The publication jungle
Are you not quite sure what concepts like h index, peer review and open access mean? Or would you like to gain a higher profile in the publication jungle? Don’t despair, because help is now at hand.
“Startpublicering.nu” is the name of a new site that has been set up following collaboration between nine research libraries in Denmark led by AU Library, BSS. The name (“Start publishing now”) says it all, because the aim of the homepage is to help new researchers to start publishing their research. It should also help people to adopt a more strategic approach to publication.
Omnibus asked one of AU’s young researchers (Charlotte J. Brandt, who is a PhD student and teaching associate professor at the Department of Business Administration) to take a closer look at startpublicering.nu. She already has two publications to her name, so she isn’t a complete novice. But she remembers how difficult publication was at first.
“You feel uncertain, and you’re worried that you might come across as ignorant. I didn’t want to ask people for advice at first, and waited for other people to ask three good questions so I didn’t have to ask my 1,000 questions. So the site can help you identify the important questions that you need to ask your supervisor,” she says.
And it is vital to use your supervisor. The new site is not designed to meet the needs of specific subjects, so you have to supplement the guidelines with questions that are relevant for your own particular area, she adds.
Narcissism can be nice
The site doesn’t only help researchers to find out where and how to publish their results. It also helps them to find out how high their profile is. And Charlotte J. Brandt thought that this was a really cool feature even for more experienced researchers.
“A bit of narcissism can actually be nice! I worked out how high my profile was based on my h index, and discovered that my profile was really low. In fact I was almost invisible. That surprised me a bit. And it has encouraged me to reconsider my publication strategy. I also learned what I need to do: I need to publish things in journals rather than at conferences – because conferences aren’t included in the h index. And I need to get people to start quoting from my work, as well.”