Frontiers in Services – Doctoral Colloquium
Brisbane, Australia – June 2006
Getting Your Research Published
Peter J Danaher
Department of Marketing
University of Auckland
Outline
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Why publish?
Research process
Format for a paper
Getting the submission right
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Insights from the trenches
Getting the revisions right
How it’s done at JM
Why Publish?
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Requirement for RQF or PBRF (publish or be
damned)
Personal satisfaction (pure pleasure)
Establish a reputation and build a career
(promotion)
Build knowledge (save the world)
How Does it Work?
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Do some research
Write it up
Send it to a journal
Editor rejects the paper…. or invites a revision
You revise and resubmit (possibly several times)
Paper is accepted
Paper is published
That’s Easy – What’s All the Fuss About?
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Doing top-quality research is hard
Writing a 30-50 page paper is a challenge
Top journals (JM, JMR, JCR, Mkt Sci) accept
only 10% of papers
Review process is slow and frustrating
Reviewers generally less knowledgeable
about your work than you are
What Makes Me Such a Smarty Pants?
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Published over 50 refereed articles
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JMR (6)
Marketing Science (3)
Journal of Marketing (1)
JASA (1)
JAR(6)
Plus, JR, IJRM, EJM, JAMS and Marketing Letters
What Makes Me Such a Smarty Pants?
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Editorial Board member for the Journal of
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Associate Editor for the Journal of Service
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Marketing
Research, Journal of Interactive Advertising
and the Australasian Marketing Journal.
Ad hoc reviewer for Journal of Marketing
Research, Marketing Science, Management
Science, JCR, International Journal of
Research in Marketing, Journal of Interactive
Marketing, Journal of Forecasting
Paper format
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Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
The Model/Theory
Hypothesis Development (if appropriate)
Data description
Data analysis/results
Discussion
Conclusion, limitations and future research
References, tables, figures
Publishing from a PhD
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PhD work could be the best you ever do
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3 years of effort
Fewest distractions
Plan to publish 3 articles from your PhD
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Build this into the structure of your PhD
PhD is only the first step in publishing. It’s not the
end of the road, rather, the beginning
What Are the Secrets?
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Submission
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Target the right journal – were previous key
papers published in this journal?
Format your paper to that used by the target
journal (including references)
Get feedback before you submit the paper
Make the Abstract and Introduction exciting and
get your point(s) across
Have something to say and communicate this
What Are the Secrets?
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Submission
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Suggest/nominate reviewers (e.g., JM, JMR, JCR
and Mkt Sci all ask for this)
Look at the Editorial Board members, some will be
reviewers
Equally, gives names of those who may be
antagonistic
Talk the paper up a little in the covering letter
Check spelling and grammar
Attention to details such as section numbers,
equations, notation, etc.
Revisions –yuk!
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Submitting the paper is only the beginning
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But still do spend the time to perfect the original
paper
Revisions are inevitable
Put as much effort into the revision as the original
submission
Turn it around quickly
Revision Secrets
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Don’t ignore the reviewers or editor no
matter how stupid they are
Tailor your revision notes around the reviewer
comments
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Number the responses or keep them in the same
order as the reviewer comments
Repeat the reviewer comments then respond to
them
Help the reviewer navigate through the revised
paper by telling him/her where the changes are
Revision Secrets
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Don’t forget to also respond to the editor
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If you disagree with a reviewer, explain this
separately to the editor. This is a neutral person
Make copies of reviewer responses for editor and
each reviewer. It’s amazing how often paperwork
gets mixed up in the review process
If using electronic submission, watch out for
glitches
Comments from the previous JM editor, Ruth Bolton
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Normally sends a paper to 3 reviewers, one
of them an author-nominated reviewer and
one not a specialist in the topic
Will decide on outcome after at most 2
revisions
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No third revisions, no appeals unless a paper is
‘new’
Recognizes that review process is ‘noisy’
Believe it or not, feels bad about 90% of
papers being rejected
Meet the Editors (vicariously)
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Recent Mkt Sci conf had editors of 11
marketing journals, including the top 4
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Never submit a paper before it is ready
Remember to respond to the Editor’s letter
If you are unsure is a paper is suitable for their
journal, you can ask b4 submission
Editors are competitive with each other
Consider putting your working paper on SSRN.com
to protect your IP
Conclusion
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Research - the old adage of 10% inspiration
and 90% perspiration still applies
Editors and reviewers are on the lookout for
good ideas, but don’t dismiss the details
Maintain the required hygiene
Work on your writing
Don’t give up