Indiana University School of Journalism

Home » News » IU tops survey of published student authors

Institutions of Graduate Student Authors School/Frequency of Graduate Student Authors Indiana University, 54 University of Wisconsin, 52 Michigan State University, 48 University of Missouri, 35 University of Georgia, 33 Penn State, 32 University of Texas-Austin, 35 Ohio University, 22 University of North Carolina, 22 University of Pennsylvania, 22 University of Washington, 19 University of Michigan 15 University of Minnesota 14 University of Illinois 14 University of Florida 12 Source: "A Study of Graduate Student Authorship in Journalism and Mass Communication Journals: 1997-2006," Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, Fall 2008.

When he decided to pursue his doctoral program in journalism, doctoral student Jason Martin said he thought first of Indiana University School of Journalism because of the school’s reputation and its experienced faculty members.

Now Martin, with one paper published and one scheduled for later this year, is one of many students who are contributing to that reputation. According to a study published in last fall’s Journalism & Mass Communication Educator (JMCE), IU’s graduate students have had more journalism research papers published than 14 other schools ranked in the study.

Arizona State University assistant professor Serena Carpenter led the research, which reviewed refereed research published in mass communication journals. "A Study of Graduate Student Authorship in Journalism and Mass Communication Journals: 1997-2006" reports that IU graduate student authors’ work appeared 54 times, followed by University of Wisconsin-Madison with 52 and Michigan State University with 48.

Carpenter said she did not report the departments of each school’s authors.While some of the IU authors may be from programs outside the School of Journalism, the study reflects well on the school, said Amy Reynolds, associate dean of graduate studies and research.

“This study is really important for our school as journalism programs are not ranked,” she said. Such studies can indicate how the IU program compares to other graduate journalism programs, at least in the specific area of research productivity. This may lead to prospective students forming opinions about the school, just as Martin did when he was looking at doctoral programs.

Reynolds added that the rankings included many well-regarded programs, which makes the honor even more remarkable.

Other faculty said they are pleased to see IU at the top of the stack.

Photo by Riya V. Anandwala

Doctoral student Jason Martin has had one paper published and two accepted for publication.

“The academic reputation of academic units rests mainly on high quality research and teaching,” said Roy W. Howard Professor David H. Weaver in an e-mail from Taiwan, where he is spending the semester teaching. “And for graduate students who seek academic positions, a research record is very important.”

Associate professor Radhika Parameswaran said a positive aspect of the IU program is the variety of research interests among the students, including international communication, aspects of law and issues of gender.

Martin’s work reflects those research interests. His paper, “Return to the Marketplace: Balancing Anonymous Online Speech and Defamation," has been accepted for publication in a future edition of the Journal of Media Law & Ethics. It looks at how courts have created a balancing standard to cases that involve anonymous online commentary and plaintiffs’ defamation rights.

The second-year doctoral student said that his research papers germinated in classrooms and proceeded with faculty help.

“Most of the papers start in the class and then one works outside classroom,” he said. “This is done by developing relationships with professors and taking initiative to have them read your papers.”

As a student in J572 Press and the Constitution, Martin worked closely with associate professor Anthony Fargo and later completed an independent study on media law.

Fargo said he understands the importance of doctoral students writing research papers that are worthy of publication.

“Students often have this fear factor of getting rejected. We professors must help them understand that rejection is part of the process,” Fargo said. “We teach them in a manner which prepares them for publication of their work."

The school also has sponsored workshops for students to give them pointers on presenting papers at conferences, which often is a first step toward preparing research for publication.

William Gillis, a third-year doctoral student, is preparing a paper for a future edition of the journal Journalism History. His paper, “Say No to Busing and the Liberal Media: Backlash against the Louisville Courier-Journal and Louisville Times, 1975-1976,” examines the anti-media rhetoric and activism of Jefferson County, Ky., residents involved in a movement to overturn a court-ordered busing plan to achieve racial integration in local public schools.

Photo by Riya V. Anandwala

William Gillis said working closely with professors and presenting work at conferences are first steps toward publishing research.

“Our school sends us out to conferences, where we get good feedback for our research work,” said Gillis. “In my case, (assistant professor) Mike Conway was extremely supportive. He encouraged me to send my paper to American Journalism Historians Association conference.” His most recent paper was generated in Conway’s J653 The Media in the Twentieth Century class last spring.

Weaver said he tries to allow enough time in his graduate seminars for students to develop research papers that can be competitive in the judging for major conferences and journals. He urges them to build on previous studies, but also to make new contributions and to tackle problems and questions that are socially or journalistically significant.

To Parameswaran, the most important thing is that the students work on an original research topic. Students choose an idea that they think is significant, that they are passionate about, and then they devote a lot of time to it.

Several graduate students who have done just that will present their work at the May conference of the International Communications Association, a first step for many on their way to seeing their work published.