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Murdoch University Postgraduate Writing Fellowships Scheme

The Research and Development (R&D) Board has established the Murdoch University Postgraduate Writing Fellowships Scheme, which is administered by the Graduate Centre. It is designed to support research students who have submitted their theses for examination, to finalise the publication of books based on their theses.

Eligibility

The conditions of eligibility are closely related to the criteria used by the Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations for acceptance of books as approved research publications. Approved research publications are a component of DEEWR’s performance-based research and research training funding allocation formula. Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis according to the following conditions:

• The Murdoch University Postgraduate Writing Fellowships are available to support any completed postgraduate research student (PhD, Professional Doctorates, Research Masters) from any part of Murdoch University, to publish a book based on their thesis. Assistance to publish edited books, revisions/new editions, textbooks, anthologies, translations, creative works (such as novels), papers, and conference publications will not be supported.
• Applicants must be recently completed postgraduate research students. Students yet to complete are not eligible for support from the Murdoch University Writing Fellowships Applications from students graduated from Murdoch University for longer than one year will not be eligible.
• The authors must consist entirely of staff and students of Murdoch University (this includes adjunct appointments, where their affiliation, as stated on the book cover, is Murdoch University). Proposals involving co-authorship with persons external to Murdoch University are not eligible for support from the Murdoch University Writing Fellowships.

Application Requirements

Applications should include the outline of the book contents, a list of those chapters of the book that have been completed, those yet to be completed, and the stage of completion of the uncompleted chapters. It should also indicate the work to be completed before the manuscript can be forwarded to the publisher. Applications should include a clear and realistic timetable for each component of the project. It should indicate the total period of time for which the Writing Fellowship will be required.

Applications should also include a copy of the publisher's contract that demonstrates a publisher's commitment to publish the book. The application should also indicate the number of copies (of the book) the publisher intends to produce. Written acceptance by a publisher (eg a letter) will be accepted in the interim, but the contract must be provided before Writing Fellowship payments can commence. The publisher must be recognised by DEEWR for accreditation purposes. Please see the following website for the Register of Acceptable Commercial Publishers:

http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/4E2ADB51-4F0C-4FC0-A6C3-6AC0D2295068/10057/RegisterofAcceptableCommercialPublishers31Dec05.pdf

It is important to note that inclusion on this register does not guarantee that all books published by the organisation will be eligible for accreditation and that there are other requirements that the book itself must meet.

These requirements are outlined below:

• Be a major work of scholarship
• Be offered for sale
• Have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
• Be written entirely by a single author, or by joint authors who share responsibility for the whole book

The types of books that may meet these criteria include:

• Critical scholarly texts (e.g. music, medieval or classical texts)
• New interpretations of historical events
• New ideas or perspectives based on established research findings

DEEWR’s Register of Acceptable Commercial Publishers also states that books published by companies not listed, may still be eligible for accreditation. To be eligible, and un-listed publisher must demonstrate that publishing is the core business of the company. If publishing is the core business of a company, this can be demonstrated through publicly available information on the organisation, eg the company's web page, that:

• Indicates that publishing of books is the sole or main business of the organisation
• Provides evidence that the company is responsible for the distribution of books
• Provides evidence of the ability to purchase books from the publisher or other publications outlet/s.

If publishing is not the core business of the organisation but it has a distinct organisational entity devoted to commercial publication, listing on the Register can be obtained by demonstrating through publicly available documentation that:

• Publications are not completely paid for or subsidised by the parent organisation or a third party;
• The publishing arm is responsible for the distribution of books; and
• There is an ability to purchase books from the organisation or other publications outlet/s.

The acceptance by the publisher should clearly indicate authorship and affiliation of authors. Applicants would be well advised to refer to the fact sheets prepared by A/Prof Tara Brabazon, that outline how to prepare and structure a proposal as well as other useful tips that should be considered when approaching publishers.

Guidelines

Applications are assessed throughout the year and are awarded in 4 rounds. Applications close on 1 February, 1 May, 1 August and 1 November each year. Successful applicants must work full time on the completion of a book for publication. No concurrent awards or employment are permitted without the written approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies. The Writing Fellowship has a maximum duration of 6 months. No extensions are allowed. Successful applicants will be offered a contract. The contract will give attention to the above conditions, specify milestones, and require the book to be published with an affiliation to Murdoch University, and to no other institution. Failure to meet the stated conditions will be a breach of contract. Continued payment of the Writing Fellowship will be conditional on meeting any conditions and milestones included in the contract. Once published, Writing Fellowship holders will be required to deliver a copy of the book to the Murdoch University Graduate Centre.

Payment of Award

The amount of the award is equivalent to half the rate of remuneration provided by an Australian Postgraduate Award over a maximum period 6 months. In 2008 this amount is $10,003.50. These payments are taxable. Scholarships awarded for periods shorter than 6 months, will be adjusted on a pro-rata basis. Payments may be conditional upon meeting agreed milestones. The author(s) will retain royalties from the publication.

Application Forms and Facts Sheets

Application Form(Word Format 69kb)
Application Form (PDF Format 56kb)

Click here to download publishing facts sheets (Word Document).
Click here to download publishing facts sheets (PDF Document).

Applications should be submitted to: