"I didn't mean to be contentious." -Dr. Rosier
Dr. Paul Rosier discussed the process and perils of publishing an article at tonight's Graduate Forum meeting. Dr. Rosier was kind enough to provide a transcript of his communication with the editor of The Journal of American History prior to the publication of his article "Modern America Desperately Needs to Listen": The Emerging Indian in an Age of Environmental Crisis. The process took almost three years before the actual publication of the article this December.
Dr. Rosier had several general pieces of advice for students trying to get their work published. First, he stressed the importance of researching the journal you plan on submitting to. This serves the purpose of familiarizing yourself with the stylistic and thematic requirements of the journal, and seeing whether or not your work "fits." Another important step is polishing your manuscript as much as humanely possible, and getting outside help in editing and revising it prior to submission. Your work only has one opportunity to catch an editor's eye. Finally, communicating with an editor throughout the submission and revision process is like walking a tightrope. You need to show your willingness to work with the criticism given to you, while still standing up for the integrity and value of your work. Be flexible, but not spineless. Remember why you wrote your work in the first place; it has value and deserves to be seen.
We would like to thank Dr. Rosier for taking the time to speak to us, and for sharing his successes and failures in publishing his work.
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