I'm considering taking up freelance journalism full-time, while also hoping to publish research on cultural studies in established journals. I have been published on a research website before, and have also presented papers, but this was all about 5 years ago.
Wanted to know what the hurdles are while publishing academic papers as an independent researcher?
PS: I have done two postgraduate degrees in the field and I'm trying to build up a research portfolio before I apply to PhD programmes.
A PhD program is ultimately intended to train you to perform and publish research in your field of interest.
Most PhD students find this process very difficult, especially in the beginning, even with help. Most people with successfully completed PhD training still find this process very difficult, especially as they take their first steps independently of their mentor (though that doesn't mean mentorship ends at the end of a PhD; post-doctoral positions ordinarily have an explicit mentorship component, and tenure-track faculty still rely on mentors for advice).
The most immediate barriers you will encounter are not issues of "independent research" but rather issues of not having research training. If you've completed two postgraduate degrees, it sounds like you're ready for the full-time research training that comes with a PhD degree, and you should start applying now.
