Overview of Huxley on PostgraduateForum.com

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Signup date: 06 Feb 2010 at 10:21pm

Last login: 23 Jul 2015 at 4:18pm

Post count: 73

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Here is the first hit in a google search for "PhD Creative Writing":

http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/research/phd-opportunities/phd-creative-writing

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Quote From experimental:
Hi all. I am new on here. Although I have a very good first degree and a Masters degree in Archaeology (from British Universities), I have not studied academic writing as such - but I seem to have a natural talent in writing. I am thinking of doing a PhD, but I don't know if what I have in mind is even possible. I write fiction in my native language, and my work has been awarded in my country (at international competitions). I have published short stories in very popular books, with famous authors, but I have not published my own fictional book yet. So, I wonder if one can do a PhD in fiction in the UK (in English), in creative writing or the like, simply by writing a fictional book. Is it even possible? I was thinking that since I am about to write a book in English anyway, why not combine it with a PhD if this is possible? Have you heard of anything like this being offered in the UK?

Yes this is possible lots of people are doing it across the UK. I know quite a few of them.

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Quote From hutzy998:
[quote]

(unless you are also developing major journals yourself).

Yeah imagine the world outside yours, a world where you are published in several major journals and have all the experience of actually founding your own journals, securing thousands in funding, being the instigator of major projects across Universities related to student publishing, delivering conferences rammed with leading experts on publishing, are getting noticed at the highest levels in both your subject and the publishing industry, and then you getting closer to the real world.

As I said dismissive is conservative.

Lets see you establish a whole new subject without your own journal, that you haven't published in.

Own the REF not the article.

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Quote From hutzy998:
Hi, personally I would stay away from publishing in PG journals. I say this because of several things. Firstly, there is no reason why you should think publishing in these journals in the first place as one should be aiming for mainstream academic journals (you need to be aspirational!) It is quite possible that your submission to a PG history journal could very well get a major review with a major history journal (and one that is REFable) so in one sense one is selling one's research short and if a good deal of your research is within these publications you are going to have trouble further down the line with finding new material for the mainstream journals. Second factor is the REF factor. PG journals would not be worthy for consideration for REF and would have completely no value on a CV at all, nothing. Tbh I am snobbish about seeing people listing PG publications (never happens in geography because there are not really any), only because I think you are wasting your time and research for the above reasons. Invest time and effort into working up excellent REFable articles. These take time, I worked one up for 1 year in my 2/3rd year and doing another one now for the past 6 months.

I know several names of established academics who have had their careers consolidated through being involved in PG publication, all of them much more experienced and established than you.

The burden of proof is upon you. How many people have damaged their careers by publishing in PG publications?

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Quote From hutzy998:
[quote]Postgraduate journals are worth publishing in because they put you in front of your peers and obviously being published looks good on your CV. When submitting articles to more prestigious journals in the future the editors will see that you already have a publishing history.quote]

I would also suggest that this is a rather naïve comment. 'putting you in front of your peers' No because whilst peers may not have any papers they may be working on major journals and thus trump you (unless you are also developing major journals yourself). If your peers are not doing anything and you are publishing in a PG journal you may be you are 'putting yourself ahead of your peers' however for reasons stated earlier PG publications are worthless. One the question of 'future editors will see that you have already have a publishing history' this is false because editors do not care about this, I never published anything but went straight to a top journal, so long as the research article is great then everything is fine.

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?

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Quote From MarstonMoor:
Thanks for the detailed response Huxley. I certainly think that PG journals are worth publishing in, hence why I'm having two articles published in PG journals, but was just curious as to how others in the academic community perceived them. Some people I know (fellow PhD students), have a fairly dismissive attitude towards them, but I'm glad that isn't universally the case!

Yeah MarstonMoor I have met a lot of snobbish PhD students as well. Snobbery always seems to be tied to conservative, traditional, anti-educational values of domination and priggishness rather than any sort of useful engagement with humanity. Dismissiveness is more an indication of culture than merit.

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Quote From MarstonMoor:
Hello, I'm a second year History PhD student and was wondering what opinions people have as regards the value of getting published in PG journals? Obviously they are far less valuable than established academic journals, but are they worth publishing in at all? As it stands I'm having a couple of articles published in PG journals this year and am waiting to hear back from two academic journals whether they will publish my articles (one of the latter has yet to tell me if they want my article despite having submitted it over seven months ago!).

