This paper provides some additional observations on publishing with undergraduates following the short paper by Hartley (2014) in a previous issue of Psychology Teaching Review. This paper’s main focus relates to how students can develop as scholars by lecturers actively encouraging students to disseminate their written and oral undergraduate work to wider audiences via many different outlets (e.g. journal papers, magazine articles, trade press articles, conference papers, etc.). Examples are provided

Griffiths, MD

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76 Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 21 No. 1, Spring 2015IntroductionIN A PREVIOUS ISSUE OF PsychologyTeaching Review, Hartley (2014) describedhis own experiences of jointly publishingwork with undergraduate students, alongwith some advantages and disadvantages. Assomeone who regularly publishes withundergraduates, this paper briefly provides apersonal account of the practices I use to aidstudents in disseminating their work. In fact,since I publish so many papers with mystudents, I developed guidelines for publish-ing with undergraduate students that werepublished in a previous issue of PsychologyTeaching Review (see Griffiths, 2011).BackgroundEver since I started out as a psychologylecturer I have actively helped students topublish their work if I felt it was goodenough to be read by a wider audience. As athird year undergraduate, I was fortunateenough to get a number of papers (and abook chapter) published from my own thirdyear undergraduate empirical project. Thisalmost certainly shaped my own attitudetowards undergraduate publishing. My ownproject supervisor (Dr Peter Davies, then atthe University of Bradford) believed that myundergraduate thesis was good enough toget published. When he first told me that, I developed such confidence that it beganme on the road to what many would describeas a prolific publisher of papers (I’ve nowpublished over 500 refereed journal papers,120 book chapters, four books and well overa 1000 other articles).I now view any work done by good under-graduates as having potential for furtherdissemination although the most likely pieceis the final year empirical research project.My aim is always to get as many of mystudents published as possible. Whileperhaps best-case scenario, students getpublished in refereed journals, gettingpublished in other publications can domuch to build student confidence and sparktheir interest in publishing their research (infact my first published work was a short opin-ion piece in the Bulletin of the British Psycho-logical Society on graduate career choice amonth after I had graduated – see Griffiths[1987]). Students are an amazing resource andcan be incredibly scholarly. By the time theyare in their final year of undergraduatestudy, many of them are motivated anddetermined to succeed via their writtenand/or oral work. The remainder of this short paperdescribes the practical strategies andprocesses I have used over the last 25 years ingetting students to publish their undergrad-uate work based on my research-informedteaching. The paper will use real examplesand is based on articles that I have publishedon this topic of getting students to dissemi-nate their undergraduate work to wideraudiences (e.g. Griffiths, 2007). Over the last© The British Psychological SocietyPublishing with undergraduates: Some further observationsProfessor Mark GriffithsThis paper provides some additional observations on publishing with undergraduates following the shortpaper by Hartley (2014) in a previous issue of Psychology Teaching Review. This paper’s main focusrelates to how students can develop as scholars by lecturers actively encouraging students to disseminate theirwritten and oral undergraduate work to wider audiences via many different outlets (e.g. journal papers,magazine articles, trade press articles, conference papers, etc.). Examples are provided.25 years, 40 of my final year undergraduateprojects (see Appendix 1) have publishedtheir work in a variety of peer-reviewedoutlets (usually relating to my specialistresearch areas as it is based on my research-informed teaching; see Appendix 1). I havenever had a student who was not proud toget their undergraduate work into print. This paper provides a personal accountof the different ways in which third-yearundergraduate work can be used as materialfor potential publication. This can includeempirical research (usually carried out aspart of a final-year research project) but alsocoursework on other modules. Through thisexercise, students gain insight into thedissemination and publication process andoften become more enthusiastic andinclined to pursue publication (as happenedin my own case). A side benefit for super-visors and module leaders is that they oftenenjoy joint publication. Preparation and supportThis is an ongoing personal effort that I employ with students studying in my area ofexpertise that I feel might have work worthyof being published. As such, my preparationinvolved becoming intimately familiar withthe publication processes of the publicationsin my area of expertise as well as some thatare peripherally related. Although I have notdeveloped specific handouts, interestedstudents are provided with some of my arti-cles on productive writing (see Appendix 2on ‘Resources’). The timescale involved inindividual publications varies based uponeditorial review processes and the number ofissues published per year. Some students maywait 18 months before they see their work inprint. For others it is a matter of weeks ormonths depending on the outlet.How it worksEvery year I sit down with my newly allocatedthird-year project students and discuss theimpending research process with them. Thenumber of students I am allocated rangesfrom about three to 10 