The Art of Publishing

This training event is designed to introduce doctoral students to the academic publishing process and demystify how peer review really works. Participants will gain practical insights into developing publishable manuscripts, navigating submission and revision stages, and avoiding common pitfalls, alongside concrete tips for strengthening arguments, positioning research, and responding to reviewers.

In the second half of the session, doctoral researchers will meet two senior editors from a leading journal and a book publisher in the Civil Society, Development and Democracy (CDD) field. This informal, interactive conversation offers a rare opportunity to ask candid questions and to hear directly from editors about what distinguishes a compelling manuscript, what common mistakes to avoid, and how early-career researchers can position their work for publication success. This will be a valuable and illuminating event for anyone serious about publishing during the doctorate and beyond.

The programme for this event will be as follows:

• 13:00-13:10: Welcome;
• 13:10-13:55: Demystifying the publishing process, with Q&A (Dr Dan Hammett, University of Sheffield);
• 13:55-14:00: Break;
• 14:00-14:40: Meet the publishers, with Q&A (chaired by Dr Roxana Barbulescu, University of Leeds);
• 14:40-14:50: Tips on publishing (Dr Sara Ababneh, University of Sheffield);
• 14:50-15:00: Concluding remarks and feedback.

Contributors

• Dr Roxana Barbulescu is an Associate Professor in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds, and is also the Director of the Civil Society, Development and Democracy (CDD) Pathway for the WRDTP.
• Dr Dan Hammett is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography and Planning at the University of Sheffield, and is a Deputy Director of the Civil Society, Development and Democracy (CDD) Pathway for the WRDTP.
• Dr Sara Ababneh is a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sheffield, and is a Deputy Director of the Civil Society, Development and Democracy (CDD) Pathway for the WRDTP.
• We will be joined by two senior editors from a leading journal and a book publisher in the Civil Society, Development and Democracy (CDD) field.