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Changing a paper topic for an edited collection?

In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

I've said I'll write something for an edited collection, and sent in an abstract. Now the time has come to write it, I've realised that a different paper (still within the remit of the collection) would be much more interesting. Is it too late? Or would it be acceptable for me to write the other paper, rather than than the one I said I would? I don't want to make a fuss or make life difficult for the editor. But if I'm free to swap plans it would make for a much more interesting paper!

I think the clear thing to do here is to ask the editor(s) of the collection. 

Does anyone else have any helpful tips or insights to share?

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4 responses to “Changing a paper topic for an edited collection?”

  1. Postdoc

    Something like this happened to me recently. My experience makes me second Marcus’ advice.
    I gave a paper at a workshop last year and the editors want to turn the proceedings into a volume, but it is not expected to be published until well into the future. In the meantime, I need to publish for CV and promotional purposes. Hence, I asked them about whether I could send the ms from the workshop out to journals and then submit another paper to the volume when that would be due. They were happy with this arrangement.

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  2. Just ask!

    The only person who can answer this question is the editor of the collection. So just ask! Write an abstract for the new paper, send it to the editor with an explanation of why you want to change the focus of your contribution, and see what they say.
    The exact same thing happened to me a few years ago with an invited contribution to a special issue of a journal, and this was the approach that I took. I’m glad that I did, as I ended up writing a more interesting paper that now gets a lot of engagement.

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  3. an editor

    I have edited two volumes, and the contributors had to submit abstracts which were refereed by the Press, and contracts were issued by the Press on the basis of these. So, in these cases it is very hard to replace your promised paper with a different one. In fact, these volumes had to go through a final review, and such a discrepancy would have been noticed. Indeed, as an editor, I would not have sent the volume in with a new unexpected paper (and not the one that the author had agreed to deliver). So it is imperative that you ask the editor(s) before making such a change.

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  4. Postdoc

    @ an editor:
    This is Postdoc from above. In the light of your comment, I want to make an addendum to mine: it is worth mentioning that the volume I am expected to contribute to and have changed my planned paper for has not had its abstracts submitted to a press yet. I imagine this made changing my paper easier.

    Reply

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