Publishing by Ph.D. Distance Learners

I’m in my early 40’s and just bailed for financial reasons from a B & M Ph.D. program at a Carnegie I research university after a year. I was a good student of the “business of academics” in addition to understanding the programs and their utility in the market for academic placement. Now, I’m going to do a Ph.D. in business over the coming years in a DL style program. My short list includes Nova, Northcentral and Capella. Of these, only Nova has a formal degree requirement that learners present their research at conference and publish, which is not surprising as Nova is more of B & M program with a unique more residential delivery.

I fully understand that DL programs do not serve the learner looking to get an academic job per se, as much as they serve those looking for promotion or personal enrichment. However, it surprises me that this forum (and I may be in the wrong one) does not address publication more directly.

Although I’m not looking to enter academia for 8-12 more years, I’d like to publish during my program and have a number of contacts and knowledge into the process that may be helpful.

Thus, the topic and question is whether DL program participants are known to make the effort to publish during their programs. It seems that some many DL Ph.D.s are “paper driven” anyway, such that something could be submitted. B & M programs are full of those who don’t take the time to publish, but I intend to make this effort during my DL program. I'd guess there are “tiers” of journals suitable for publication by a full sprectrum of learners.

Are DL schools taken seriously enough such that paper submissions may be presented at conferences?

Are there DL Ph.D. students out there that have made the effort and gotten published either during or after their programs?

If publication is important, I fear that the DL industry does not necessarily possess an appropriate effective analog to the colloquium format of discourse found in B & M programs.

 

Speaking from my own personal experience, I have a peer-reviewed publication (encyclopedia chapter) coming out next year that I wrote whilst a DL student, and have been offered the chance to create a new theoretical model with one of the top scholars in the expatriate management field, based solely on a research paper (non-published) I had written for one of my classes at Capella (he is not affiliated with Capella in any way, and is aware that that is my school). I have not presented outside of the UAE recently, but that has been more a matter of logistics than anything, although I hope to present next year.

In the monthly Capella newsletter, I also read each month of Capella Ph.D. students publishing and presenting.

So, IMO, yes, it's certainly doable for DL students to publish, present, etc., esp. considering most journals and conferences use a blind review method; therefore, your school wouldn't be known until after acceptance or rejection of your work.

I think we don't see more published work by DL students for two main (but certainly not the only) reasons: first, my gut feeling is the vast majority of Ph.D.-seekers by DL are interested in more practitioner roles, not research/academic ones. At least, this is the impression I get from most of my classmates and fellow learners at the Ph.D. residency I attended in June. Therefore, these students see little reason to publish. Second, Ph.D. offerings, with a few exceptions, are realtively new in the DL world, so the numbers of publications/presentations would be relatively low.

Just my two anecdotal cents,
Adrienne

 

I am a Capella University PhD graduate. I had a paper reviewed by an independent review board of an Information Technology Education special interest group, where the reviewers were faculty of traditional B&M universities. The paper was accepted and published. I presented at a conference sponsored by the organization that had invited submittals.

I imagine Capella is not alone in having learners and graduates publish and present.

Paul C.

 

Capella appears to be trying to aid students that are serious about seeking an academic career.

This is taken directly from Capella's student site on professional publications:


School of Human Services E-Monographs
Professional publication opportunities for learners and faculty

The School of Human Services at Capella University sponsors the SOHS E-Monographs, a professional e-publication providing opportunities for learners and faculty to build competencies and gain experience in journal publishing.

The mission of SOHS E-Monographs is to:
Provide an opportunity for learners to gain confidence and experience in submitting articles for publication.
Support learners and faculty to co-publish.
Encourage faculty to publish individually, to collaborate with Capella faculty to co-publish, and to work with learners who wish to gain experience in the publication process.
Expand the options for learners to write professionally as they complete coursework, write comprehensives, and present at residencies.
SOHS E-Monographs is a peer-reviewed journal that draws from diverse multidisciplinary human service fields such as health care, non-profit management, social work, criminal justice, mental health , and professional counseling on a variety of policy, practice, and research issues that are relevant to human services. Emphasis is placed on empirical research, both quantitative and qualitative as well as theoretical articles that present formulations and models particularly relevant to the human services. Literature reviews that synthesize findings with regard to policy and practice in a wide arena of human service disciplines will be another type of manuscript reviewed and considered for publication.

Please note the 2004 and 2005 academic year submission deadlines and E-Monograph publication release dates.

-S

 

Nova's DBA program has been noted for its requirement that students must publish in a peer reviewed publication or conference as a requirement for graduation. Also, NSU requires DBA students to attend a professional conference (Academy of Management for management majors, AMCIS for IT management, etc.). This at least requires students to get some experience in how the process works.

Some students carry on and publish after they graduate and others do not. Those that do are, in my opinion, largely motivated by a love for their field. There certainly isn't any money in it! If you're into teaching full-time, scholarship is a must. In my own case I've published a fair amount and serve as an associate editor for a small journal and a reviewer for other publications. The fact that I was active in publishing did make it possible for me to move from one school to another. I like to remain active and believe it is important to stay "fresh" in the classroom.

Regards - Andy

 

Scholarly work...

Hi Messagewriter, et al

I think it all depends on the kind of scholarly work one does. I can report from personal experience that it is possible: I have authored/co-authored four chapters in books, and I have one published article and another refereed article in journals. In addition, I have presented papers at conferences and organized conference panels--all within the realm of my learning area and domain of expertise. So, I say, the world is wide open! It is possible, go for it!

KKA

 

First I'd like to say that it's a good topic and you're right, it doesn't get much attention. I think there are a few (at least) reasons for this. The first is that most people who are earning DL degrees are not doing it in order to enter academia (that's my impression anyway). The second is that many B&M schools offer DL degrees alongside their their "regular" degrees and once the person has completed the program you can not discern in which mode they earned their degree. For example, if you read an article in a professional journal, it typically states John Doe, PhD and then might say where the person works, but doesn't necessarily state where the person earned their degree. Is that true in most journals? I've always assumed so as it is the case in the journals I read. Even if the school is referenced, how would you know if it was a DL degree? John Doe, PhD (University of Nebraska) Is that a DL degree? It could be, but maybe not.
What I'm trying to say here is that there may be more publishing happening than you know. Beyond all that I'd say that it just depends on quality. If you write a good piece then it's bound to get published somewhere, regardless of your credentials. My favorite example is Alasdair MacIntyre, a philosopher of international reputation who can (and has) published in every major philosophical journal around (English language, at least). He never earned a PhD and has just managed to sqeak by with his measly Masters degree.
Jack