Getting Published

Abstract

Academics want to 'get published'. There are a number of reasons for this including academic reputation and institutional pressure. However, there is quite a lot to do before submitting a piece of work for publication. Crafting the text takes time and skill. The required skills can develop over time if a sufficiently reflective and reflexive stance is adopted to the writing task. This is a point, amongst many, that Kamler & Thomson (2006) make and I am indebted to them for many of the ideas here. Crucial in the writing process is having something to write that an audience wants to read. Furthermore, there are many potential audiences. Matching the idea to the audience is part of the decision-making that takes place prior to submission in crafting the work for publication. In Bhutan, submitting work for publication is in its infancy. There are many reasons for this high amongst which is that Bhutan has only recently entered the 'modern' world. Secular education in Bhutan is only fifty years old. Only recently have there been novels published for Bhutanese and international readership (e.g Choden 2006). More specifically, the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) came into existence in 2004 and has embarked upon plans that include taking its place in the world stage of knowledge producing universities. This requires a new role for academics in the federated RUB (RUB 2006, p. 4) where knowledge creation is new. Thus, publishing the result of their knowledge creation efforts is also very new. As a matter of interest, the freshness of Bhutan knowledge creation efforts can create extra interest for some editors. There are, thus, exciting opportunities for Bhutanese academic writers. The purpose of this short article is to share some hard-won experience about getting published. Already mentioned are the key concepts of a good idea and hinted at was the notion that writing is a process. The writing process, leading to getting published, requires a consideration of the audience for the piece and the potential publishing opportunities. There are differences here including the importance to the authors of the peer-review process.