Hi everybody,

I’ve never done something like this before, but I could really use some advice.

Yesterday my laptop died without any warning. A lot of the files have been saved. Some have not, but I’m basically fine.

One of my professors (not my advisor) has been encouraging me with feedback on some articles I’m trying to have published, and recommending some places to submit them. She’s been nothing but supportive, encouraging, and generous. I’m not having a lot of success getting them published. I feel awful now because I don’t know if I can keep working on these papers.

I work a full-time job, and I go to my classes at night. I’ve also been dealing with some family stuff that I don’t want to go into here, but I just feel overwhelmed right now. I don’t want to give up on submitting these papers, but I honestly have no idea how to proceed. I’ve worked hard on these papers, but I don’t know how much time I have for them anymore.

How do people deal with the stress to publish? In the five years that I’ve been in my doctoral program, I don’t think I’ve ever been this stressed out. How important is it to publish before you finish your program?

It's not the end of the world to publish after your PhD. I know several people that got postdocs with no publications. You could work on your papers after you submit your thesis. It's not worth getting stressed out over. Just be honest with the professor.

Thanks Tree. It helps to hear something like that. I'm glad you replied.

Yes I know quite a few people who had conference papers but no publications when they submitted and they are doing fine in academia. Don't beat yourself up.