Publishing and Presenting as a BYU Faculty Member
Alan J. Hawkins, Professor of Family Sciences
Family Studies Center Director
Brigham Young University has an important stake in its faculty being known, respected, and appreciated by other scholars, policy makers, and opinion leaders. We are of greater influence for good to our students, to the Church, and to the world when we excel in our scholarship. Publishing our work in high-quality outlets and presenting at first-rate conferences is the primary way faculty become known, respected, and appreciated. Accordingly, the university expects its faculty to publish and present, and properly makes this a significant factor in faculty evaluations.
My experience has been that the university expects consistent efforts over time to publish high-quality work. Because of BYU’s emphasis on first-rate undergraduate teaching and substantial citizenship responsibilities, the expectation for quantity of publications is a little lower than other good universities with which I am familiar. This is a nice balance for me. I think there are some strategies that can improve both quality and quantity of publication. First, get focused. Early in an academic career I think we do better work and more of it if we stay focused on a specific area. We are more likely to do work that impacts the field and establish good connections with colleagues at other universities. These connections will lead to more publication opportunities. And what our peers at other universities think of us and our work is a contributing factor in rank and status decisions. Accordingly, I think young scholars should be cautious about deciding to broaden their areas of expertise and pursue research in another direction. Broadening is something that should occur, but developmentally, it is best when done by full, rather than assistant, professors.
A second strategy for improving both quantity and quality of publication is collaborative work. There are some fields that don’t appreciate collaborative work, but many do, and I think it makes sense, especially for young scholars here at BYU. Our dedication to teaching and citizenship restricts the amount of time devoted to scholarship. Collaborating with another scholar here or elsewhere can double the amount of publications. Be a first author on about half of these publications to establish yourself as able to lead, not just contribute. But collaboration doesn’t just affect quantity; it improves quality, as well. Most scholars, young and old, will find their thinking and skills enhanced by on-going collaboration, and this will be reflected in their scholarship.
A third strategy is to constantly work on the craft of writing. My experience suggests that the most significant barrier to publication is the ability to communicate an idea effectively. There are two issues here. First, academic reviewers have little patience for material that is not well written. Even if a manuscript is basically readable, reviewers are a bunch of folk who are not easily impressed. To impress an academic reviewer, you need to be a good writer who works hard at the craft of communicating ideas effectively. Second, the craft of writing is a valuable process that clarifies and refines our thinking. As we strive to write things more clearly and persuasively we have to think harder and deeper about our ideas.
Presenting at first-rate conferences also is expected of BYU faculty so that we can be of greater influence. In my experience, presenting at conferences is a primary way I have become integrated into the academic community and the profession. In my own mind, I do not view presentations as publications. Rather, I view them as a part of the academic process that helps me publish. Hence, conference presentations are important and expected, but they are not an end product for the most part. I see presentations as evidence of active involvement in the profession and the scholarly process, but I do not “count” them as a publication. I suspect that most individuals who sit in judgment on rank and status committees have similar views.
The process of getting a publication accepted is hard work and can be frustrating. But the scholarly process that leads to publication should be fun and exciting. And it is the primary way that we influence our fields. The effort required for publication is worth the work.
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