APU Online Learning Original

Why It’s Useful to Be Published in Peer-Reviewed Journals

By Dr. Jarrod Sadulski
Faculty Member, Criminal Justice

Peer-reviewed research articles go through a rigorous review to ensure that the validity and quality of the research you’ve conducted is worthy of publication. This process uses peer reviewers who serve as experts in their fields of study; they evaluate your research based on different factors. These factors include your content, methodology, research design and research findings.

The Benefits of Having Your Research Published in Peer-Reviewed Journals

There are several benefits to getting your research published in peer-reviewed journals. For instance, the research furthers the knowledge of others in your industry field, and it identifies you as a subject matter expert.

Getting published in a peer-reviewed academic journal can be especially helpful when you want to develop a name for yourself as an expert in your field. It also builds your credibility when you provide presentations on topics associated with peer-reviewed published content.

In addition, getting your peer-reviewed research published is a great way for you to develop lifelong research skills through the feedback and ideas from the experts involved in the publication process. Your published article is also a way to have your work cited by others, as journal articles are typically published online and are accessible through database searches.

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What It Takes to Get Published in Peer-Reviewed Journals

Getting published in peer-reviewed journals is an accomplishment that takes a lot of effort and hard work. It begins with finding a good topic for your research and developing effective research questions or hypotheses.

Your research should be guided by a theoretical framework and quantitative or qualitative methodology is typically needed for a research study, along with a comprehensive review of what published scholarly literature already exists on your topic. If your research involves human subjects, the student requires institutional review board approval to ensure compliance with the National Research Act and research regulations.

Once you complete your study and develop conclusions to answer your research questions or hypotheses, the next step is to format the research that matches the requirements of peer-reviewed journals. It’s also helpful if you review articles that are already published in that academic journal to gain a deeper understanding of what getting published will entail. 

Scholarly journals typically have different formatting guidelines, and it is crucial that you closely follow word count and other formatting policies to have your scholarly article accepted by the publisher. You can expect to receive feedback from the journal’s peer reviewers, who may require revisions or further clarification on your research.

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Working with One or More Co-Authors Can Help with Getting Your Research Published

One strategy that I have found to be especially helpful in getting scholarly peer-reviewed research published is to work with one or more co-authors. The advantage to working with other people is that each member of the research team can bring different strengths to research work, such as strengths in methodology, quantitative design or American Psychological Association (APA) formatting.

One effective option is to partner with a professor to get your scholarly research published. If that professor has substantial research experience, he or she can guide you through the research and publication process.

Students at Different Academic Levels Can Publish Their Research

Students who engage in research and publishing in scholarly peer-reviewed journals are often graduate or doctorate students; however, undergraduate students are welcome to publish their research as well. Conducting research and publishing provides practical experience that can improve critical thinking and written communication skills. Once articles are published, the article citation is typically added to a curriculum vitae, which is an academic resume.

Jarrod Sadulski

Dr. Jarrod Sadulski is an associate professor in the School of Security and Global Studies and has over two decades in the field of criminal justice. His expertise includes training on countering human trafficking, maritime security, effective stress management in policing and narcotics trafficking trends in Latin America. Jarrod frequently conducts in-country research and consultant work in Central and South America on human trafficking and current trends in narcotics trafficking. He also has a background in business development. Jarrod can be reached through his website at www.Sadulski.com for more information.

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