This month sees the publication of a special issue of Learned Publishing, the scholarly journal of the Association of Learned & Professional Society Publishers (ALPSS). This issue addresses some of the ‘myths’ common within the publishing industry related to academia: ‘Bring the facts: Bust the myths’, as editor Andrew Plume writes in his introduction.     

In one article, “Does the early career ‘publish or perish’ myth represent an opportunity for the publishing industry?”, Dr. Gareth Dyke, Charlesworth’s Head of Content Development and Delivery, addresses the challenges faced by early career researchers (ECRs) looking to be published.  Gareth notes that globally, graduate training programmes in universities do not consistently provide the right level of ‘soft skills’ training needed by ECRs to start their publishing “careers”. Although largely a myth, the culture of ‘publish or perish’ remains just one of the many pressures facing ECRs as they begin their academic journey.

Chief Executive Officer of The Charlesworth Group, Michael Evans commented that “This series of papers is likely to provide a benchmark for the cross-over between academic research writing and the industry that publishes 90% of scholarly output. It’s particularly timely given ongoing debates at the moment relating to the future of Open Access (e.g. Plan S), scholarly access, and the ever-increasing threat of predatory journals on the scene”.

Charlesworth Knowledge training programmes can help.  We teach young researchers how to write papers and gain academic publishing skills based on our own experience. Our trainers are not just good teachers, they also actively publish their own research; this deep experience is what differentiates our products within the industry.  Please click here for more information about Charlesworth Knowledge training, especially writing and presentation skills.