Publishing in The Boolean

Prof Alan Kelly

Dean of Graduate Studies

What is The Boolean?

• A platform to share short accounts of research undertaken by doctoral students

• To be circulated principally, but not only, within UCC

• A part of the skills development programme for research students

• Not an academic journal• Not peer-reviewed• Not the final home of your research

What is the purpose of The Boolean?

• Share knowledge about doctoral research within UCC

• Share knowledge about doctoral research beyond UCC with those who may be interested (e.g., stake-holders, employers)

• Develop non-academic communication skills

• Get practice with writing and publishing

• Get practice with editing and managing

The BooleanVolume 22011

The importance of communication to researchers

“Think like a wise man, but speak the language of the people” WB Yeats

“The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place” GB Shaw

• Arguably, the most important part of research is the ability to communicate its outcomes effectively to those who need to know

• Otherwise, what is the point?• Key is to understand your audience

The structured development of key skills:The Irish Universities’ PhD Skills Statement

What are the key characteristics of articles for the journal?

• Clarity• Accessibility to the non-specialist

(bridges between your knowledge and their background)

• Sense of interest and enthusiasm for the reader

The absence of peer-review

• Clarity to non-specialist key criterion for acceptance

• Not to interfere with formal publication• Academic merit or correctness not being judged• Reader not expected to reproduce work or follow

it up as would an academic article• Burden of proof not as high (i.e., no need for

academic support measures such as statistics, references bar the very minimum to support a point or allow the interested reader to delve further)

• Figures can be really useful (1,000 words etc.) if simple, clear and illustrative

• Not being judged by peers with prior knowledge but by readers without it

How do articles for The Boolean compare to academic articles?

Academic articles Boolean articles

Must be clear Must be clear

Specialist audience General audience

Assume pre-knowledge Assume no pre-knowledge

Reader motivation academic

Reader motivation personal interest

Avoid the personal and remain aloof

Greater room for emotion, metaphor, quotations, character if helps get the message across

How to make the reader empathise with your research?

• Relate to what they know• Relate to their background• Relate to how they can learn what you need

them to know• Build bridges from your research to their

way of learning• Use tricks which would not be used in

academic articles (rhetoric, humour, analogy)

• Create an impression of confidence in the writer and belief in their message

• Journalism versus academic writing?

Consider the reader’s attention curve

Start with interest - title and opening sentence are critical

Where will you lose the reader?What exact words (make a list)?

What tricks can you use to minimise the dip (analogy, quote, everyday reference)?

Need to ‘zoom’

Start with introduction to grab

the reader in relation to what

they know already (start with THE

TITLE)

End by helping the reader apply to their

own knowledge (speculate but not too wildly)

Cautiously increase level of detail

Writing clearly for a non-academic audience• Need to focus on grammar and punctuation and

learn to use them correctly (mind your commas!)• Articles need to flow and carry reader through

what is being said• ‘Scary’ words: avoid, explain or defuse• Avoid abbreviations as much as possible• Avoid big blocks of text and huge paragraphs• How formal should you be?

Aim for professional and credible but accessible• Audience is not captive as for an academic article

– reading for interest not for work- if too much hard work, can just give up trying

• Norms for academic writing will vary from discipline to discipline but writing for a general audience is more of a level playing field

Handling authorship

Title of articleStudent name and academic unit1

Footnote on first page

1 Third year PhD student in the School/Department of XXX, under the supervision of Dr YYY and Prof ZZZ. Funding for this work was provided by **** (delete if not appropriate)

What next?o Format to follow – use it carefullyo Submission process to be on-lineo Check with your supervisor (NB form)!!o Submit articles by 15 July 2012o All articles will be reviewed by one academic

staff member and one student editorial board member

o Feedback by mid-Augusto May need revision and reconsiderationo Volume 1: 37 out of 38 submitted articles

finally accepted and publishedo Acceptance rate close to 100%o Publication Volume 3 planned for 4 October

2012