On April 10, Dr. Ali Bilgiç (IR) and Dr. Zeki Sar?gil (POLS) gave a talk, “Publishing Your Thesis as Journal Articles or a Book,” as a part of the FEASS Doctoral Workshop Series.

Dr. Sar?gil, who spoke first, focused on the question “Why publish?” with emphasis on publishing in journals. He took the audience through the steps of publishing: sharing articles in order to receive feedback, choosing the right journal, and timing and style of the initial submission, as **************** well as the processes of acceptance, revision and resubmission, and rejection.

The workshop continued with Dr. Bilgiç’s presentation on book publishing, which included pointers on choosing the right publishing house and writing a good book proposal. He outlined the elements that should be incorporated into a proposal, such as the rationale behind the book, the novelty of the work, and the target market.

The workshop concluded with a question and answer session, during which FEASS faculty members shared their own publishing experiences, and PhD candidates raised additional questions about the publishing process.

As part of the FEASS Doctoral Workshop Series launched in Fall 2013, Dr. Dimitris Tsarouhas (IR) and Dr. Emin Karagözoğlu (ECON) gave a talk entitled “Getting the Most Out of Conferences and Workshops” on February 6. Dr. Tsarouhas provided the audience with essential information about different stages of the conference participation process, including tips on preparing for a conference, giving a successful presentation and engaging in social networking. Dr. Karagözoğlu underlined the importance of attending conferences in order to gain visibility in academia, reminding PhD students that networking during conferences can be a key facilitator for professional development. The workshop concluded with a lively question and answer session.

The next workshop will be given by Dr. Ken Weisbrode (HIST) and Dr.  Selver Şahin (IR) on February 27. The title of the workshop is “Top Tips for Managing Your Supervisor and Surviving Your PhD.” This workshop is particularly recommended for all FEASS PhD students who have passed their comprehensive exams.

On November 28, Dr. Can Mutlu (IR) gave a talk on qualitative research techniques in the social sciences as part of the FEASS Doctoral Workshop series. Dr. Mutlu’s presentation covered a variety of issues related to the challenges and opportunities provided by qualitative research methods.

During his talk, Dr. Mutlu touched upon the main features of conducting qualitative research in the process of writing a PhD dissertation. He gave examples of various qualitative research methods that can be utilized in different research projects and reviewed the components that should be included in the methodology chapter of a dissertation. The session continued with a fruitful question and answer period in which doctoral students and faculty members discussed the difficulties that they have dealt with in their own research.

The next workshop will be given by Dr. Nil Şatana (IR) on December 19. The topic of Dr. Şatana’s presentation will be “Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences.” For the schedule of the workshop series, please see http://feass.bilkent.edu.tr.