across a number ofPsychology programmes. I ask them to tellme what they think signifies the end of theresearch process. All of them basicallyrespond with a variation on the phrases ‘the day I hand my project in’ or ‘when I get myproject mark back’.I then get students to imagine they havedone a really excellent piece of empiricalwork that produces a novel and perhapsunexpected finding. I ask them again whatthey think signifies the end of the researchprocess. For the more astute students – andpossibly those who may end up doing betterprojects – the penny starts to drop. They startto say things like ‘tell everyone I know what I have found’, ‘present the findings at a confer-ence’, ‘try to get the paper published in a journal’or ‘ring up the The Sun’ (as one student saidto me a number of years ago). I then re-frame what they have said by pointing outthat what they are really talking about isdissemination of their work. I ask them what is the point of spendingover half a year on one piece of work only forit to sit in a room gathering dust once it hasbeen assessed? Admittedly, many studentsprobably carry out their projects as a meansto an end (i.e. another mark towards theirfinal degree classification). However, someof my students take their research very seri-ously when I tell them that almost every yearI have at least one student who manages topublish their third-year project in a refereedjournal. At that initial meeting with my new third-year students, I let them see a selection ofpreviously published third-year projects. Forthe keener students this is often very moti-vating for them. For a small minority (maybeone or two students a year), the aim is nolonger to get a high mark but becomes aneffort to produce a publishable piece ofwork. Furthermore, it increases the likeli-hood they want to do a project in an area ofmy direct expertise (which is a pleasurablebonus as supervisor). I also show my studentspublished work where the overall projectdidn’t get a particularly good mark (becauseit wasn’t written up as well as it could haveTitlePsychology Teaching Review Vol. 21 No. 1, Spring 2015 77Publishing with undergraduates: Some further observationsbeen) but that I re-wrote because the datawere good. I even have data from a couple ofprojects with a lower second class mark thatafter re-working and re-writing werepublished! The only difference here is thatthe student got second (instead of first)authorship. This captures the interest of lessconfident students who realise that if I thinktheir work has merit, I will help them ingetting their work into print.At every stage of the publication processmy students are informed as to what is goingon. By this time, almost all of them have leftuniversity and have jobs or are on otheracademic courses so the process is lessformal as they are no longer at the university(although a few do go on to do variousMaster’s courses or a PhD). Contact isusually maintained by telephone and emailalthough ex-students who live locally willcome in to see me. I pass on all correspon-dence from the editors and get students toinput further if need be (usually concerningrevisions). It is always worth it for the smallnumber of students who get their workpublished.Other types of student work that can bedisseminatedIt’s also worth adding that third-year empiri-cal projects are not the only source for poten-tial publication. Occasionally, my studentshave done excellent pieces of courseworkand I have (with the student’s permission)turned these into standalone articles fornewsletters, the gambling trade press, andshort articles in professional journals (seeAppendix 1). Again, the student (in my ownpersonal experience) is always delighted withthe outcome and is a win-win situation forboth student and supervisor.Oral disseminationIt is also worth noting that there is anotherkind of developmental activity to be encour-aged among undergraduate students (i.e.getting my students to present their work atnational and international conferences).Most psychology students in the PsychologyDivision at Nottingham Trent Universitybecome adept at giving oral presentations asa lot of their work is assessed in this way. Overthe years, many of my undergraduatestudents have either presented their researchat academic conferences. Not all of thesenecessarily lead to journal publication butmost students really value the experience andit again helps them develop scholarly skills. SPUR initiativeI should also note that my university alsooperates an initiative called Scholarship Projects for Undergraduate Researchers(SPUR) that allows undergraduates at theend of their second year of studies tobecome a paid research assistant over thesummer period before the start of their finalyear. One of the expectations of the fundedprojects is that they produce work that hasthe potential to be published based on thedata collected by the student. I, and mycolleague Dr Maria Karanika-Murray, wereawarded one of the SPUR grants that has ledto two papers being written, one of whichthat has already been accepted for publica-tion in the Journal of Managerial Psychology(see Appendix 1). Again, the whole processis mutually beneficial for both student andsupervisor(s).Reflection and advice to othersThe publishing of student work is subject toall the problems of publishing more gener-ally. There is no guarantee of publication,and even after many revisions the work canstill be rejected. However, it is important forstudents to see the publication process inaction (submission, external peer review,referee’s comments, editorial decision,manuscript revisions, revised submissions,etc.). Even if students are not published, thelearning that takes place in the process isinevitably valuable. Students are very trustingas to where their work could be publishedand we are often given ‘carte