1) Well I think you need to read my post more carefully. I did not say no good research was found in postgrad journals; I questioned the strategic sense in doing so, for someone seeking an academic career.

2) PG publications could be submitted (assuming the author is eligible) but that's not really the point. There is only funding for work deemed 3* or 4*, therefore most universities only submit staff for whom the majority of their work falls into this category. Most seem this time to have operated an internal cut-off of an average of 2.75 across the four pieces. This is why I stressed that quality rather than quantity of publications is what counts.
You might say well a 4* piece could be in a postgrad journal - it's the article not the outlet that counts. Technically this is true, but universities use journal lists based on journal impact factor as proxy indicators of quality and this is what is used to decide between job candidates. So a real life example, I am a lecturer in a department that has a lectureship on offer. We had over 190 applicants. Once you've weeded out those without a PhD yet and those with no publications, the majority have something published. There's no way that the appointment committee can read everyone's publication, so journal rankings are used as quality indicators.

Continued: This means that if you want to get a job, you need to be quite strategic in what and where you publish, and so it makes sense to publish in the best place you can.
3) Yes the REF is only for the evaluation of staff research, but as I said if you want to maximise your chances of getting an academic job (given there are an awful lots more PhDs graduating in the UK than there are academic jobs), then you need to understand how it impacts on job applications for people trying to get a first step on the ladder. I know I was very naive myself about this as a PhD student, but I really think it's crucial that PhD students understand how it matters as it can save a lot of heartache in future.
PS I should stress that there is no perfect route to getting an academic job: a lot of luck is involved, but where there are things you can do to help yourself, I think you might as well do so.

Thanks bewildered.

[/quote]This is utter nonsense. Many of the people who have published in my journal are now established academics. Likewise, just about everyone who has worked on the editorial team of my journal is now an established academic. Yes you are snobbish AND don't know anything about postgraduate journals. Your field doesn't even have postgraduate journals. How many of your peers (2nd/3rd year PhD) are published in world-leading journals? How many of your peers have experience working on an editorial team of a journal? Have you ever organised an international conference rammed with world-leading academics and publishing experts? Have you copy-edited, peer-reviewed, web published an international journal? Have you ran training courses on peer-reviewing, book reviewing, and public speaking? Have you secured thousands in funding to deliver projects in postgraduate publishing?[/quote]

Thanks, I am hutzy998, my username changed for some reason as I forgot my password, I do not mean to cause personal offence. Several big journals in my field actually encourage submissions from Postgraduates, This is only to be welcomed. I am not in a good position personally when it comes to publications, which is making me think that I do not have what it takes for an academic career, within my department roughly half of completing PhD students will have at least 1 possibly 2 or 3 major articles. One recently had 5, another had 3. Another is writing an edited book with Routledge. I will only have 1 or 2. It is not unheard of to have 10 articles. I think the latter half of your comments are off topic and of course these sound amazing so well done. Postgraduate Journals obv have alot to give and one can publish great work in PG journals and they are rigorous as you have stressed however as I said earlier I do not quite see why one would want to publish here if there is a feeling that it could be put in a mainstream journal, and thinking beyond the REF, academic audience, there will be a bigger academic audience with a non PG Journal, although the public are unfortunately barred. Also if one lists publications on webpages/CV people see the journal it is in, the paper could be brilliant but it is in so and so journal and people will think ‘oh that’s not really a very important paper’ when infact it probably is but people turn their noses up at it because of where it is. This is something that should not happen but it does and maybe there is a reason behind it. Cheers.

Thanks, I am hutzy998, my username changed for some reason as I forgot my password, I do not mean to cause personal offence... This is something that should not happen but it does and maybe there is a reason behind it. Cheers.[/quote]

You did not cause personal offence, you came across as institutionalised, closed minded, condescending, and snobbish with the use of words like "worthless" and "naive". Stop comparing yourself to others. Seriously who gives a damn what everyone else is publishing? To thine own self be true. Have faith in your own abilities. Focus on what you need to do. Obviously there is a lot of value in "mainstream academic publications" and this is your personal preference. This is good. Go for it, but by no means write off emergent culture and the strength of your peers - this is inauthentic and will lead to your demise.

The latter half of my comments are not off topic. This is the value of being involved in postgraduate publishing. It is not a boast - although it may sound like one. Postgraduate publishing will continue to grow as the gaps between elitism and the truth are filled in.

You don't half go on a bit Huxley.

Bewildered/Robin where do I find the journal ranking please, I googled it but nothing happened.

Thanks.

Hi Timmy,

Try googling ISI journal rankings + your subject. Or if you have a specific journal in mind, go to its homepage and under journal information, there will usually be a bit of information telling you where it is ranked in your discipline and what its impact factor is. Different disciplines often do have their own specialist lists though, so I'd also ask your supervisor if s/he could point you in the right direction of the most used for your subject, or if s/he is not the helpful sort, find out who the REF coordinator was in your department. They will know, having had their ears chewed off for the last few years by the management about why all of their academic staff aren't all publishing in top ten journals all of the time...

This is a great tool, which is quite 'fun' really, type in your journals and can compare them (impact factor and more) as well as search for individual titles. Not entirely sure how accurate the figures are. http://www.scimagojr.com/compare.php?un=journals

I haven't really published in postgraduate journals, except for one general review of neurolaw - prefer publishing in more recognized journals. If that wasn't a difference, they wouldn't be called postgraduate journals?