Getting Published: Materials of Creativity and Skeptism

Lecture 4: Journal quality and requirements

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Ismail Said (PhD)Head of Landscape Architectural Department

Faculty of Built EnvironmentUniversiti Teknologi Malaysia

b-ismail@utm.my

Things to discuss today

• Determining journal quality• Popular journals• Which journal? • Co-authoring• References and Literature Review• Editing Hints• When you are the reviewer• When to write the review

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Determining journal quality

• Ask people!• Formal rankings such as impact factor and

Scorpus • Informal rankings

– Ask people in the field (outside your university) for written opinion. For example, in children’s behavior, ask Editor of CYE.

• New journals: risky since they are “unknown”

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Popular JournalsOn building, environment and habitation :

• Construction, Management and Economics (Routledge)

• Energy and Buildings (Elsevier)• Building and Environment (Elsevier)• Journal of Asian Architecture and Building

Engineering• Landscape Research• Landscape Journal (University of Wisconsin

Press)• Habitat International (Elsevier)• Engineering, Construction and Architectural

Management(Emerald)

On human behavior and environment :• Environment and Behavior, Sage (ISI impact

factor 0.517) • Journal of Environmental Psychology,

Academic (0.656) • Urban Studies, Routledge/Taylor & Francis

(1.127) • Human Ecology, Springer/Plenum (0.978) • Environment & Planning D: Society & Space,

Pion (1.591) • Environment & Planning B: Planning &

Design, Pion (0.495) • Places: A Forum of Environmental Design• Traditional Dwellings and Settlements

Review • Journal of Planning Literature (Sage)

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Popular Journals

On architecture and urban planning are: • Architectural Science Review (The Uni. Of Sydney)• Journal of Architectural Education (Blackwell)• Journal of Urban Studies• Landscape and Urban Planning (Elsevier)• Habitat International (Elsevier)

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The Architectural Science Review is abstracted and indexed

• Academic Index• Academic OneFile• Academic Press (IDEAL)• AccessMyLibrary• Architectural Publications Index and Architectural

Database (RIBA)• Australian Architecture Database (ARCH)• Australian Public Affairs Information Service (APAIS)• Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals• ICONDA®CIBlibrary• Informit Online• International Civil Engineering Abstracts• Journal of Planning Literature• ProQuest5000• Questia• Scirus

• Scopus• Thomson Gale

• Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA)• Chartered Institute of Building Construction

Information Quarterly• Civil Engineering Abstracts• CNET• Compendex (CPX)• Dialog• EBSCO• Elsevier Engineering Information• Engineering Index• Ergonomics Abstracts• Expanded Academic ASAP• Highbeam• IBSEDEX Infotrieve• International Building Services Abstracts

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Which journal?

• Check written description of target areas on journal’s Website, and on occasion in the editor’s regular introduction.– For example ASR publishes original research papers, shorter research

notes, and abstracts of PhD dissertations and theses in all areas of architectural science including building science and technology, the environmental sciences, environmental sustainability, structures and materials, audio and acoustics, illumination, thermal systems, building physics, building services, building climatology, building economics, ergonomics, history and theory of architectural science, and the social sciences of architecture and the built environment.

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Which journal?

• Look at other articles in the journal• If in doubt, email the editor an abstract and

ask whether it is appropriate for that journal.• Talks with editors at conferences?

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Fast(er) Tracks to Publication

• Look for special issues in your topic• Look for conference tracks where selected

articles will be published in a special journal issue– E.g. IAPS conference 2009

• More work than you can imagine!

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Co-authoring

• Brings complementary expertise• More authors brings exponentially more• More authors dilute the perceived

contribution of each• Ensure each co-author uses MSWord’s

reviewing tool to track changes!• Ensure each co-author uses MSWord style• Student co-authors

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Co-author Order

• Check with your university and disciplines regarding co-author order– First author provides main contribution– Students should always come first– Students always come last• You can state in a footnote that all authors made

an equal contribution

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References and Literature Review

• Ensure your literature review and references are up-to-date

• Ensure your literature review and references are complete

• Use Endnote or other bibliographic software

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Editing Hints

• Always use MSWord styles- Make format simple- Make reformating really simple

• Use MSWord reviewing tool to track changes between versions

• Be careful to clear all reviewing tool comments before submitting paper

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When you are the reviewer

• Do a thorough reviewyou would want the same

• Provide lots of detailed comments for the authorsyou would want the same

• Establish a reputation as an excellent reviewer!

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When to write the review

• Volunteer to review at high-quality conferences and journals It will make you a better author

• You are obligated to review for journals that have published your work

• You can say no– If you are too busy– If the journal/conference is not high quality

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Apart from writing

• Be a singer, a dancer, and occasional actor/actress, e.g. Bonnie Bassler at Princeton

• A leader in your community • A volunteer for children’s community program

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THE END

“A scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.”

Lao Tzu

“The ink of the scholar and the blood of a martyr are of equal value in heaven.”

Quote from the Quran