Independent researcher

Redmen Rafalution

What is the best way to publish an independent study? I have an idea for some research in a social science topic. I originally planned to complete a PhD in the topic. But I am not in a position to enter a PhD programme at the moment.

My plan is to carry out a smaller scale version of the research and to publish it.

Is this a realistic plan, or is it just a waste of time? Is it possible to get published in a journal as an independent researcher? (That is probably a naive question!) In the medium term I will be starting a PhD in the area, so hopefully it will be beneficial even if I don't get it published.

Sorry if this is all a bit vague, I'm still in the early stages with this. All comments/criticism appreciated.

Tom Dunne

I don't think journals specify that you have to be enrolled on a PhD programme to publish an article.

I'd say look up journals in your field, look at what their submission requirements are and go for it.

What have you got to lose?

Black Swan

Agree with Tom. You do not need an institutional affiliation or PhD to publish, although sometimes it helps with certain peer-reviewed journals. Granted, they are to be blind reviewed by usually 3 persons qualified in your field, who should not know if you have a degree or affiliation, but then again journal editors will know and can be selective.

One way you might increase the likelihood of peer-reviewed publication, where editorial discretion may be a factor, is to co-author with a faculty member who has an established publication record in the journal you wish to publish. Since it's your study, and you are doing most of the work, you should be 1st author of the publication, with your faculty member 2nd. What contribution can you expect from your 2nd author? They can review, edit, and perhaps add to your work, especially with their knowledge of the types of articles that are generally accepted by your target publication. I've published successfully this way while being a university grad student.

Don't get discouraged if your target peer-reviewed journal rejects your manuscript. If they do, make sure to obtain reviewers comments, then revise your work accordingly, then resubmit to another journal. Be patient with the journal review cycles, which can take months to a year. If rejected again, ask for reviewers comments, revise, and submit to another journal. One highly published faculty member I know whispered to me once: "Every article has a home," so keep going through this process until you succeed.

Redmen Rafalution

Thanks to both of you for the replies, and the encouragement!

I will press ahead with it and see where it leads.

Black Swan, would you say I should just make contact with researchers in the field? I am not sure how I should approach it. Are researchers typically open to such requests? I would obviously make sure I have solid plan before making contact with anyone.

Tom Dunne

Any journal article I have ever read (probably over 400 at this stage, according to my Dropbox ) have the main author's name and contact details listed.

That's your starting point. Also look at university websites - they always have staff research areas listed.

innad

Great advice above. Only thing I would add is that if your planned study involves primary research with human participants, it should be approved by a research ethics committee. I think most, if not all, journals in the social sciences will require a statement on ethical considerations and ethical approval if the study involves human participants. If you find a co-author, they should be able to sign off an ethics application to the REC at their institution, although you would probably be the one doing the work and completing the form. Good luck!

Black Swan

Redmen Rafalution wrote: »

Black Swan, would you say I should just make contact with researchers in the field? I am not sure how I should approach it. Are researchers typically open to such requests? I would obviously make sure I have solid plan before making contact with anyone.

I cannot speak for all researchers, but if you walk in to see one with a written proposal or a rough drafted manuscript, it's in the interests of many researchers to have authored publications on their CVs when completing RFPs in our very competitive research funding marketplace as motivation to join you in your work. And it goes without mention that faculty cannot have too many quality peer-reviewed publications (including 2nd author) in their area of research interest while working in a flagship university publish or perish environment.