Thinking about submitting an article to an academic journal
but finding the process daunting?
I have trawled through what is out there to support people
writing for academic publication and came up with a list of the best (in my
opinion). I was looking for resources that gave advice, support and guidance on
all different aspects of the process – from the idea, to writing, to actually
getting published.
If you want to make suggestions for additions to this list, please e-mail me.
This piece, written by Nat Copsey, Professor of Politics at Aston
University in Birmingham, offers tips on publishing journal articles. While
it relates to the UK, the advice is likely to be useful regardless of your
location. His main focus is how on how publishing will help your academic
career. Publishing in peer-reviewed journals is generally vital for career progression
regardless of your location.
Copsey stresses the need to identify the right journal for your
article and suggests there are benefits to collaborative writing especially in
terms of support and encouragement. I found it a very encouraging article. It
suggests the academic writer should aim high – to help you here, contact your
librarian, who will be able to advise on journal impact factor. It also states
that it is not necessary to make all of the peer reviewers suggested amendments, if you feel
strongly that they shouldn’t be made (but do give your reasons in your reply to
the editor) and most importantly, he urges the writers not to give up, no matter how often
you are rejected.
@natcopsey
In contrast to Copsey’s article, which focuses on process, I
found this article much more person focused. The feelings involved in collaboration,
criticism and waiting for feedback are all discussed.
The piece gives good advice on collaboration in
particular, including issues around authorship. It stresses the differences
between writing for college or university (essays and theses) and writing for
academic publication, which I think, can be useful for first time authors at
the start of their careers.
While other articles mentioned in this blog
post might come across as warm and supportive, that is not the case here. It
doesn't sugar coat anything and tells the reader that if they want to publish
to just get on with it. It strongly encourages confidence on the part of the
potential author.
Written by Leah Fargotstein, a Social Science Journals
Editor at SAGE, this blog post gives practical advice on the actual
process of writing for academic publication.
This includes topics such as how to make your article stand out from the
crowd. Again, it is aimed at the first time author, new to the process and to
the academic world in general. What I really liked about
this piece is that it is based on questions that Fargotstein has actually been asked. Thus, it is all
practical and extremely useful information. It explains the processes involved in
submitting for publication and details things you should never do such as never
send your full article to the editor outside of the submission process.
Twitter – @LFargotstein
Written by an editor from SAGE this poster offers a step-by-step guide to the process of writing
and publishing in an academic journal. It includes useful checklists and bullet
points. It deals with rejection and how to cope with that as well
as the opposite - what happens once your paper has been accepted? It
outlines all of the do's and don’ts at various parts of the
process.
Written by Hugh McLaughlin, Professor
of Social Work at Manchester Metropolitan University and Editor–in-Chief of Social Work Education: the InternationalJournal, I found this article quite wordy.
There are no easy to follow bullet points or headings. Once you
get to the kernel of what is said however, I did find it supportive. I really
liked the fact that it covered the different types of journal articles such as articles based on research, theoretical or
conceptual pieces, a case study or even a reflective piece based on your
practical or academic experience.
Professor Rowena Murray, Professor
in Education and Director of Research at the University of the West of Scotland, is the author of this
useful and supportive piece.
Collaboration is one of the topics covered.
It is a thought-provoking piece in that it
asks many questions of the reader, in order to make them think deeply and
engage with their subject. It stresses
the necessity for preparation and writing from a research base. In addition, it
covers personal well-being during the process. It is well
rounded in this regard. Murray is the author of a number of well-known
titles on academic writing including Writing
in social spaces: a social processes approach to academic writing.
Twitter – @murray_rowena
Written by Bert Blocken, Professor in the
Department of the Built Environment at Eindhoven University of Technology, I found this piece
particularly clever and noteworthy as it is backwards. Instead of giving tips
on how to write a good article and how to get published, it gives tips on how
to write a journal article that would never be published. This provides humour
through the learning as you just reverse his tips for good advice.
It is very easy to read with
a list of all the topics covered at the start and takes a very realistic approach to writing and
submitting. It comes heavy with research advice and advice on writing the
article itself.
Twitter – @BertBlocken
This resource provides a
one-stop shop for all kinds of articles on various parts of
the process of writing and submitting.
Twitter - @Write4Research
Twitter list - Serious Writing Advice
Other Useful Twitter Accounts
@researchwhisper is another Twitter resource on all
aspects of the process that I found especially useful.
Pat Thomson, Professor in Education, Arts and Writing Research at
University of Nottingham, has a useful Twitter page on all aspects of the
writing process.
@ThomsonPat
@LSEImpactblog
Really useful information about writing, bibliometrics, altmetrics and much more.
@LSEImpactblog
Really useful information about writing, bibliometrics, altmetrics and much more.
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