This is the second blog from RCEL blog series. In this blog, I write about what I believe is a serious academic issue. I shall present the fact that some pieces of research are wasted, that is, they were not disseminated properly (see case representation below). Of course, and as the aim of the blog series is to improve, I shall present alternatives just to suggest what could be done instead. As I wrote in the first blog, other academics can join me to share their views regarding the matter raised.

Case representation

Algerian researchers have the will to take part in academia, and always hope to publish any piece of research work. Some researchers such as PhD students and early career researchers (lecturers) published in Scopus journals such as Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley and promoted their research in international conferences, which is great. Their research papers and their ways of promoting the research are marvellous examples to inform the readers that the Algerian research situation is not completely dead, but needs us to innovate and improve.

However, I was puzzled when I read some research papers which I found on https://eric.ed.gov/? (the site I usually use to find research articles, which you can use too). These research papers are taken from PhD theses examined in Algerian universities. These papers are written and formatted properly, but were uploaded on some sites such as education.edu without being accepted in journals or conference proceedings. I must admit that I was intrigued by the research ideas and the innovations the researchers were trying to stimulate in those resreach papers. Unfortunately, those papers are still considered as ‘unreliable sources’, simply because they were not peer-reviewed, and my colleagues and I could not cite any of them. They are unreliable because maybe someone else has taken the ideas from a research paper which has not peer-reviewed, and by just adding his/her name he/she rushed to release it online also without going through a peer review process too. So it is complicated.   

When it comes to dealing with an academic matter such as research papers, being savvy may become a requirement. Developing some skills to deal with the matter is also required. The reason for not recommending uploading unpublished research papers on any website is that plagiarisers may take the ideas and use them in their publications. The ideas can be taken to research a different context. Having said that, I am not informing plagiarisers to go and check the research papers not being reviewed to steal ideas, plagiarisers have already done that.

            The rule of thumb

Researchers have always to think that their research papers need to be reviewed by the editors and the reviewers of the journals or the conference proceedings. Though the research papers are taken from their PhD theses which were examined by academics, refereeing is still necessary. Phd examination and journal refereeing are two different academic practices. If reviewed and accepted for publication, researchers then can proceed with uploading their publications on any website for the purpose of promoting their research papers and gain more citations.

Possible alternatives

Of course, conducting research requires facilitating some dissemination activities such as presenting in conferences. There are different types of conferences, the conference can be regional or international as well as disciplinary or multidisciplinary. Besides conferences, running workshops can also help researchers gain feedback and develop the key ideas of the research. Publishing is another strategy to disseminate the research findings. Contacting the editors of the journal can help researchers identify the requirements for getting published. Guides on ‘how to get published’ are also helpful to know more about the process of publishing (I suggest reading ‘Guide to Academic and scientific publication’ (Olson, 2014); and there are more useful materials online).

It is timely appropriate to inform the audience that the issue of dissemination should be discussed as early as possible with supervisors and director of studies (or the head of the department ‘Chef de departement’). Researchers may need funding to pay a conference or a publication fee (usually in a foreign currency if the event is not taking place in Algeria). This could be problematic. I understand perfectly well that in some Algerian universities researchers cannot claim expenses to fund their participations in conferences or their publications because they do not have an allowance. Some researchers may need to negotiate or apply for a bursary.

When the researcher fails to obtain funding, he/she makes the decision to release their research papers online without being peer-reviewed or being accepted in conferene proceedings. That is not an academic practice. Rather, those kinds of publications (not peer-reviewed) distort the profile of the researcher and the image of the research situation in Algeria. Researchers may still need to find a way of how to disseminate their research, not all conference organisers and publishers ask to pay a fee.

Besides the issue of funding, the quality of research is also a problem that need to be considered. Contributing to the state-of-the-art is one of the requirements of the high-quality journals. Therefore, discussing this point with supervisors and director of studies as early as possible may help researchers identify in advance what the journals are looking for and what their academic missions are.

‘Kill two birds with one stone’

This is a proverb which means succeeding to achieve more things in a single action. But I am not recommending hurting yourself or others around you. The point is that researchers may aim to disseminate their research papers by submitting an abstract to participate in a conference and then have the opportunity to present in a conference (to communicate the key ideas of the research and obtain more questions and feedback as well as find an audience from the same subject area) and to publish the research if there is a conference proceeding. This is what I mean by ‘kill two birds with one stone’. Here I am not suggesting participating only in conferences which have conference proceedings. We should not forget the benefits that we, researchers, may obtain from our participations in multidisciplinary or disciplinary conferences that are considered as a platform for showcasing the research ideas.

All in all, dissemination strategies and ways of promoting research must be learnt. Dissemination is a stage that must be explained in the research proposal as other stages of data collection analysis are explained. There are different options of how to disseminate, and researchers need know the best ways of doing so.

 Reference

Olson, L. (2014). Guide to academic and scientific publication: How to get your writing published in scholarly journals. e-academia. Retrieved from: https://www.journal-publishing.com/guide/