Tips on Writing for Publications and Grants Dr Stefanie Feih, Acting HDR coordinator School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Do I need to publish? • A PhD is required to demonstrate original research, hence the work

needs to be publishable

• A PhD without any peer-reviewed publications will be reviewed differently (and probably more harshly) by the external experts

• Publications can help with your future career and are essential for any future research position

• Publications in a good journal can give you a confidence boost for your work

• Publications are a measure of the importance of your work

• Publications are good for the ego!

• Increased school funding for conferences when articles have been published at SAMME

• And lastly, your supervisor will need high impact publications for future successful grant applications…

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When should I write / publish during my PhD? • Don’t leave your write-up to the last 6 months. Writing is a creative

process and writers block is quite common.

• Write up as you go – even in the form of short reports and analysis summaries

• Knowledge / data analysis gaps become much clearer once you summarise your findings on paper

• A literature review paper might be possible if your supervisor is an expert in the field – discuss the possibility if no recent reviews are available

• The first publication should be drafted or submitted for PhD mid-candidature review to demonstrate original findings

• Generally two – three journal papers are expected in SAMME at completion seminar, but this will depend on your area of research

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Will publishing delay my thesis submission? • Publications can form the basis of a chapter

• Aim to develop publications as milestones of your work

• Plan experiments and analysis based on the content for journal publications.

• Reviewer feedback for your work is really useful in order to plan future work and defend/validate your conclusions

• A PhD can now be submitted as a PhD by publication at RMIT. Different rules apply for different schools regarding the length of introduction / accompanying text and required number of journal articles for acceptance. Make sure to check with your HDR coordinator / supervisor if this method is suitable for you.

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Where should I publish? • Develop a database of suitable journals for your publications based on

your literature review. A journal paper should only be submitted to a journal that is referenced at least a few times in the reference list.

• Research the relevant journals and list by –ERA listing – don’t publish in unlisted journals unless you

have a very good reason –Scopus listing – Impact factor –Google Scholar Metrics –ERA ranking (check old lists for journal standing within a field)

• Conference proceedings are useful to report preliminary results and build a network. Abstracts are easily accepted and it is therefore easy to publish in most conferences

• Conference publications do not replace journal publications!

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What about conference proceedings? • Generally abstracts are accepted at conferences either as a paper

or a poster presentation

• Abstracts are easily accepted and it is therefore easy to publish in most conference proceedings

• Conference are useful to report preliminary results

• Conferences help building a research network.

• Check if your conference proceedings will be listed on Scopus

• Conference publications do not replace journal publications!

• Aim at having a ratio of 1:1 of journal and conference publications

• Watch out for conferences with student awards / scholarships as this will look good on your CV!

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Do I need to become a graphic designer? • Yes. Publications need to contain high quality graphics / figures /

illustrations.

• Decide on a suitable graphics and data analysis programs early on in your PhD.

• Data analysis / graphs: –Origin –Sigma Plot –Kaleidagraph

• Illustrations / schematics –Adobe Illustrator –Catia –Solidworks

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Finally - journal paper submission • The corresponding author generally submits the article to the journal

(senior supervisor)

• As the person doing most of the work, you should check the author guide for the selected journal and format paper accordingly

• Nearly every journal has a different reference format – EndNote libraries can be downloaded for most journals

• Figures need to be submitted separately and need to be high resolution

• A letter to the Editor needs to be provided, which highlights how the article fits within the journal scope

• A list of potential reviewers can generally be supplied. You should reference the suggested reviewers in your paper

• And then – you wait! Potential review times can range from two weeks to three months depending on the journal.

• Don’t be discouraged if your paper is rejected by the first journal, but utilize the feedback given in the process to improve your paper

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• Grants are often evaluated by non-experts in the field

• The grant application often contains an abstract for “layperson” or press release

• Graphics need to be catching without excessive technical details

• Get friends and spouses to review your abstracts!

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Grant writing is different…

The aim of this research is to examine the material properties of glass and carbon fibres following high temperature recycling. My aim is to assist with the optimisation of the recycling process and the development of alternative recycling methods. This research is significant because the fibres are expensive to produce, the amount of landfill arising from used composite materials is growing (the materials do not bio-degrade) and the current recycled product is too weak for industrial re-use.

Suitable for press release

This paper investigates the effects of temperature, heating time and

atmosphere on the tensile modulus and strength of recycled E-glass

fibres. The loss in fibre strength is dependent on the temperature and

time of the thermal process, and large strength loss occurs under the

heating conditions used for high temperature incineration of polymer

composites. A phenomenological model is presented for the residual fibre strength for the temperatures

and heating time of the thermal recycling process.

Technical Abstract

5µm5 kV X4800

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• Higher Degree by Research Conference Grant –Conference paper must be peer-reviewed –You must be enrolled as a HDR student –You are within four years of your candidature

• Conference fee waivers / awards for PhD students – check conferences in your field

• European Union Centre RMIT travel assistance grant –Accommodation and travel cost to travel to EU member states

for research field work or internship –For research with EU focus –Need to have passed Confirmation of Candidature

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Grant Opportunities for HDR students at RMIT

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• Endeavour Postgraduate Scholarship –Offers support for students wishing to undertake study or

research in a participating country

• Higher Degree by Research Publications Grant –To prepare journal papers during thesis examination period (up

to 12 weeks)

• And many, many more… – https://aei.gov.au/scholarships-and-fellowships/other-international-

scholarships/pages/default.aspx – http://www.rmit.edu.au/scholarships/research#_University_wide_scholars

hips

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Grant Opportunities for HDR students at RMIT

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Writing groups at RMIT:

• RMIT will help you set up your own writing group or you can join existing ones

• Groups generally meet fortnightly

• Contact: Judy.Maxwell@rmit.edu.au

English is not your first language?

• Software can help with that (Word, Grammarly)

• Your supervisor can help with proof reading

• Fellow students can help with proof reading

• Services for professional editing can be utilised (limitations apply, check guide lines)

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Improving Technical Writing Skills

Academic writing and study skills program 2014

July 15th – 18th

• Planning and organising assignment writing

• Paragraphing, paraphrasing and integrating your sources

• Improve pronunciation and stress, and develop English fluency

• Mapping your ideas: mind, concept and argument mapping

• Oral presentations

• Effective reading and notetaking

• Efficient online library searches

All students and staff are welcome!

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THANK YOU.

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