Tales & Tips
In this space I share stories that have shaped my academic research, writing, and publishing. Some are personal, others inspired by experiences and observations, but all carry lessons I believe are worth reflecting on. Let’s explore together one tale, one tip at a time.
#9 Sweat Equity and Accidental Co-Authorship In Academia
Co-authorship is often intentional and planned ahead of time. But at other times, it is accidental, as with this book chapter I coauthored with Biruh Gage. The chapter is titled “Women Judges in Ethiopia” and is part of an edited book by J. Jarpa Dawuni Esq., Ph.D. titled “Intersectionality and Women’s Access to Justice in Africa.”
The Tale
Biruh had collected the empirical data needed for the paper. However, life happened when he started writing, and the writing stalled. But the chapter was critical; it would be the first on Ethiopian women judges, and time was running out. That’s when I came on board. The book editor, J. Jarpa Dawuni, contacted me asking if I could continue from where Biruh left off. You can guess my answer. I wrote my part, and together with Biruh, we made the chapter come to life. Until last year, I hadn’t met Biruh in person, but thanks to technology, we could pull this off.
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​​The Tips
Tip 1: Always leave room for happenstance in your research agenda and journey. Some collaborations just happen.
Tip 2: Build sweat equity with your mentors. Don’t just expect to be handed opportunities. Be so good at what you do that you are approached with offers. Your work will speak for you when you are not in the room, and it will cause you to be recommended. Believe it or not, you build a track record with every action you take; if it's an excellent track record, offers will keep coming to you; if not, bad word goes around pretty quickly. Don’t publish ‘trash’ papers.
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​Tip 3: Do a 360-degree assessment of any offer you receive. I decided to say yes to this opportunity for several reasons, two of which were that some work was done, so I didn’t have to start from scratch (I would have probably said no if that was not the case). The co-authorship was a network extension opportunity.
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Tip 4: If you happen to be on the side where “life happens” and need help to finish, do not hesitate to ask your colleagues with similar research interests. You may be pleasantly surprised.
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#8 Hard Work That Earns An Honour
When an article you write earns you an editorial board invitation. Some articles have a ripple effect; one such paper I wrote was titled “‘No Jab, No Entry’: A Constitutional and Human Rights Perspective on Vaccine Mandates in Ghana”. COVID-19 has revealed so much about vaccination, vaccine hesitancy, and the role of the law. My paper dealt with a cross-section of the then-emerging issues within the Ghanaian context.
The paper is available here.
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The Tale
I was invited to deliver a public lecture on vaccine mandates and their constitutional implications. I couldn’t honour the invitation then because I had a lot going on then. However, I noted the topic for my future research. Later that year, while scrolling through X (then Twitter), I came across a call for papers on the topic. I took the chance. I submitted an abstract, presented the paper at the conference, and submitted the full paper to a journal. Not too long after the paper’s publication, I was invited to join the journal’s editorial board. The journal Health and Human Rights is co-published by Harvard University’s FXB Center for Health and Human Rights and Drexel University’s School of Public Health.
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​​The Tips
Tip 1: While calls for papers are a source of research ideas, they sometimes give you a reason and an avenue to develop your existing ideas.
Tip 2: Some papers have a ripple effect of opportunities. However, you never know which paper that will be, so give each one your best efforts. Always do good work.
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Tip 3: Social media is filled with opportunities. Be intentional and strategic about who or what pages you follow so that the most relevant posts essential for your career growth always appear first.​​​​
#7 Where to Publish?
The Tale
When I started writing papers, I would write without a publication avenue (journal) in mind. I would go journal hunting after writing. That approach led to my having a fair share of rejections and delays. This e-justice paper was initially supposed to be published as a post-conference publication. But the conference organisers never got around to honouring their promise. So, we submitted the paper to a journal, and for almost a year (if I remember correctly), it remained with the editors because they couldn’t find expert reviewers. Just about when we decided to withdraw the paper from the first journal because of the administrative deadlock, a homegrown journal was revived, and the beloved paper found a home.
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​​The Tips
Tip 1: “International” does not always imply “better.” There are a lot of good local, non-predatory journals where you can publish your papers. Wisely diversify your publication avenues. But in all you do, strive to meet international standards even locally; don’t just aim to be a local champion.
