Editorial
At the European Real Estate Society (ERES) conference in Weimar, Germany in June 2006, Emerald organised a panel session on publishing in academic journals;particularly for young researchers. The panel comprised Nick French (Editor, Journal of Property Investment and Finance), Karen Gibler (Editor, Journal of Corporate Real Estate), Alastair Adair (Deputy Editor, Journal of Property Research) and Graeme Newell (Editor, Pacific Rim Property Research Journal). A wide range of issues were discussed, with this editorial capturing the main issues.
The main issues were:
Know the style of paper, topics and methodologies favoured by specific journals; pick your journal accordingly.
Explain why the research question is important.
Clearly link the research into available body of knowledge; this should encompass all references, not just those from the country of author or journal.
Use a rigorous methodology, but do not let the methodology become the focus of the paper; keep equations to essential ones only.
Explain what the results mean.
Many journals (particularly US) favour quantitative methodologies to test specific issues; however a range of rigorous qualitative methodologies (e.g. AHP) are also suitable; appropriate use of interviews often adds considerable depth and insight. Ultimately, it comes down to using appropriate methodologies.
Property journals require property references; do not focus on finance references.
Present paper in required journal format; all journals have different procedures, with guidelines given in every journal.
All of the above, if done properly, make the refereeing of the paper an enjoyable task for the referee, and typically results in very positive feedback from a referee.
Other practical aspects to emerge from the panel discussion were:
Very rarely is a paper accepted without some revision; do not be disappointed if you are asked to revise your paper; normally, on reflection, you will agree that the revisions have enhanced the quality of the paper.
If your paper is rejected, do not take it personally; it is not about you personally, but about the significance and contribution of the research; sadly,not all research is worthy of publication; everyone at some stage in their career has papers rejected by journals.
Do not “fight” the referees; they are chosen by the editor because of their expertise. Prepare a reconciliation report, clearly showing how you have responded to each referee’s specific comments; if you disagree with a particular point, clearly say why. A reconciliation report clearly lets the editor see how you have responded to the referee’s comments.
If you need to revise your paper, do it as soon as possible; do not set it aside to do later, as you will never get back to doing the revisions; as such,set a target of one month to do the revisions.
Special issues are done by most journals; often research can be published quicker via a special issue.
Manuscript prizes from conferences (e.g. European Real Estate Society,American Real Estate Society) are often linked into subsequent journal publication in Journal of Property Investment and Finance or Journal of Real Estate Research, Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Managementrespectively; this generates a publication in an excellent journal (and prize money).
Develop a diversified portfolio of property journals you publish in; in time, improving the quality of the property journals you target.
Overall, an excellent panel providing useful insights and practical tips on how to enhance the likelihood of getting your property research published.
Graeme Newell