blanche’ to dowhat we want with their work. We owe it toour students to get the best possible result forthem that we can in the publication process.AuthorProfessor Mark Griffiths78 Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 21 No. 1, Spring 2015TitleNext stepsGiven my own success in the area of studentpublication, I will continue to use it andsuggest other psychology lecturers considerdoing the same. To get one student a yearpublished is an admirable goal and is some-thing that (on average) I have alreadyachieved. Hopefully, disseminating my storyhere may inspire other university lecturers todo the same.CorrespondenceProfessor Mark GriffithsPsychology Division,Nottingham Trent University,Burton Street,Nottingham, NG1 4BU.Email: mark.griffiths@ntu.ac.ukPublishing with undergraduates: Some further observationsAppendix 1: Examples of student publications (Students’ names in bold).Here is a selection of undergraduate students’ published outputs. This includes: (i) refereedpapers where I was project supervisor; (ii) refereed papers where one of my colleagues wasproject supervisor but I helped them pursue publication; (iii) refereed papers where I acted asan external advisor to a student at another university; and (iv) non-refereed papers and arti-cles. A full list of all outputs that I have co-published with undergraduates is available onrequest.Selected refereed papers where I was project supervisor or co-supervisor (N=30 in total):● Cole, H. & Griffiths, M.D. (2007). Social interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing gamers. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 10, 575–583.● Mehroof, M. & Griffiths, M.D. (2010). Online gaming addiction: The role of sensationseeking, self-control, neuroticism, aggression, state anxiety and trait anxiety. CyberPsychologyand Behavior, 13, 313–316.● Karanika-Murray, M., Duncan, N., Pontes, H. & Griffiths, M.D. (2015). I belong therefore I am: An empirical investigation of work engagement, organisational identification and jobsatisfaction. Journal of Managerial Psychology, in press. [SPUR project]Selected refereed papers where one of my colleagues was project supervisor but I helped the student andproject supervisor pursue publication (N=10 in total):● Niemz, K., Griffiths, M.D., Banyard, P. (2005). Prevalence of pathological Internet useamong university students and correlations with self-esteem, GHQ and disinhibition.CyberPsychology and Behavior, 8, 562–570.● Davenport, K., Houston, J. & Griffiths, M.D. (2012). Excessive eating and compulsivebuying behaviours in women: An empirical pilot study examining reward sensitivity, anxi-ety, impulsivity, self-esteem and social desirability. International Journal of Mental Health andAddiction, 10, 474–489.ReferencesGriffiths, M.D. (1987). Career choice of graduatepsychologists. Bulletin of the British PsychologicalSociety, 40, 336–337.Griffiths, M.D. (2007). Encouraging undergraduatestudent publishing. Higher Education AcademyPsychology Network Newsletter, 41, 3.Griffiths, M.D. (2011). Publishing undergraduateand postgraduate student work: Some guidelinesand protocols. Psychology Teaching Review, 17(1),78–80.Hartley, J. (2014). Publishing with undergraduates.Psychology Teaching Review, 20(2), 158–160.Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 21 No. 1, Spring 2015 79Author80 Psychology Teaching Review Vol. 21 No. 1, Spring 2015Selected book chapters, non-refereed papers, or articles (N=7 in total):● Stanbury, A. & Griffiths, M.D. (2007). Obsessive love as an addiction. Psychology Review,12(3), 2–4.● Greenhill, R. & Griffiths, M.D. (2014). The use of online asynchronous interviews in thestudy of paraphilias. Sage Research Methods Cases. Located at:http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/978144627305013508526Professor Mark Griffiths● Griffiths, M.D. (1993). Productive writing. The New Academic, 3, 29–30.● Griffiths, M.D. (1994). Productive writing in the education system. The Psychologist: Bulletinof the British Psychological Society, 7, 460–462.● Griffiths, M.D. (1999). Other publication outlets: Is there life after refereed journals? In P. Hills (Ed.), Publish or perish (pp.117–130). Dereham: Peter Francis Publishing.● Griffiths, M.D. (2000). Writing and getting published – My top 10 tips. PsyPAG Quarterly, 34,2–4.● Griffiths, M.D. (2001). Ideas for articles and how to get them. PsyPAG Quarterly, 39, 34–36.● Griffiths, M.D. (2004). Tips on…Report writing. British Medical Journal (Careers), 328, 28.Appendix 2: Resources given to my students to help them think about publishingtheir undergraduate work.

Career choice of graduate psychologists.

Encouraging undergraduate student publishing.

Excessive eating and compulsive buying behaviours in women: An empirical pilot study examining reward sensitivity, anxiety, impulsivity, self-esteem and social desirability.

Ideas for articles and how to get them.

Online gaming addiction: The role of sensation seeking, self-control, neuroticism, aggression, state anxiety and trait anxiety.

Other publication outlets: Is there life after refereed journals? In

Productive writing in the education system. The Psychologist:

Publishing undergraduate and postgraduate student work: Some guidelines and protocols.

Publishing with undergraduates.

Selected book chapters, non-refereed papers, or articles (N=7 in total): ●

Social interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online RolePlaying gamers.

The use of online asynchronous interviews in the study of paraphilias. Sage Research Methods Cases. Located at:

Tips on…Report writing.

Writing and getting published – My top 10 tips.

Publishing with undergraduates: some further observations

Publishing with undergraduates: some further observations

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