I’ve developed a few strategies for keeping my publication pipeline moving over the years. I’m sharing my pipeline, processes, and some templates below in hopes that it might help you with your publication pipeline management.
I like to keep my pipeline visible so I can see what is on my plate. This helps me have an overview of projects that have not moved much lately.
I do this using a large white board that shows my publication pipeline – that is all of the projects I’ve got in my system.
When I moved to my new home over the summer I put off hanging my pipeline. I wasn’t sure where I was going to put it – the campus office or home office. Since I couldn’t figured it out, I procrastinated. I know I’m not alone here in putting off action because I don’t want to make a decision.
I have missed seeing my project overview every time I sat down to work. Just that visual reminds me of my most important projects (and by extension my highest contribution). So, I finally (an hour ago!) hung it in my home office and updated my projects.
Steps in My Publication Pipeline
Ideas, Design, and Getting Started
My pipeline includes 10 phases. It begins with an Ideas area. When I have an idea for a new scholarly project, I write it on a sticky note and put it on my board. When I’m doing my quarterly reviews, I review these ideas to see if I want to move any of them forward along the pipeline.
Some ideas currently in my Ideas area include: re-do Cokely, how do faculty choose textbooks, and faculty study abroad experiences.
When I want to move forward with a project, it moves to the Design phase. During this phase of my pipeline, the project is in the very baby stages. I flesh out
the research question or problem,
how I might want to approach it, and
a general set of methods that might work for the project.
possible collaborators
If I pull in collaborators, we work out most of the details of how we plan to work together. We decide who will be the lead on the project management side (usually me), who is the lead on IRB and materials creation (this varies), etc.
Next, the project can move a couple of different places depending on the type of project. If I’ll need grant funding for the project (rare in my field), I’ll keep the main project in design, and I create a related sticky note that I can move around to show the process of the funding application along the pipeline (i.e., drafting, under review, revisions, etc.). If grant funding is an essential part of your process you may need an official stop in the pipeline for that.
Projects may skip grant funding and move straight to IRB processing. If I won’t be collecting data from humans, then I move the sticky straight to the Data Collection block on my pipeline.
Analysis, Writing, and Submission
After data collection comes, Analysis – I place coding and analysis stage projects here as one stop in my pipeline. You may have multiple spots on your pipeline for this phase.
This is another step in my publication pipeline when I may create related sticky notes to move along the process in different steps. For example, I may keep the primary project sticky in Data Analysis, and have a related note for a related Conference Presentation A. In this case, the conference presentation may move along the path independently of the entire project. I may also have multiple articles, chapters or an entire book based on the major project; so, I like to keep the main project in the primary stage (analysis, until I’ve finished all analysis for all the dissemination outlets). I have individual stickies for the deliverables (reports to grantors, chapters, presentations, etc.)
In the image below you can see the Under Review section includes 1 note for an IJIE Article attached to the Program Updates 10 Years note. This means they go together. The “RID Textbook Presentation” was a conference session proposal I submitted. The main project is back in Writing. The last one is for an RID poster session I proposed related to my first year faculty study. The poster proposal is under review, but the main note for that project is still in Data Collection because I’m still collecting data through June.
Generally, after analysis, there is Writing, then Under Review. Once something is under review, I know there’s nothing else to do with that specific project until I hear back.
Revisions, Acceptance, and Publication
From there projects usually move to Revisions, then back to under review. Eventually it comes out of the pipeline to Accepted and finally Published. Then during quarterly reviews I make sure I’ve updated my CV to reflect those completed projects.
The Publication Pipeline Process Templates
To make my process quicker, I try to have templates or at least checklists that can help reduce the mental load of each step of the process.
Having a checklist reduces decision fatigue, and ensures you’ve done all of parts of each process. This keeps your projects in your publication pipeline moving because you’re not stuck wondering what to do next.
You may want to create a checklist for your institutions’ IRB submission process, or selecting your first choice and alternate publication venues, a checklist to ensure you’ve followed the manuscript specifications for your outlet, key parts of your drafting process, or any others that seem like they be helpful.
Below I’ve provided several templates and ideas to get you started.
