Scientific Publishing in Economics

University of Fribourg
Fall 2018, PhD course

(Handout as pdf)        (Readings)      (Links)

Course Description

This course is designed for PhD students considering a scientific career in economics. The course provides a general overview over the process of publishing in economics rather than coaching participants in writing a specific paper.

The course addresses the following questions:

What is a “scientific publication”? Why publish? What makes a paper “publishable” in a good journal? How to assess the quality of scientific publications? How do referees and editors evaluate papers? How to write a scientific paper? What could be a promising strategy for submission? What are the right journals for my paper? How should I read, understand and deal with referee reports? How can I be a good referee? Which norms and rules must I observe? The course also gives some general advice on “dos and don’ts”.

Requirements

1. Hand in a document (max. 2 pages) one week before the course with

• Your name, (expected) year of PhD, career goal
• List of your publications so far, if any (including R&Rs, no working papers)
• Title and abstract (max. 100 words) of a recent paper (or one you are currently working on)
• Where you plan to send the paper (Journal name and explanation why, max. 20 words)

2. Prepare an “elevator talk” of your research (30 seconds)

Times and Places
October 10: 9:30-17h, place tba
October 11: 9:30-17h, place tba