Links to Journal Publication Opportunities

If you have written a good paper for a class or for a conference/convention and would like to submit it for publication this page can help you.  It provides links to a number of journals in the field of communication studies (and some fields that I am personally interested in such as humor).  With just a few hours of surfing the net I was able to locate about 75 communication journals and journals outside the discipline that are outlets for communication scholarship. I am sure this isn't even half of what is available.  There is certainly no shortage of outlets.

Communication Research Instruments

Many young scholars find themselves in a difficult position as they begin researching. They know there are existing instruments out there (some where) to use in their research, but they don't know where to find them. Even journal articles that talk about the PRCA (Personal Report of Communication Apprehension) often don't say where they found the instrument or exactly what is on the instrument. Fortunately Dr. James C. McCroskey, one of the most published people in the communication field, has taken the time to create a website of links to communication related instruments that have been developed by faculty or graduate students at West Virginia University and are available for free. Each link provides you with the measurement instrument and the proper source citation for where the instrument can be found.  With over 40 instruments this should be very helpful to many young scholars.  Either click on the title for this section or go to http://www.jamescmccroskey.com/measures/ to find the instruments.                            

NCA Website for Finding Funding

To access the Current RFP Tracker, go to: http://www.natcom.org and click on the Current RFP Tracker under Resources on the left side of the page.  It lists many grants, fellowships and other funding resources for people interested in research in the communication discipline. 

Advice on Publishing

I am far from an expert on publishing.  But I have had some success and learned a few things along the way.  I have also seen others make some basic mistakes and misinterpret the feedback they have received.  So I would offer you the following advice on getting published.

1. First find a journal that is looking for the kind of article or paper you have written.  You may find several that are looking for what you have to offer. When you have found a few journals that might be interested it is time to take a look at what you have done and see (realistically) where it should be submitted that will likely to publish it. I always recommend that you aim high, but don't waste an editor's time.                                                            
2. Follow directions.  It is simple advice but it is important.  Read the Call for Papers and adhere to what it asks for: Style manual, length, number of copies, removal of name or identifier, do everything the editor asks for and do it the first time you submit.                                                                                                                                       
3. Never submit the same article to two publications at the same time.  That is not acceptable.  If you submit to a national or international journal and they reject you completely, you may then submit that article to a different journal.  But not at the same time.                                                                                                                                       
4. "Revise and Resubmit" is a good thing.  Rarely are articles accepted as is on the first submission.  Editors send the articles out to one or more reviewers and those reviewers make suggestions and send those to the editors.  In addition to comments on the submission the reviewers will usually also recommend whether it should be 1) rejected, 2) accepted with significant revision, 3) accepted with minor revision, or 4) accepted as is. As long as they aren't saying "REJECTED" you are on the way to a publication.  Get to work right away.                                         
5. Everyone gets rejected, learn to deal with it.  Rejection is a part of life.  You may have worked hard on an article and slaved over it and spent hours interviewing subjects or crunching numbers only to have a journal editor reject it.  It's not the end of the world or the end of the article.  More than likely you just need to find the right outlet for the piece.  Perhaps you should be targeting a subject specific journal or maybe even a journal outside the communication discipline.  Don't let good research go to waste just because you were rejected.  Take the comments the reviewers offered (if there are any) and work to improve it and find a new outlet.