PhD by prior publication

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Pappas, Mar 14, 2019.

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  1. Pappas

    Pappas Member

    This is my first post, so looking for phd by prior publication programme...beyond the obvious UK universities, I came across the following (low fees) options, so I wanted your input on the institutional standings:
    Please feel free to add other institutions that you would consider (low fees is a must).
    Thanx ;):)
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Every once in a while this question/idea comes up. As you indicated, it's possible to do it at various places around the world. I've never actually known anyone who did it. I have the idea that it's more complicated than people initially imagine. As for your list, we know something about UCN but I know nothing about the other places. You can use our search widget to look for older threads on the subject. Here's a start

    https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?threads/dr-philos-degree.51334/#post-504005
     
  3. Pappas

    Pappas Member

    Thanks for this .. I had a look at the older threads before posting... so was hopping if anybody is familiar with the listed institutions and their standing...
    also maybe further suggestion about other places ;)
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    You're probably going to have to say more about your background, goals, area of research interests, etc. before you get anything close to useful advice. My own rule of thumb is that if you've scanned through a university website and can't tell if they're legitimate then it's probably wise to steer clear of their programs.
     
  5. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    One more thought . . . I'd also wonder how useful it would be. If you managed to cobble together a PhD by prior publication from some weird unknown school is some far away country. Even if it is legitimate everyone is going to question it and it will forever be a bottom tier credential. What will it actually do for you?
     
  6. Pappas

    Pappas Member

    Great I am (online) adjunct member of a higher education institute operating in Europe (with a poor pay) and doing my research in computing on the side (publications etc.), so I am looking for a "low cost" or "affordable" PhD by publication that will somehow improve my current position. I am not so much interested about how unknown is the school as far as I am in the fact that it is legit at the end of the day a PhD is a PhD (if its not in one of top 10 schools ;)
    I hope this clarifies at least where I am coming from.....
     
    Phdtobe likes this.
  7. Helpful2013

    Helpful2013 Active Member

    I only know about this access route second-hand, but the questions you would be asked by a reputable British University are likely to be:

    1. Are your publications part of a coherent theme? How hard would it be for you to pull them together as part of a package?

    2. How big of a deal are your publications? My impression is that for faculty to successfully take your case forward, they don't have to be groundbreaking, but they do have to make a genuine contribution to the field, as recognised by the leading journals that vetted and published them.

    I don't know about the other universities on your list, but if they weren't asking the above questions, which are pretty reasonable, I'd be worried about the reputation that would go with a PhD from that university. Taking the time to find the right home for your published research will pay off down the road. Doctorates are not necessarily as fungible as you suggest.
     
  8. Pappas

    Pappas Member

    Sure, that can be found beforehand in any handbook provided by the Uni in question.
    While I understand your point that Unis rep matters ... like obviously Harvard, MIT or Warwick etc. when it all comes up to cost ...a degree from a small public/private uni would also do the jobs and it ticks a box in a CV or potential next job.
    So let go back to the initial question of the thread any Unis you would recommend that qualifies as low cost/affordable? or maybe are you familiar with above mentioned...?
    Which one would you consider? Thanks :)
     
  9. Helpful2013

    Helpful2013 Active Member

    Of the institutions you mentioned in your initial post, the only one I’ve heard of is the one in Nicaragua, and that only on this board - not the best sign. You and I are in very different fields, so I can’t offer specific suggestions, but once you find out which universities will grant PhD’s by publication, you can start by emailing your leading journal articles to the faculty at those unis and asking if they would be interested in supporting what you’re trying to do.
     
  10. Pappas

    Pappas Member

    Cheers :)
    Beyond finding the "right" place that offers this path another big issue is to find someone interested in your work and be also available and this seems usually to be the main issue at least in my case...

    *Then Nic option doesnt seems a lot appealing ..have checked and not all the EU countries would accept their degree
     
  11. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Also, many schools look at the reputation of the journal. Normally, it has to be at least indexed in Scopus or Web of Science and have at certain ranking. The search engine below would let you know the rank of the journal:
    https://www.scimagojr.com/
     
  12. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I believe that this is the critical piece. This collection of separate articles is supposed to be brought together in a way that simulates a dissertation. It can't just be a collection of articles on widely divergent topics that are just thrown into a binder together. There needs to be some cohesion between them. At least, that is my understanding.
     
  13. Helpful2013

    Helpful2013 Active Member

    Some journal indexers include almost everything, which won’t be so helpful in the EU. The European Science Foundation has its own journal rankings, which for the Humanities (sometimes called ERIH rankings) look like:

    INT 1: International, first rank
    INT 2: International, second rank
    NAT: Nationally significant, but not internationally
    [unranked journals and edited collections won’t show up]​

    I believe that the science journals are ranked the same way by ESF. Anyone considering this access route to a PhD should have a look at the journals your publications came out in, or that you’re considering submitting to, as those below INT 2 may not be as useful.
     
  14. Helpful2013

    Helpful2013 Active Member

    SCIMAGO journal rankings are sometimes helpful to get a general idea of things, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. It’s done by computer algorithm, and apparently without cross-checking by humans who are experts in the discipline. This results in crazy things like the Journal of Slavonic Law being the highest rated journal in the field of History for a single year and then vanishing into obscurity again. Not to say that such a journal wouldn’t be important to someone studying in that subfield, but it’s not leading the field of History in anyone’s estimation. Ultimately, all the numerically-based rankings can be criticized (including ERIH which I referenced above for the original poster’s context), and it’s better to get subjective advice from experts in one’s field.
     
  15. Pappas

    Pappas Member

    bump:)
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2019
  16. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    I introduce to you another new principle:

    Since Pappas (the O.P.) claims, "I had a look at the older threads before posting," I can fairly well guarantee that she did not run into the word bump in any of those threads. As a general rule, it's simply not done on DegreeInfo.

    Therefore, I propose that anyone who merely bumps a thread, especially after only 13 hours since the prior post in that thread, does not deserve a Ph.D. Ever.
     
  17. Pappas

    Pappas Member

    While the good sense of humor is always welcome.... If you read the thread above ... you would realise that all the rest of the things are mentioned/discussed that can be found in uni handbook...and initial questions raised are not...so if I was you, as an older member of this forum, I would be rather concerned more about that ... than for a bump post.. but it is obvious that we all have our own priorities...and also sence of humor or not, but it is what it is ;)
     
  18. mbwa shenzi

    mbwa shenzi Active Member

    European Global University...

    Hubert Rampersad (Technological University of the Americas) and Dr Ian Mackechnie (Charisma University), among others. Operating legally in France and accredited by ASIC UK. Fine for them as likes it, as Osa Johnson said about tapioca pudding.
     
    Pappas likes this.
  19. FTFaculty

    FTFaculty Well-Known Member

    That's my understanding exactly.
     
  20. Pappas

    Pappas Member

    Great, thanks for this! This sounds more like the forum contribution I was talking in my previous post ;)
     

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