Tip 2: As much as possible, have about 2-3 journals in mind arranged in order of priority while writing. It will give you direction regarding where to look next if rejected or withdrawn from one. It also helps meet guideline requirements like word count, referencing styles, etc.
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​Tip 3: Never rely solely on the promise of publication by conference or workshop organisers. Sometimes they won’t deliver. In instances where they do, your paper may not necessarily make the cut for various reasons. So, keep Tip 2 in mind always.
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Tip 4: To find journals for your paper, try the following:
a. Look at the journals of the papers you reference in your work. Since most are on a related topic, it will help you know where to look.
b. Do a simple journal search online with the relevant keywords. Then, read the aims and objectives of the journals you find to know if your paper will fit. You can send your abstract to the journal editor to be double sure it's a good fit before submission.
c. Ask your colleagues. They may have good suggestions for you.
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#6 The Tale Behind My First Single Author Paper
It’s the first month of 2025; let’s hear some tales and tips about firsts. The central question of my first academic and co-authored paper was whether illegally obtained evidence is admissible in Ghanaian courts.
The paper, co-authored with Chris Nyinevi, is titled “To Admit or Not to Admit: A Comparative Constitutional Perspective on Illegally Obtained Evidence in Ghana.” The paper came on the back of the corruption scandal that rocked Ghana’s judiciary in 2015 during the release of the Tiger eye tapes.
The full paper is available here.
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The Tale
The background story of this paper is long-winded. But I will try to keep it short. My co-author, Dr. Chris Nyinevi, is my first academic mentor. During one of my dissertation meetings as an undergraduate with him as my supervisor, I hinted at my interest in pursuing an academic career. He took me seriously and invited me to co-author this paper while I had yet to step foot in academia. The experience gave me valuable insights into the academic research and writing world because I learned on the job, more like pre-the job … lol. So, I already had a paper to my name by the time I was in academia (which he also led me into). Thank God for good mentors who have mentee's interests at heart.
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​​The Tips
Tip 1: It’s good to share your dreams and aspirations with the right people already in the field you aspire to get into. You never know who will hold your hand on the journey. Nonetheless, be circumspect because there are some out there to draw blood.
Tip 2: When the Lord leads you to a good mentor, humble yourself to learn.
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Tip 3: You are never too young or old to dream or attempt great things. I was not yet an academic and was way younger when I co-authored this paper. My age and status then did not stop me.
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Tip 4:
As an early career researcher, consider co-authoring papers at the start of your journey to build the experience until you feel comfortable enough to be a lead or single author.
Happy New Year!
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#5 Researching Taboo Topics
News that leads to researching weird and taboo topics. Do the dead, if the living sexually abuse their bodies, have rights?
This question and more were the focus of my paper titled “Medico-legal and ethical issues of necrophilia: A Ghanaian perspective".
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The Tale
In 2018, when a popular dancehall artiste died in Ghana, one of the topics that came up in the news related to her death was that her manager and father planned to sue the mortuary attendant who allegedly violated her body in a circulated video. I wondered under which laws they were going to file the action. That inquiry took me down the road of researching necrophilia and the laws regulating it in Ghana. Necrophilia simply means sex with or sexual attraction to corpses.
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​​The Tips
Tip 1: Listen to the news. When listening, do so with a research ear. The news is an endless source of research ideas. As stated in T&T with DR. MEAK #4, ‘Pay “research attention” to the news you watch and listen to.’
Tip 2: Where possible, present your research at a gathering of your peers and experts, e.g., a conference, workshop, or seminar. The questions and input from them will shape your paper for the better. I presented the paper at a medical law conference and received valuable insights.
Have an excellent rest of the year! My last tip before I sign off Tales & Tips with Dr. MEAK for 2024 is to plan your research agenda for 2025. Planning always brings clarity and gets you ahead. See you in 2025 with more tales and tips!
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​Read more on necrophilia and the law in my open-access article here: https://journal.ucc.edu.gh/index.php/ucclj/article/view/414
Image credit: https://vidhilegalpolicy.in/blog/an-analysis-into-the-laws-governing-necrophilia-in-india/
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#4 Saying Yes To A Challenge
What it means to be prepared in and out of season in academia and the ripple effect of saying yes to a challenge.