Of course, you don’t need to create all of these checklists at once or even use a fancy system. You can make them as you go through the steps of your current projects and keep them in a google/word doc, spreadsheet or in a notebook.
You can pre-think and try to write out all the steps you’ll need along the way (for that stage). Or you might be the type of person that just creates the list of tasks (and possibly sub-tasks) as you go. Either way, keep this type of work in a place that you’ll remember where it is and can easily access it (more on some systems I created for myself to help me remember where I’ve put everything).
Article Reading Checklist
You may read literature at a few different places along your publication pipeline. Here’s the currently checklist I use for reading articles. Many of the steps I took from Robert Talbert’s blog post about his article reading process. I tweaked his, but it’s an excellent jumping off place.
Checklist of reading steps
Here’s what I always try to include when I’m summarizing research articles: Research Summary
Problem:
Central Purpose:
Sample:
Key Results:
Technical or Methodological Flaws:
Writing Process Checklists
I’ve created checklist templates based on Wendy Belcher’s Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks. Full disclaimer, I’ve never finished an article in 12 weeks, but her process is super helpful. I’ve come close to finishing in 12 weeks.
Submission Template Checklists
Journal Options Repository
A coaching client of mine created a spreadsheet for tracking journals that might be a good fit for her work. Since she was attempting to find a journal for a specific article, she decided to save herself some time in the future. So, she added each journal that was aligned with an aspect of her line of research to a line in the spreadsheet. She also put notes about the focus of each journal to help her sort them as she’s trying to find a good fit for the next article.
You could re-create this same process in a range of tools. For example, here’s a sneak peak of how I set this up in SmartSuite. A benefit to creating the list in a database/work management platform is the ability to link to your published articles in that outlet and connect specific research projects to each outlet. You can see in the image below, I’ve linked out to some published articles.
SmartSuite app that stores possible dissemination outlets.
I’m creating a run-through of the process of setting up SmartSuite as a Faculty Management System, and I’ll link here when it’s up. It works very similarly to Clickup, which I’ve mentioned on the blog before. However, this platform is more intuitive to use and I think my fellow faculty would enjoy a platform that feels simple to get started and find the important functions easily.
Pre-submission Checklist
This pre-submission check list by Mirya Holman (2021) is another great template you can repurpose. Her checklist can be applied to pretty much any submisison she’s sending off. You probably need different reminders on your checklist. This is one of the most exciting templates to complete in your publication pipeline. After this – you’re smooth sailing right into a holding pattern.
Project Planning for your Publication Pipeline
Of course just having your pipeline posted prominently in your space and having templates available to you won’t magically make those projects move to your CV.
Writing, especially for those of us who primarily write individually, doesn’t have the same rigid schedule, so it’s easy to punt to the next day or the next week if something else seems more pressing. Teaching often feels much more urgent and important in the moment because we are accountable to many people multiple times a week.
Jenn McLearen
If we don’t plan it, how can we expect it to happen when so many other more immediate and in our face deadlines can distract us from our highest contribution and often the most rewarded work in the academy.
Planning by semester, as Jenn suggests, is a good starting point. Jen suggests that we plan our writing with the same attention that we give planning our syllabi. She says,
So, a simple strategy is to think of beginning your writing for the semester like you would a course. What would you like to achieve by the end of the semester? What projects have you committed to with particular deadlines? What conferences or grants do you want to apply for? What conference papers do you have lying around that you’d like to turn into articles?
Jen McLearen
This is where that list of possible journals or conferences can come in handy. You can review your database to determine what opportunities are due during the semester you’re planning. From there you can lay out your semester outcomes with monthly and weekly targets to help you reach those goals.
The research and publication process takes time. It’s slow. It’s even slower right now because journals and book publishers are having a hard time finding reviewers who don’t ghost.
I am begging–BEGGING–peer reviewers not to ghost. If you’re not going to finish the report just pull a Burger and send an email saying “I’m sorry. I can’t. Don’t hate me.” That’s it! Something! Anything! It’s better than nothing. pic.twitter.com/kER0het5MF
You can’t predict the timing of the “published” spot; so, focus on the parts of the process you can impact. And commit to making progress on those phases of your publication pipeline.
