The Writing Life Beyond Career Requirements
by Janet Salmons, Research Community Manager for SAGE Methodspace
Dr. Salmons is the author of Doing Qualitative Research Online, which focuses on ethical research and writing, and What Kind of Researcher Are You? which focuses on researcher integrity. Use the code COMMUNITY3 for a 20% discoung, valid worldwide until 31/03/24.
Who determines what you publish, and where you publish it?
Many academic writers are at a point in life and career where their publication choices are dictated by their institutions. They are required to publish certain types of writing, usually peer-reviewed articles, in specific categories of journals. While they might want to share their work in chapters or books, blog posts or media, they might find that they do not count for tenure or promotion. While the field is changing and the value for more forms of creative and online dissemination are becoming recognized, research-focused institutions can have quite rigid parameters.
What do you write when it is your choice?
Others of us reach a point in life and career, when we have no one telling us what to research and what to write. We could be in this situation due to maturity in years or achievement, or because we are not employed by an academic research institution. What options do we consider? Then what? How do we decide? How do we set priorities? We are free of constraints, but also free of guidance. Since I am in this category myself, I came up with five possibilities. I wondered what others thought, so I led a discussion on this topic at the Textbook and Academic Authors Association Conference last summer.
I wanted to share these ideas with Methodspace readers, so I asked Dr. Virginia Yonkers, recently retired from the State University of New York at Albany, to join me in the conversation you can view below. If you have experiences to share, use the contact form to get in touch.
More Methodspace Posts about Academic Writing
Thinking about new beginnings in a new year? Perhaps it is a time to think abut what makes work meaningful to you, and how those priorities influence career choices. Reflect on these open-access readings about meaningful work.