
◆ Commentsare similar shorter pieces, of around 2000 to 4000
words in length, which pick up on and contest, criticize or
analyse a point in the existing literature, especially a piece
that the journal concerned has recently published. Most
journal editors want to encourage debates and controversies
in their journal and hence look kindly on balanced, concise
and good quality comments.
◆ Short-article journalsexist in many fields (like philosophy,
geography and political science) which are dedicated to
publishing only pieces up to around 3000 words long. Many
of these journals have good reputations and are particularly
interested in helping younger members of the profession.
◆ Review articlesare published by many journals. They take a
particular subfield of a discipline’s literature and discuss its
intellectual themes and development as a whole, drawing
out commonalities between authors, identifying promising
research avenues, and so on. Review articles should also have
a distinctive critical angle or value-added argument of their
own. They are normally around 6000 words long. Obviously
they do not need elaborate methodologies or original
empirical materials, and hence they are quicker to undertake.
However, most published review articles are actually
commissioned by journal editors from senior figures in the
discipline, with an established publications record.
So if you have an idea for such a piece, send a letter to the
240 ◆AUTHORING A PHD