0.1 Kersten, t., & Edmonson, s. (april 2010). publishing in  (Page 2/3)

First step

One of the unique professional challenges faculty members face is meeting the scholarship requirements for tenure and promotion. As part of this process, an important first step is developing an understanding of what publications are available both as a source of professional information as well as a possible outlet for publication. This means quickly and efficiently identifying what educational leadership-related publications are available, often a difficult task for relatively inexperienced researchers.

Although university libraries make available directories of publications such as Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Business and Education (Cabell, 2007), these types of reference sources can be cumbersome and somewhat difficult to use. It is easy to become bogged down searching for publication options among a large book full of unfamiliar options. What is not readily available is a simple, concise listing of educational administration-related publications including pertinent publication characteristics that professors can use to identify appropriate publication venues for their scholarly work.

Publication survey

To address this need, the authors used a combination of surveys and professional contacts, including review of reference sources, to identify available educational administration-related publications. After targeting specific publications, a survey was sent to the editors of these journals requesting specific information about their publications. Editors were asked to provide the following information about their publications:

• Publication format (hardcopy, online, or both);
• Extent of circulation;
• Refereed rating;
• Percentage of issue themed;
• Average acceptance rate;
• Average length of time from receiving manuscript until acceptance decision;
• Average length of time from acceptance decision to publication;
• Preferred length of manuscript;
• Required publication style;
• Required submission format (electronic only, hardcopy, both, or other); and,
• Preferred mode of communication with editor.

A summary of publication information from the 20 editors who responded to the survey is presented in Table 1. To assist in interpreting the table, a description of each section, including keys for abbreviations or coding, is summarized below.

Publication format

With the increased access to technology, an important issue when submitting a manuscript is publication format. Three options are common, including hardcopy (H), online (O), and both (B).

Circulation

In addition, another important consideration when choosing a publication venue is the number of potential readers. Data listed in the chart reflect either the number of copies distributed or the potential electronic audience. Some editors noted their circulation figures cannot be quantified, since their publications are included in online databases or are available through publication websites or the worldwide web.

Refereed rating

As part of this process, editors were asked to rate their publication’s level of peer review based on Henson's (2003) rating scale from zero to three points. One point was awarded if the editor sent manuscripts out to reviewers. Another point was added if the names of authors and their professional affiliation were withheld. Finally, one additional point was assessed if a rating rubric was provided to the reviewers. As a result, a publication could be rated from zero (non-peer reviewed) through three points (blind review with required rubric).