What are the things one should consider, as a postdoc, before accepting or rejecting an invitation to contribute a book chapter? The proposed book is a handbook in a developing field of engineering.
Answer
When I get an invitation to contribute a book chapter (or conference paper in an invited session), I usually ask myself the following questions:
- Can I have a reasonable contribution ready for the proposed submission deadline?
- Is the venue I am invited to a good fit and does it provide the best possible visibility for my contribution?
- Do I want to invite the person inviting me to similar occasions in the future?
Ideally, you should be able to answer at least questions 1 and 2 with "yes" before accepting the invitation. If your answer to question 2 would be "no", it may still be wise to accept the invitation in view of question 3. For this type of invitations, I would try to find a smaller contribution which fits the visibility of the proposed publication venue. In a book chapter, for example a summarizing synthesis of some of your previous results might be appropriate.
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