Publishing Strategies for PhD Candidates

Research projects and researchers do well to develop a publication strategy as early as possible to reach their intended audiences and achieve targeted dissemination of their results. This involves asking some important questions: should research results be published as quickly as possible or do they need to appear in the most prestigious journals? Should publications be openly available? Which rights should be transferred to whom and will that obstruct interesting opportunities in the future or even get the author into legal or financial difficulties? And what kind of publishing is best for the next career step? A sound publication strategy addresses these questions and furthermore takes into consideration how to fulfil any requirements, for example by research funders such as the SNSF. This course outlines the most important aspects of such a publishing strategy for the early stages of a research career. It discusses ethical, financial, and career-related concerns, and offers tools and guidelines on how to choose the best publishing venues, such as journals, publishers, platforms and formats. Learning Objectives

• Participants know the aspects, dangers and possibilities of academic publishing
• They are able to work with various tools to find appropriate journals
• They have an overview of different publication channels, platforms and formats
• They know where to find relevant information and advice
• They are able to develop a publication strategy for their projects (e.g. their dissertation)

Individual Feedback During and after the workshop, the instructor will be happy to provide further information on any issues raised. Preparatory assignment Prepare a list of 3-4 journal titles that are important in your field of research and links to the website about author’s rights. Provide 3 titles and abstracts of some of your texts or of texts that are thematically close to your field of research. Send the material to the course instructor (elio.pellin@unibe.ch), deadline: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026, 09:00 a.m. In case you do not submit on time, your participation might be cancelled and your place offered to the waitlisted. Registration