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PUBLISH: in what language? At what research stage? In which journal? Book, chapter or journal article?

FLOURISH: How to give voice to your themes and concerns? How to ensure quality, organise your text, find co-authors, find rephrasing techniques?

(DO NOT) PERISH: How to manage your time, create routines, organise your writing time and space, stay hydrated, do not forget to breathe … well, you get it!

Scholars around the world have (sometimes inadvertently) joined the race toward visibility, recognition and sustained career in the academia. Early career researchers may feel lost and confused as they receive conflicting messages: amidst the pressure to publish as much and as good as possible, they become aware that research quality and innovation take time and effort, while publishing-related anxiety and stress can take a toll on their health.

Simultaneously, international editors have established mechanisms and procedures to ensure the scientific quality of research publications (e.g. impact factors, peer-review) and continue a few other economic gatekeeping practices as well (e.g. pay-to-view; pay-to-publish). And, to top it all, open-access journals are a big grey area with different levels of quality and reputation.

A renowned research Centre such as Centro de Estudos Sociais da Universidade de Coimbra has a great potential to keep advancing international research thanks to the current 468 PhD students, 61 junior researchers and 122 post-doc researchers at the Centre. That is why the Centre has invested efforts and resources in stimulating publications by introducing the specific internal support in translation, peer-review and editing. However, PhD students and junior researchers cannot access those services. So the burning questions and conflicting messages remain.

How can young researchers find their way in the ever-changing world of research publications? How can they think big and contribute to the scientific publishing world?

We – fellow researchers and librarians – would like to help. We will not offer ready solutions nor promise to perform writing miracles. What we can do is to share information and practical knowledge of useful techniques and practices of writing, revising, editing, and publishing … hoping that it may help them become more at ease with writing about their research and interacting with academic publishers.

Survive the stampede!