I’m an independent researcher working on a project I hope to publish, but I don’t have an advisor, institutional affiliation, or an academic network. I’d like to get informal feedback on my draft(s) as I develop them, ideally from people with relevant expertise.
My main concerns are:
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How do people in my position typically find trustworthy peers or forums to share their work with for feedback?
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Are there best practices for protecting my ideas or work while still being open to critique—especially before submitting to a journal?
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What are safe and realistic steps I can take from now through publishing to improve my work while minimizing the risk of it being taken or misused?
I’ve read some posts on networking and publishing, but most assume institutional access or connections. I’m looking for advice specific to people working outside of that system. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Comments
The answer will partly depend on what level of education you have completed. If you did your undergrad, the answer is going to be that you should enroll in a master’s program. If you’ve done a master’s degree, you can either reach out to your former professors, or apply to go to conferences. If you have done a PhD, you should have a network of colleagues from graduate school, and can also apply to present at a conference. Some pre-print servers might be useful for you, but that will depend on your qualifications and field.
To answer your first question, you can present your research at conferences. You can also submit to journals, though be prepared for a lot of desk rejections. As for the other two questions, the chances of your work being stolen or misused are miniscule and not really worth worrying about.