Should Graduate Students Publish?

Most graduate students in the humanities have the intelligence and insight required to publish outstanding studies, though, of course, they may lack the knowledge and persistence required of successful professionals. Whether or not they should publish remains an open question, with a number of issues that must be evaluated. Publication should be entertained only if neither graduate students’ own classes nor those they teach would suffer. They should, moreover, make the attempt only if the potential article makes a significant contribution to the field. Nonetheless, students who wish to be competitive would be wise to have something accepted for publication when they look for a job. A faculty mentor is helpful, both to ensure that the manuscript is sufficiently expert, well written, and organized and to put negative, sometimes hurtful reviews in context. While the process of turning papers into first-rate publications can be a wonderfully useful experience, it can also take more time than students can afford and be undeservedly damaging to their self-confidence.