This is a reflection on the process of getting from research idea to published paper. I should say from the start that this isn’t a journey taken by an experienced research professional. There were a few potholes on the way, and I hit them all. The motivation for this enterprise? Of course, a thirst for knowledge, but primarily the Quality Improvement Outcome Framework Outcome Five. If you don’t know this is the one that requires our services to be evidence based and encourages research. As this reflection is focused on process, not content, I will explain the research idea here and then move on. The idea was to record audio feedback on research results and post a link to the audio in an eMail. The aim to make our communication with end users, who almost always contacted us via eMail, more informative and engaging. The project was rather unimaginatively called the Audio Feedback Project. So, in the tradition of the blog genre, here are 10 things I learned.
One: Plan for your research outcome from the start …
Yes, I thought I might get a paper out of this project, and I did develop a questionnaire based on some previously published research. No, I didn’t really think through the methodological underpinning which would have informed other aspects of the project. Here is the learning point. You need to know the objective before you start and plan accordingly. So, if you plan to publish in a peer reviewed journal then you must think carefully about the requirements that imposes. The methodology and data collection are almost impossible to rectify post hoc. If you just plan a presentation to colleagues, or a case study or a “How we did it good here … “ piece you will probably get away with it. The worst case is ambition creep. Where you start off with a small-scale project, but your ambitions grow without the necessary provision for data collection. I am not saying it happened to me, I am just saying …
Two: Look beyond the library literature for your theoretical framework …
I could have used the words cognitive domain here but that might have sounded pretentious. In any case editors, reviewers and readers are looking for something novel that sheds a new light on a problem or situation. You probably won’t find that in the library literature which for the most part is dull, repetitive, and obtuse. Unless you plan to invalidate Bradford’s Law you might be better looking at the broader social sciences, communications theory, management and organisational development, leadership, media theory, public relations and corporate communications, social media theory and many more. Many of these theories are straight forward to understand and apply and have undergone years if not decades of development and refinement. Another tip if you plan to leave the library reservation is to go to the source. Read up about the theory in its native environment before thinking about transferring it to the library context. That way you get a more complete and nuanced view, and you are more likely to see or say something new or interesting.
Three: What can you do with this …
What is the call to action? No research is going to change the world, but you should aim at least to give the reader the option of doing something new or different. For example, recoding audio commentary on search results. Who would have thought of that! When you start your project, and up until the point when you get to write it up, keep in mind the simple but powerful question. What can anyone do with this research?
Four: This is going to take a long time …
Possibly years. Yes, you read that right. Years. If you are aiming high, then you must accept this will not be a quick fix. In the lifecycle of a project that requires, planning, execution, data collection, analysis and writing up that could take two years to do. Also, if this is not your day job it’s going to take some additional commitment of your personal time. Honestly, I wouldn’t have believed this when I started but now that it nears its completion, I can’t see how it could have been done in much less time.
Five: Sharing your results along the way …
Sharing was part of the process of developing an idea into a viable project. However, lets step back to where this all stared. A presentation by Emily Hurt at the Its great up north … conference, Harrogate, June 2019 in a session entitled Overcoming barriers to starting research. Emily convinced me I had to just find an idea and go for it. The audio project had been in my mind for a bit, and it popped to the surface in that session. I did some more research to present it at the LIHNN Christmas Study Day 2019 in the Three Minutes of Madness session, and wrote a proposal for a poster at the HLG conference in Inverness. As we know this did not take place. However, in the process of applying to give a poster I was offered the opportunity of presenting a paper. I finally gave this online in September 2021. In parallel I wrote up the project in a rough draft as a journal article. Setting aside Point One above. The learning point here is how your idea improves with sharing. In fact, in the publication cycle this is the classic trajectory from informal communication to informal presentation to formal presentation at a conference to writing up as a journal paper.
Six: Send in your best version …
Once you find your target journal it’s a good idea to read the rubric. I did do this, but the editors comments showed that I had read but not understood! It’s an obvious point but you need to present the best version of your paper to the editor and reviewers and not annoy them with obvious errors. To save you the suspense I thought I had done this too, but I hadn’t. The final version of my paper, now going through copy editing is as different from the first version as night is from day. To use the jargon, it underwent “substantial revision”.
Seven. Engaging with peer review …
Peer review is by turns annoying and terrifying. Annoying because it raises points you thought you had dealt with and terrifying because it points out gaps that require possibly months of additional work. Having gone through an intense process of peer review I can say that it raised the level of almost every aspect of my paper. My advice is to engage fully with peer review and go the extra mile in responding to comments and suggestions. Remember that many reviewers are giving you the benefit of a few hours of free expert consultation.
Eight. Getting an editor to look at your work …
This depends a little bit on whether you are writing with a colleague or a team of colleagues. If you are a lone author reading and re-reading the text won’t help you spot typos and errors, awkward phrasing, or areas where your meaning is obscure. This is because you are too familiar with the text. I was lucky to have the benefit of someone who was a former editor to pick through the final text for me. You need that external view however you get it.
Nine. Be your own promotional agent …
It’s an old joke that journal article is only read by three people, the author(s), the editor, and the reviewer(s). For some papers that might be true. Don’t let it happen to you! Shout about it on social media and anywhere else you can find an audience. At the minimum you need a research profile where you can post about your research as its in progress for example ResearchGate. Tweet about it on your twitter account and share on library mailing lists. Encourage other people in the library community to tweet about it as well to drive up your altmetric score. If your paper represents an area of expertise that you want to claim, then writing a guest blog post about your research (like this one ha ha!) and sharing your contact details would be a good idea. Publishing in an Open Access form to give easy access to the full text is an advantage. If this is not an option, then you could look for funding for an article processing charge (APC), although this is very hard to find. Also remember the Green Route to Open Access and if your intended publisher allows consider posting a preprint version (before peer review) of your paper.
Ten. Make use of what you learn …
The publication process is part of the curricula for librarians, and we may on occasion be asked to give advice, or even teach a session or two. One thing about going through the process yourself is that it helps to keep things real. So that you can offer advice based on your experience as well as just the theory. Maybe even share an anecdote or two. Overall, it adds a great deal to your understanding of the process and gives you confidence to offer advice to others.
Matt Holland
LKS ASE Librarian
Matt.Holland@nwas.nhs.uk
Image taken from https://pixabay.com/photos/hopscotch-steps-numbers-six-seven-3878606/