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The Tale
When the kitchen stool scandal (a revenge porn scandal) went viral in Ghana, I knew I would like to do some research on it in the future. I just didn’t know when. Later, one of my mentors, @J. Jarpa Dawuni presented me with a conference opportunity (initially partially funded, later became fully funded) and asked if I could submit an abstract. There was a short window to submit. I said yes without knowing what I was going to submit. I would later take a glance at my list of “research ideas for later,” and the revenge porn idea was the perfect fit. I got to work - abstract, first draft, conference presentation, book chapter opportunity (from the same mentor), second draft, third draft, minor revisions, chapter published!
The chapter titled “Revenge pornography as a form of sexual and gender-based violence in Ghana” is freely available to read and download here:
For a quick insight into the topic, see a related blog post here:
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​​The Tips
Tip 1: Have an idea dumpsite where you drop all your research ideas. It could be in your journal, notes on your phone, or a folder on your laptop. Those ideas will be useful at critical times - especially those out-of-season times.
Tip 2: As an early career researcher, say yes to a challenge, then go and learn how to do it. It will expose you to different learnings. As you move into the mid and senior levels, you can be selective about what to say yes to when you have mastered your craft.
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Tip 3: Remember the opportunity was initially partially funded and later became fully funded? At some point in your career, be willing to make some financial investment where necessary if you have the means or can find the means. Sometimes favour may locate you and you won’t have to part with money like it happened in this particular situation.
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Tip 4: Everyday happenings in the news could trigger research ideas. Pay ‘research attention’ to the news you watch and listen to.
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Tip 5: Is your mentor mentoring you or you can explain? Are you also a “mentorable” person or you can explain some more? Mentorship goes a long way to pull you up in your career. Seek out good ones and make sure you have a learning attitude.
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Pro Tip: When you identify a potential mentor, don’t ask them, “Can you be my mentor?” and wait to be mentored. Give value, be intentional about keeping in touch, and let the mentorship relationship grow organically. There! You’re on your way to earning a great mentor!
#3 Three Fights in Parliament in a Year!
Is democracy endangered when parliamentarians are seen brawling on the job not once, not twice, but three times in the same year? Our paper, “Legislative Violence in Ghana: A Threat to Democracy?” provides some answers.
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The Tale
This paper is one of the fastest I have ever worked on. There are many reasons, but two stand out: deep interest and co-authorship.
From day one, I was interested in Ghana’s 8th parliament because it was nothing like we had seen before - a hung parliament. The functioning of the 8th parliament, their fisticuff and all, provided many teaching and research materials. This paper focused on the parliamentary brawls - the factors explaining them and the consequences on democracy. Co-authoring the paper with my colleague, Kwadwo Bioh Agyei, expedited the writing process. It’s true what they say: if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
Here are two links to different versions of the paper:
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​​The Tips
Tip 1: By all means, do research that genuinely interests you. Sometimes, your passion for the topic is the only thing that will take you to the finish line.
Tip 2: Consider co-authoring. Co-authorship gets you ahead faster because you work on less than 100% of the paper. Co-authorship also signals that a researcher is collaborative. However, be discerning about who you co-author with; some are leeches.
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Bonus Tip: Consider writing a blog post version of your academic papers. It has multiple benefits, including making the core of your research message readily available to and accessible by academic and non-academic readers, especially when the journal version is behind a paywall.
#2 When a Tweet Becomes a Torch
When does a tweet become a torch? Discover how social media justifies and fuels real-life mob justice in my latest article titled "You deserve mob justice too": Discursive justifications of mob (in)justice on social media in Africa.
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The Tale
The article's subject matter—mob justice and social media - is different from my usual area of research. Still, I enjoyed writing it even though I had to comb through countless thousands of tweets, filter to about 2500 tweets, and finally settle on 319.
My primary motivation for conducting this study was to respond to a conference call for abstracts. It wasn’t difficult thinking about what to write, so I submitted my abstract but didn’t make the cut. However, like I said earlier, I really enjoyed working on the topic, so I decided to develop it for publication. It was also desk rejected at the first journal I submitted it to.
