Korean Job Discussion Forums

busanliving · Joined: 29 Apr 2009

As my MA is coming to an end I'm starting to look at ways I can develop professionally and I would like to get some articles published but I have literally no idea where to begin.

Do I just pursue areas I am interested in or look for gaps in existing publications? Once I have completed an article where do I submit it? What is the process from there?

Thanks in advance.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

HapKi · Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Location: TALL BUILDING-SEOUL

These are some of the better ranked ELT journals in Korea

http://www.elsok.org/

http://www.ellak.or.kr/

http://www.kate.or.kr/

http://koreatesol.org/

http://www.meeso.or.kr/journals_paper_submission/submission.html

http://www.pketa.org/

Basically you follow the formating they want, pay a submission fee and submit, wait a couple months for a accept/accept with revisions/resubmit with revisions/reject, and go from there.

I would ask you why you want to academically publish. For your resume, job promotions, just feel like your articles need a home, or some other reasons? These decisions can affect the journals you aim for.

Hugo85 · Joined: 27 Aug 2010

diver · Joined: 16 Jun 2003

Korea Citation Index
http://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/main.kci

You'll see "KCI Journals List" on the right hand side of the screen.

busanliving · Joined: 29 Apr 2009

Thank you everyone, some very helpful replies.

I want to publish for my resume and as a personal challenge.

Hotpants · Joined: 27 Jan 2006

I've found it easy to get in to lower-level pubs such as general newspapers and magazines, but I was always struggling to get into bigger name academic journals. It was only after I networked a bit and found someone who could help me get a piece into their journal that they were allied to that I had better success. So I'd say networking definitely plays a key here.

You also get more credential as an author if you get known as a speaker on the ELT conference circuit, so maybe you can also try to develop yourself as a speaker, too.

You can also try branching out to journals in Japan etc.

You also can try things like getting in as a reviewer or contributor to the ELT publishing houses. There's always a need for such freelancers, but again, you have to find the right people to approach.

Publication definitely helps if you want to enter the higher-tier K-unis here.

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

1. Publishing, sex, and headhunters have one important thing in common...you should NEVER have to pay ANYTHING!

2. Wasn't it Twain who said that he'd never become a member of a club that would have him join? Journals are like that, too. If they'll take just about anything, odds are they have about zero impact factor. Publishing in them, therefore, while it might look nice on your CV or what not, really won't help you much professionally. In fact, it could HURT you professionally because if you're putting out substandard work, theres now a retrievable record of it!

3. Hugo85 makes an important point. An easy general rule of thumb is two bibliographical references per page minimum. So if you're looking to publish a 30 page paper, that's a minimum of 60 sources, often full books, that yo need to familiarize yourself with. You then need to synthesize the salient points, demonstrate why your research is new and important, develop your methodology and THEN go from there.

4. There must be a peer review process, preferably double blind. If there is no review, the journal isnt worth the paper its printed onSo even after you've done your work and selected a journal, you're not home free yet. The editor can immediately reject you, or send it out to referees. They then make recommendations. IF they recommend going forward, you can bet that
they're going to request changes, and sometimes a LOT of changes.

So give yourself about 4-6 months to put a paper together <assuming you're working from your MA thesis>, then tag on three months for the initial review if initially accepted, then a month for your first edits, then three more months for second review, then your edits...you're usually lucky to go from the idea to the final publication in under 1.5 years.

I'll be frank in saying that there are VERY few MA theses that could be
worked into an article that could make it into most SSCI ranked journals. I'm not saying to not go for it, but I am suggesting you develop a very thick skin!

zombiedog · Joined: 03 Oct 2011

You should be talking to professors in your department. It's their job to give you some guidance on this topic.

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

True. But for what it's worth, I am a professor and pretty well published. I'd tell a new MA pretty much the same thing.

cheolsu · Joined: 16 Jan 2009

PRagic (and others), thank you for your advice. This is something I'm also looking into as I get into the second half of my MA and find myself with a lot of time on my hands at the present. I've figured out that the process is a lengthy one, but now seems like a good time to get it off the ground. Others I've spoken to, who are active in the various EFL professional organizations such as KOTESOL, advised aiming for regional peer-reviewed publications.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that these regional journals are not ranked by the SSCI. Is that really such a bad thing?

Hugo85 · Joined: 27 Aug 2010

When applying for a Professor position they won't really be counted. Only international papers. International conferences are easier to get into than international journals and better than local journals.

As PRagic said, my masters was not publishable (turned down 3 times with 1 positive 1 negative). I split it into two international conference articles and had a free trip to Bordeaux where I ate delicious food and drank delicious wine for free. Its a good occasion to network with people in your field also (I got a PhD offer in one of France's best university from the trip).

diver · Joined: 16 Jun 2003

I am just a beginner at this too, so I don't know what I can add that PRagic and some others have said.

I got my first (co)publication in this year (yay for me Very Happy

) in a Korean journal that's on the Korea Citation Index. I am not sure how much weight it will have internationally (not very much I would imagine) BUT (and I think this is important) it was beneficial for two reasons:

1) the experience of writing and going through the submission/revision process was very valuable (to me, anyway)

2) though it is not SSCI, it IS an indexed journal that my uni recognizes in terms of paying out publication bonuses. They wouldn't pay for "The English Connection" or even "The KOTESOL Journal" (if it is resurrected).

I am pretty far away from getting published on my own in a SSCI journal. It might help to co-write with a professor to get the experience and get your name in.

BTW, maybe PRagic can help - there IS a term, or measurement of the importance of a journal and you can look it up somewhere. I think the KCI might even give a number representing the importance of each of their journals internationally.

Ah...here it is Impact Factor" or IF. I think the KCI lists the IF of each of its journals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_factor

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

I'm all for going through the process. But lets not get confused here. A conference paper is NOT an actual publication, unless of course everything is bundled up and sold as such. ANYONE can present at most conferences. Send your 50 bucks and your abstract and you're in. That's for the major shows at least. Great experience, to be sure, and if you're serious about what your into, then the feedback is worth it!

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

Ah,sorry there, diver. Well, sure, your university will count it. Here. that doesn't mean it's going to help you out in the long term, though.Koreans load up on local journal publications for the points, but they, too, know that in the grand scope of things those publications don't really carry much umph.