Given the broad range of topics we cover as a group, this isn’t a simple question to answer. The best way to find out which journals are most suitable would be to use Web of Science to find the relevant papers. Advice from your supervisors here is key, they will know where would be suitable to find/publish a paper.
What is the benefit of attending a conference?
One of the aspects of being a good researcher, in my opinion, is your ability to convey your research to others. This is a major advantage of attending a conference. The chance to practise your public speaking skills will be high valuable in your future career. Furthermore, the chance to network and gain contacts in a comparable field, who may have access to a piece of equipment you need or who may just have an excellent idea for a collaboration, is vital in successful research.
How do I know what has already been done?
The first point of contact here should be your supervisor. If you are the first person to work on your project within the group, the best bet will be Web of Science. If, however, someone else has previously worked on your project, your supervisor will be able to direct you to previous papers, reports, a thesis etc. for your to gain a greater understanding of the previous work within the group.
How do I find information on my research topic?
The best way to find information on your research topic is to read papers. The most common method of finding papers is using Web of Science. Here you can search for topics, authors, or their journals and there are plenty of additional filters and tools available. One particularly handy option is to use the citation record in a paper you like and click on the links to these citations to find the associated papers. Travelling up (and down) the citation ladder of a publication will provide a useful start. Finding all the publications for a given author is also a useful technique.
Will a PhD student fail their viva if they don’t have any publications?
The presence (or absence) of publications will not guarantee a pass (or fail) during your viva. One of the criteria of passing your PhD is that you have furthered your field of research and that your work is publishable. This does not mean that it has to be published but any publications that you do have will help to confirm that your peers believe the work to be of a high enough quality to further the research field.
Who funds attendance at a conference?
This is generally a cost which a postgraduate will not have to worry about. Your supervisor will give you permission to attend a conference and the costs (including expenses) will be taken care of my them.
What’s the difference between a conference paper and a journal paper?
A contribution at a conference usually involves writing and submitting an abstract which is then reviewed and either accepted or rejected. If accepted, the content is usually assigned to either an oral or poster presentation. You then go to the conference and either talk in a session or stand by your poster and answer questions on it. Some conferences also have a book of proceedings or perhaps a special issue journal, which you can then write a paper for, based on your presentation at the conference. Needless to say, a conference is a very expensive means of getting a publication and this is not always guaranteed.
By contrast, a journal paper does not involve attending an event. You ‘simply’ write a paper, based on your target journal’s author guide, and submit it. This paper is then sent out to reviewers, who will read it and decide if it is worthy of publication in that journal. If accepted, you usually have a list of corrections to make and then you submit.
Given that a journal publication is peer reviewed it is considered a more valuable publication and is generally more difficult to get accepted.
How do I get my poster printed?
When creating a poster for a conference, once you have checked with the organisers for the sizes etc. and created the poster, you can have it printed for free within the department. You need to speak to Julie Morgan-Dodds, who can have it printed for you and will provide you with a poster tube, if you ask her nicely! For need to give her 5 working days’ notice to ensure she prints it in time.
L.E. Dodd, S.A. Shenton, A.J. Gallant and D. Wood, “The Effects of Post-Oxidation Annealing Temperature on Ti-TiOx-Pt Metal-Oxide-Metal (MOM) Diodes”, Electronic Materials Conference (EMC), Santa Barbara, California, 25-27 June 2014, p. 52 (oral presentation)
L.E. Dodd, A.J. Gallant and D. Wood, “Controlling Oxygen Content of a Plasma to vary Oxide Thickness in Ti-TiOx-Pt Metal-Oxide-Metal (MOM) Diodes”, Electronic Materials Conference (EMC), Santa Barbara, California, 25-27 June 2014, p. 52 (oral presentation)
Dr Linzi E. Amers-Dodd 