I had the pleasure of talking with my old friend and innovator Rauf Salahodjaev, who is working hard towards improving the research and science sphere in Uzbekistan. In this interview (in Russian), we talked about my experience with publishing while pursuing a PhD in the Netherlands. We specifically focused on the process of writing academic articles, the importance of finding the right and true (non-predatorial) journals with an impact factor and briefly covered other issues related to academia, research and science. Key statements are as follows:
A good academic article should bring something new to the existing literature.
There are ways of identifying good journals and avoiding predatorial ones.
Writing a solid article takes time.
I make an analogy with painting. Often times, painters cannot let go of their canvas and keep making the finishing touches years after completing the initial piece of work. Akin to the process of painting, it is important to identify a point where the paper is considered complete, otherwise, the process can be endless.
Having said this, I stress the responsibility that comes with publications and the importance of taking your time with gathering and processing information.
I advice aspiring social science scholars to write policy briefs and practice delivering their findings and their thoughts in a concise manner.
Informed decision-making leads to successful policies, therefore the role of science and policy briefs cannot be underestimated.
Don't be afraid of criticism, embrace it.
Practice, practice, practice. The more you write, the better you become at it.
The more passionate you are about the subject you study, the more likely you are to succeed at writing something on the topic.
Get up after each fall and keep improving!