SJE DSA November Lunch & Learn Recap: Academic Publishing
On November 19, the Social Justice Education Departmental Student Association (SJE DSA) hosted a Lunch & Learn on Academic Publishing: Process and Politics, facilitated by Dr. Lore/tta LeMaster, Associate Professor of Queer Studies in the SJE. The workshop introduced students to the landscape of academic publishing. We had many attendees in person and online who asked excellent questions and learned a great deal from this successful and engaging event. If you missed this one, read on for a quick recap.
Five Key Takeaways
Choosing Publication Venues
Selecting journals or presses requires assessing alignment with your audience, discipline, and values. Review the journal’s scope, impact factor, accessibility (including paywalls), and any publication fees. Relevance to your field sometimes matters more than prestige. Tip: look into who your favourite scholars publish with.
Finding Calls and Preparing to Submit
Calls often circulate through academic mailing lists, conference networking, and personal invitations. Build your own academic community for collaboration opportunities and support. Read submission guidelines thoroughly to understand the expectations. Make an informed decision based on how your work fits the theme.
Considering Book Chapters
Journal articles often carry more institutional weight, but book chapters provide space for exploratory, creative, or community-engaged writing. Choose the format that best matches your audience, purpose, and access goals. On the topic of books, submitting brief book reviews to journals is a manageable entry point to academic publishing.
Assessing Your Readiness to Publish
Anticipate a long-term commitment involved in revisions, resubmissions, and ongoing communication. Before clicking submit, consider whether you have the capacity, time, and stability to engage in the iterative process. Reflect on how publishing fits into your academic trajectory and whether this is the right project and moment to commit.
Serving as Reviewers and Editors
Contributing as a peer reviewer or student editor can strengthen your understanding of scholarly writing and production. Calls for reviewers are often announced alongside calls for papers. Make sure the responsibilities and timelines are clear, and that you can appropriately list the role on your CV if needed. Be careful not to overextend yourself when agreeing to review multiple works at once; be realistic given your time and interest.
Thank you to the SJE DSA and Dr. LeMaster for organizing this workshop. We look forward to future Lunch & Learn sessions.