I work on the editorial team of a postgraduate journal and we have a very rigorous selection process for articles. Postgraduate journals ARE academic journals. Our articles are double-blind peer reviewed and our reviewers have been trained to have high standards when critiquing articles; in fact often our reviewers are established academics. Even if the articles are not publishable, and by that I mean - cannot be published even with extensive revision - we give very effective peer reviewed feedback to the authors so they become aware of the standards required to be successful publishers.

From the point of view of developing an academic career postgraduate journals are definitely worth publishing in. Our journal at least, is definitely an established academic journal, and just because it is postgraduate does not mean it is not of a high international standard. We wouldn't release an issue unless we had a selection of good articles to publish. If everything we get in is below our standards we don't release an issue. Postgraduate journals are worth publishing in because they put you in front of your peers and obviously being published looks good on your CV. When submitting articles to more prestigious journals in the future the editors will see that you already have a publishing history.

Definitely get involved with postgraduate journals. How many people are actually publishing in the most prestigious journals in the world in the second year of a PhD?

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Yes this is true Timmy you must give it some thought.

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

I think the big deal is that it was his/her "district superintendent" that suggested it and if he/she quits then TX will feel like a let down.

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Sorry to be blunt but your family and friends are idiots. Just go for it. You have a full scholarship!

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

A "good 2:1" in the UK comes from your grades in 3rd and 4th year of your Undergraduate degree based on my experience.

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Can the Swiss boss help? Can you network more? Is there a Union?

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

Everything I have said is based on my experiences in Britain.

It has just ocurred to me that you are probably in the US, and it seems things are a lot harder there according to the following article. I am absolutely shocked at how little is done for victims of bullying in the US by employers, the legal system and unions. It is absolutely shocking and totally reprehensible.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/09/20/how-to-deal-with-a-bullying-boss/

According to the article:

"The bottom line is that if you’re being bullied at work, and your employer isn’t doing anything about it, “you owe it to yourself to do what you can to try and stop it,” Teach adds. “If you fail, you should give yourself credit for at least trying to improve the situation. At that point, you have the choice to stay or leave. You should make the decision that’s best for you.”

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

sieajiang:

You are NOT weak. His bullying is telling you that you are weak. You are NOT.

Who cares if the head of the institute is trying to talk you out of it. He is wrong too.

You are the superhero that can save yourself. Collate evidence of his bullying. Stand up to him. Get other post-docs to evaluate your practice, give them written feedback forms to fill out for you on what you have done and your contribution to the team. Get them to write down statements about how they have been treated. You need bargaining power.

It's not about being nice, it's about leverage and power.

He has a lot of power because he is winning funding. You can win leverage when you have a portfolio of evidence you are doing your job right especially feedback from other members of the team and their statements of what is going on.

Your boss is displaying psychopathic tendencies because he has a very strong desire to control the work being done. He is under a lot of pressure to produce results. You have to produce results at the same time as proving to him your worth as a person. This involves playing him at his own game. You need leverage.

Get results and get evidence of good practice. Are you a member of a Union? What support services are available?

Sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to you on this I have been really busy with interviews, writing assignments and organising conferences.

You are every bit as brave as me. I went through something similar in one of my professional workspaces where I was being bullied by a very powerful boss. I built up masses of evidence that I was doing my job properly and reported him to the union who backed me up. It was taken to a tribunal and all 13 of the professionals on the tribunal panel voted in favour of me and he was disgraced.

You have done very well making friends with everyone, you need as many people on side as possible. He has a weakness. He is trying to keep the teams apart. Capitalise on this and build up a forum of support. Support each other. Chat, get evidence.

You are a better person than him. I feel your pain it is soul destroying to be tortured by another human being who you just want to get along with so you can get the job done. Some people are so selfish they are evil. This man is one of them. Trust me.

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Huxley 73 posts
10 years ago

He is trying to impose psychological torture on you to force you to quit.

You know what he wants so you have power over him.

DO NOT QUIT.

He has no power over you.

As long as you don't quit you are winning.

Psychological torture is against the law.

Film him doing what he is doing, record him on your phone speaking to you the way he does, do all the things he doesn't want you to do.

After you have finished your postdoc you can put these films on youtube.

Who is the winner now.

Learn his plan and come up with a better one.

Make friends with everybody... get them to help you build up a portfolio of evidence that you are brilliant at your job.

I have been through something similar in a professional workplace.

Know this YOU ARE BETTER THAN HIM AND GOD WILL PUNISH HIM.

Overview of Huxley

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