ABSTRACT
Research needs to be disseminated, and the main avenue for this is through publication. There is added pressure on academics in the UK to publish at the moment because of the ‘Research Assessment Exercise’ (RAE) which determines research funding for institutions (and therefore jobs), status and research careers. There are fears that while this might increase the quantity of published work, it might decrease the quality. Writing could become more instrumental in such a performatist climate as pressure mounts and as writers acquire more streetwise knowledge of how to get things published. This is a case of pressure to publish from without, rather than inspiration from within. We need to be aware of the dangers. Research – and that invariably means publishing – is part of an academic’s job and, if done well, one of the most rewarding, since it means that your work is esteemed and that it will reach a wider audience. If done badly, however, it can be savaged by your peers in reviews, and/or moulder on library bookshelves for evermore. The two main routes for publication of research are through academic journals or via books. I consider some of the issues involved in each of these.
