Going Public - Joining the Conversation

Necessity to go public
Knowledge moves forward over time thanks to researchers sharing their insights. This gradual evolution of understanding deepens insights, offers new ideas, and sometimes prompts a change in direction. All CSU faculty are expected to be part of these developing conversations in their field of study. There are a number of ways to join in, two primary ones are presentation and publication.

Presenting in multiple venues
New faculty members have the option to choose from dozens of meetings, conferences, workshops and seminars to share their research findings. Part of keeping current with research is attendance at such venues, so take advantage of the opportunity to present in the when you are there. Look at the request for proposals to determine if it is the right place for your work. Think strategically about moving from local to regional to national to international, from specific to general, and small to large to develop a pattern of achievement over a faculty career. Always push to the next level of involvement to broaden the impact of your work over time.

Publishing in multiple venues
Publishing research results means choosing among many options. Follow the requests for papers to determine which venues are best for your findings. Choose among informal venues such as newsletters or blogs, to more formal peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and practitioner publications. Many professional organizations publish materials, along with a number of university presses and private publishers. Take the time to learn about the publication and what sorts of issues they address to make an informed choice. Begin locally, and increasingly enlarge the scope of your audience as you build a reputation. Building a record of success will increase the likelihood that the more selective publications will seriously consider publishing your work.

Responding to published material
An important part of being a researcher is engaging with other researchers, so in addition to writing up and publishing your own findings it is part of a faculty member’s responsibility to engage in dialogue with other researchers doing similar work. This may be informally at first, by writing an email to an author, going up to ask questions after a presentation, or asking questions for clarification. As an academic career progresses, faculty may be asked to serve in a more formal capacity to review research proposals, respond to articles, or serve as an editor for a group of articles or chapters. New faculty begin honing their critical eye for research by volunteering to serve in these capacities when the opportunities arise. The deeper involvement may offer another perspective on research questions that you have been pondering yourself, and has the capacity to enrich your own research agenda by pushing your thinking.

Making strategic choices
It makes a difference where and how research findings are disseminated. This impact factor is determined by the relative scrutiny with which submitted materials are examined. The amount of peer review involved is one measure of the quality of a publication or presentation, along with the sponsoring body for the venue, the reputation of the publication, and the size of the audience. Publishers have expectations that materials submitted will be original, and some publications take long periods from submission to publication. New faculty members need to think carefully about where and how to publish their research findings. They need to spend some time investigating the level of respect of various venues by veteran researchers their field, and strategically make decisions about where to submit materials.

Co-authorship
As new faculty think about building a record of accomplishment in the area of research, one often overlooked area is that of co-authorship. There are a number of ways to think about this practice, each offering a slightly different sort of experience. While a graduate student, it is preferable to publish one or more article length pieces from your dissertation, as co-author with your dissertation advisor. Early in your career, it may be advantageous to co-author with colleagues who have a reputation in the field in order to increase the likelihood your findings will reach a wide audience. Later in your career, take advantage of co-authoring with the novice researchers you mentor as Masters and Doctoral students as a means of both assisting them as new researchers and receiving credit on your vitae and tenure file for the tremendous effort put into helping them finish their work. Think about ways you may use this practice to build your record of accomplishment.

Presenting in multiple venues
What options for presenting should new faculty be aware of as they begin a career in academia?
Publishing in multiple venues
What options for publishing should new faculty be aware of as they begin a career in academia
Responding to published materials
How do new faculty become engaged with other researchers in their field?
Making strategic choices
Does it matter which places new faculty choose to present and publish their research findings?
Co-authorship
What are some of the conventions of co-authorship that may support a new faculty member as they make progress on their research agenda?

A. presenting in multiple venues

i. field of study conferences
ii. higher ed conferences
iii. community
iv. CSU Institute for teaching and learning
v. local to international, specific to general, small to large, major in field of study
vi. rfp

In addition to the conferences in your specific field of study, there are meetings of professional and community organizations that will benefit from your expertise. The CSU offers an annual Institute for Teaching and Learning where CSU faculty share their knowledge. There are also general higher education gatherings that may be appropriate for your work

B. publishing in multiple venues

i. journals
ii. newsletters
iii. blogs
iv. MERLOT
v. peer reviewed, practitioner, trade, fugitive literature
vi. rfp
vii. American association of university presses, association of Am publishers, association of learned and professional society publishers

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Going Public - Joining the Conversation