Workshop on “How to publish a paper” offered to the English Studies MA Students by Professor Kefalas

The month of May 2016 marked the inaugural “Young Researchers’ Days” event including but not limited to the annual Students Spring Symposium, Career Day and a host of workshops aimed at helping young researchers to develop necessary skills, pose their insightful questions and receive useful guidance.

One of the Workshops organised within the framework of “Young Researchers’ Days” offered additionally to the English Studies Department students of the MA program in Applied Linguistics with TESOL on Saturday, May 21st, was conducted by the Vice Principal and International Faculty Director for Learning and Teaching, Professor Petros Kefalas, titled “How to Publish a Paper.”

The aim of the workshop was to focus on how Postgraduate students and PhD candidates can be successful in publishing papers across various platforms including journals, conferences, workshops, newsletters, magazines and online platforms. A detailed timeline and a useful check list were presented, making young researchers aware of the steps involved, either as an individual researcher and author or co-author.

Through self-reflexive questions, Professor Kefalas managed to make young researchers think of why publishing is important, what it offers to a researcher individually as well as to the wider community and what are the benefits of publishing papers, findings and research. The workshop emphasised the formal procedures that must be followed when publishing, thus highlighting skills that our students acquire throughout their studies, such as: time management and effective organization, collaboration, draft writing, publishing ethics, as well as receiving and responding to reviews and being critically reflective.

Overall, within a friendly, welcoming and supportive atmosphere, Professor Kefalas successfully drew researchers’ attention to issues related to the benefits, difficulties and pitfalls one may experience when publishing. More importantly, the workshop as well as the wider context within which it was situated, demonstrated the willingness and guidance of Departments and Faculty members to inform and guide students of all levels, raising their awareness of what is to follow in their future academic and career endeavors by offering them the tools and insight that will guarantee a higher success rate.