I’m excited to share that I presented my research on ethical dilemmas in methodology at a British Academy workshop and wrote an initial blog about it. The blog version of the article is also available on the LSE Africa blog. I also presented this research at the "Law in a Digital World" event at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Socio-Legal Studies and was interviewed by DW on the topic.
Links:
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​​The Tips
Tip 1: Don’t let rejection or missed opportunity prevent you from pursuing your dreams. Find alternatives. Keep moving.
You may end up with a better opportunity than you were initially seeking.
Tip 2: When next you see a call for papers/abstracts on a research area that interests you, save it. Even if you are not going to apply, save it. Call for papers/abstracts are an excellent source of research ideas. You can always go back to review them when scouting for new research to work on.
So, here are my two cents on how conversations on X rationalize mob justice in Africa:
The link gives free access to the paper for the next 50 days. I'll be working on a blog version soon, but in the meantime, I'd like you to dive into the unsettling reality of social media-driven mob justice with this more extended version.
#1 An Academic Paper Four Years In The Making
The Tale
Sometimes, there’s a dramatic behind-the-scenes story to academic papers. I’m sharing one of mine because of the many lessons it taught me.
My most recent publication on internal displacement has been four years in the making. First drafted in 2019, the same year I started my Ph.D. After two rounds of peer review with the first journal it was rejected.
However, I incorporated the comments and sent them to another journal in 2020. I made the recommended revisions after two rounds of peer review. This back and forth took almost two years by which time I believed I had made the circuit and expected either an accept or reject. But the next email I received requested that I make additional changes. I sighed. The additional revisions did not go to the core of the paper. So, I decided I won’t do it. I emailed journal editors basically saying I won’t do XYZ proposed by the reviewer because it does not impact the paper’s main argument. My position, therefore, leaves them to decide whether to accept/reject and I await their response.
A few more months passed no response. I emailed the editors again basically asking “How far?” Not too long after that (I think about 2 weeks) I received an "accepted" email. And after that, it would take two more follow-up emails to get it published.
​​The Tips
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Tip 1: Don’t give up easily but don’t also be fixated on one thing to the detriment of others. While I kept pushing for this paper’s publication I was working on others. Imagine I had waited for this to be published before moving on to the next. It took four years within which time I have had 18 more publications including an edited book, and also completed a whole thesis!
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Tip 2: Don’t be put down by rejection. At the time I wrote the paper, I was just starting to write academic papers and didn’t know all the nuances. I knew rejections were part of the process and I was braced for them.
Tip 3: Don’t forget to take the good out of rejections. Remember, I incorporated the earlier comments from the first journal’s rejection. It made the feedback at the next journal less biting.
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Tip 4: Things take time, especially and rather slowly in academia. As a speedy Gonzales, I find the system frustrating most of the time. But I’ve learnt to cope and if anything, it’s made me a bit more patient in this instant tech world we find ourselves and also pick up a key life principle that success takes time. Be willing to go through the process.
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Tip 5: Let the expected end motivate you to keep going but take breaks where needed. Every time I received an email about this paper I wanted to give up. I will give myself time to get over my feelings and let reason take over. Then I will work on it.
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Tip 6: Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. People are busy. Following up is a reminder and attention-grabbing tool to get things done for you timeously. Editors are swamped with lots of manuscripts. Reviewers are scarce these days. Had I not followed up, it would have taken longer to publish.
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Tip 7: Don’t hesitate to speak up for yourself. This is especially for my Ghanaian folks. Our environment doesn’t encourage speaking up because it’s sometimes taken the wrong way. But I have learnt that you’re the best person to speak up for yourself. I have also learnt that you don’t have to always accept things as they are. Negotiate, ask questions, and make your case. But most importantly know when and how to speak up. Had I kept quiet, this paper wouldn’t have been published yet.
Negotiate, ask questions, and make your case. But most importantly know when and how to speak up.
So, after four years of waiting, perseverance, speaking up, and following up, I am happy to announce that my paper on enforcing the Kampala Convention to better protect IDPs is published! It’s my 20th academic paper since joining academia and my first post-PhD publication.