10.0 Academic Credit and Beyond - a Reminder of Other Uses for Your Paper

Module 10

Fireworks      C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S  !!!

You are done, you have submitted your paper, you can finally relax and have your life back... Congratulations! 

But don't forget that a little extra work can get you a lot of extra benefit!

As I have explained at the outset of this course, if you already spend months of your life and many long days and nights on writing a good academic paper, it is only smart to get more out of it than just a learning experience and a graduation requirement.

Now is the time to remember additional options (and to check with your academic institution to what extent they may have any restrictions in this regard):

  • get published,
  • share your paper online to get feedback and citations,
  • at least get it bound nicely in order to be able to use it for job applications etc.,
  • you may have already spoken to potential employers or other commercial interests about the topic and whether they may be interested in sponsoring you or buying the paper,
  • you may be able to use it now to apply for further research funding from public or private sources,
  • you may have other options that I have not even thought of,
  • if all else fails, maybe you can at least donate the paper to a not-for-profit interested in the subject and get some tax credit?

Rules of Thumb

Rule 1: Think early about additional possibilities for utilizing your work for your own benefit (publish it, sell it, donate it…)

  • Take initiative, go out and talk to people; just be sure your additional usage is permitted by whatever rules apply to the primary usage.

Rule 2: Make it easy for you by making it easy for them – if you want to get accepted for a publication, your piece needs to be an easy fit.

  • Press on after submission at the university! Take a short break but then get back to work. The longer you wait before you get your paper ready for publication or other uses, the harder it will be. Don’t let your paper get outdated, don't let the other opportunities slip away just because you are tired and glad to be done!

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be able to

  • understand many of the possible benefits resulting from an academic writing project beyond the acquisition of private knowledge in a narrow subject and a few academic credits;
  • appreciate why publication of your paper is so important, not only for the collective and public knowledge of humankind but also for your personal and professional growth;
  • walk away with hands-on advice on how to get your paper published;
  • take specific steps to make other forms of additional use of your completed product.