Research & Research Study

It is becoming increasingly common to publish aspects of HDR findings throughout candidacy. This has the important effect of subjecting the research to peer review prior to the thesis examination, and gives the candidate opportunities to develop their appreciation of the formal conventions for discourse within the discipline. From time to time the university runs workshops on the development of publication strategies and these can be of use to help plan the relationships between the thesis, publications and the scope of the tasks. Early publication can also assist candidates to develop a working knowledge of disciplinary conventions.

A thesis based on published works is one way of ensuring that your research work is widely known.

The main advantages for research students in preparing theses in journal article format and by publication are:

• Research students are advantaged in postdoctoral, academic and other professional job applications if they have published or prepared to publish during candidature;
• Research students, especially part-time research students, benefit substantially from a thesis milestone plan which enables annual progress to be achieved through publishable papers and submissions to journals/conferences;
• Research student’s theses benefit substantially from referees’ as well as supervisors’ comments on thesis papers in journal article format before thesis submission;
• Research students have increased confidence in the quality of their research work as early career researchers following supervisor and external referee comments on journal article format papers;
• Research student’s published research findings are available and contribute to their research communities at the earliest possible opportunity (rather than only being available under restricted access and delayed conditions in the University library after award of degree).

Candidate

Once you have worked out the broad goals and time-lines associated with your research, it is often a good idea to plan the development and submission of papers related to your research. This provides a very strong experience of writing within the disciplinary framework – and enables other scholars to become aware of your work. Most research students will produce two or three associated papers during the course of their candidacy, which will demonstrate to the broader community your potential for research activity and your standing in the community.

Principal supervisor

Developing a publication strategy with your research student, including co-publication where appropriate, enables the student to think about the sequencing of the dissemination of the core components of the research. You can assist your students by alerting them to publication possibilities (perhaps by starting them off with a short paper at a conference), providing advice on the dominant stylistic and analytic elements required in your field, and by helping them condense their argument for a paper format. Some students become over enthused by paper writing, which can detract from their ability to complete the thesis. As a supervisor you can help the candidate make decisions about the amount of publication, and when to miss some publishing opportunities in order to facilitate their completion.