Publishing article/book: Does it help? 2

[shahyar]

Probably you will notice English is not my mother tongue.
I like to know if publishing a technical article in a popular magazine or writing a technical book help us to progress in our career or not.
I am asking this because I need to expend lots of my energy on this for success. I need to ask somebody to edit my writings and..
I have some new ideas/calculation methods that I use in my design and like to publish them.

Thanks for all replies

 

[JAE]

If you are in a university setting, then yes, publishing is important for gaining exposure and attracting future research.

In consulting, it is a good thing to do to improve your firm's reputation, but not as important as in the university.

 

[MedicineEng]

In manufacturing, is not so relevant as far as I know.

 

[tygerdawg]

I echo MedicineEng's post. I did it before when I was a Mfg Engr, it improved nothing for my immediate job situation.

HOWEVER, I have written articles and made presentations at shows & conferences over the years, it has always had a benefit to my career :

=> effective writing & presentation skills are much more useful in an engineering career than technical knowledge

=> it will look good on your resume: it indicates you have expertise, initiative, and communications skills

=> excellent opportunity for networking, getting your name out there, and prospecting for the next job

=> if English is not your Mother Tongue, then this is a good opportunity to practice your technical writing skills. Good writing is hard work, everyone needs lots of practice.



TygerDawg
Blue Technik LLC
Advanced Robotics & Automation Engineering

http://www.bluetechnik.com

 

[MintJulep]

tygerdawg is right on.

However, that all applies only if what you publish is technically sound.

If you publish something that is invalid then you look foolish, at the least. At worst, if your ideas are wrong, and someone else uses them and there is a problem, you are exposed to liability.

 

[UcfSE]

I would expect you to need to do a very thorough search to make sure no one else has already published those ideas. That will make you look bad right there.

Aside from that, I don't think publishing would help me in any immediate way in my field. I wouldn't get a raise or a promotion, for instance. You may get some respect or a reputation as someone knowledgeable, and some thanks for making the company look good. That could go the other way, as MintJulep states, if you are wrong.

It also gives you something to be proud of, which is worth it in my opinion.

 

[271828]

In a university, journal publishing is hugely important. Unfortunately, it is a ROYAL pain. To publish a paper, you have to write the entire paper and then submit it, hoping it'll get accepted.

If I were a consultant, I'd probably focus on conference papers. They require far less effort and time. You write an abstract and it'll be accepted if it's not totally worthless.

Unfortunately, conference papers are of very limited value in a university setting.

 

[KENAT]

My company actually pays a bonus for articles in relevant technical publications.



KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[csd72]

shahyar,

I could see that it would help if you were in a specialist field.

If you are a general consultant then I would imagine it would be more of a time drain than a benefit.

That said, it is always good to give back to the profession when you have a chance.

csd

 

[zdas04]

I've got to disagree with the consensus. I've gotten several very worthwhile jobs from an Oil & Gas Journal article I wrote last year. I've also gotten contacts that turned into work from a conference paper that I presented a few years ago (the SPE E-Library system makes accessing old conference papers very easy).

I started writing papers and doing conference presentations 10 years before I retired from a Major oil company. The company was good about allowing time to do the papers and presentations, but it did me zero good at the time. After I retired those old papers count just like the ones I write today (but today they take away from billable hours).

There are so many industrial magazines, web pages, and e-zines today that are starving for original material that just about any crap that passes a spell check can get published somewhere. Getting into the top tier of publications requires a bit more work. Getting into the very-top peer-reviewed publications is still a real challenge.

And the list of papers/articles/book-contributions looks pretty good on a CV.

David

 

[apsix]

effective writing & presentation skills are much more useful in an engineering career than technical knowledge

Don't you think that their usefulness are slightly overstated?

 

[zdas04]

A good communicator with lousy technical skills will certainly fail if they remain in technical job. A good technical engineer with lousy communications skills will most likely fail in any job.

Many people in Engineering consider "success" to mean "advancement to management". With that definition, the quote above is exactly true.

If you define "success" as "advancing toward mastery of your study area", then the quote above is quite overstated.

David

 

[Ashereng]

Anytime you publish, I think it is a good idea. You can always use it as an introduction/door opener.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[SylvestreW]

I don't think there's an immediate payout but you do get to hone different skills that you may not be exposed to in your job.
As well, with conferences, you get to network and along with presenting, you are at least somewhat exposed to new people. This never hurts.

But in general, I think the main reason anyone should do it is to share knowledge in your field with your peers, and progress your area of interest. That's the most rewarding thing.

-
Aercoustics.com

 

[SomptingGuy]

Publishing is one thing. Presenting at a conference is another. A great opportunity to mix and to have your name remembered (even if vaguely) by peers.

 

[271828]

One great advantage to publishing, conference or otherwise, is that you'll learn the subject inside and out. That's certainly been true for everything I've published.

 

[shahyar]

Thanks for all your replies.
Sorry for late response, I was sick for couple of weeks.

Thanks again

 

[plasgears]

On the surface it would seem a good thing to publish. I had a stint on an engineering magazine, and they had an inside story that went like this:
- The editor spends a lot of time with the author, shooting photos in support of the article, reviewing and proofing the material before it goes to press.
- It is later found out that the author is no longer with the company.

You fill out the scenario. There are possibilities of jealousy in the upper realms, accusations of less time spent on the job at hand, etc. On the other hand, the guy may come into high demand from competing firms. The published article could become the ticket for opportunities in another company.