Tips for Greater Success in Writing Journal Articles
Roger Hiemstra
(
(www-distance.syr.edu)
The purpose of this site is to provide a collage
of material selected from resources I provide in my graduate workshops on
professional writing and publishing. I hope you gain several ideas, tips, and
suggestions that are helpful as you consider writing journal articles. The Hiemstra
and Brier (2004) book serves as a major resource for this material.
Why Write Journal Articles?
1. There is
declining financial resources for professional travel at most institutions, so publications
are a way to communicate, stay abreast, exchange ideas, etc.
2. There
often is increasing pressure from administrators and others that you push
yourself to publish your work.
3. Personal
growth, enhanced self-discipline, personal lifelong learning, and career
enhancement come from the publication process by knowing others will benefit
from your work and that you can feel connected to the profession.
4. It is
important to your discipline that you help create new ideas, advance theory,
describe your emerging techniques, challenge widely held views, and influence
others with your growing knowledge base.
5. You serve
your profession, your field, and knowledge in general by adding to it.
Tips for Writing Journal Articles
1. In order
to get an article published you first must write one (the biggest stumbling
block for many prospective authors).
2. Study the
most timely topics in the field – uniqueness, future mindedness, and current
interests are usually the best bet.
3. Study the
periodicals. All provide clues to the type of content areas or topics being
accepted. Main point: Select the one
seemingly best suited for your manuscript.
4. Use a short, dynamic cover letter – point out
the value of the article to readers of that journal, but do it professionally,
and mention adherence to their stylistic guidelines.
5. Study the
techniques of writing and the writing techniques expected for a specific
journal. Note, too, that wordiness is not appreciated in this day of rising
printing and postage costs.
6. Get it
written! My suggestion is to write a
first draft without worry about correctness and exact wording, let it rest for
a few days, then rewrite and polish it. Also remember to ask others to read it
– seek feedback, especially at first.
7. The lead
to an article is very important – it needs to grab a reader’s attention, so
spend lots of time in the development process.
8. Submit a
perfect copy to the journal; it should be word-processed, clean, appropriate
stylistically, etc.
9. Never
submit a manuscript to more than one publisher at a time; however, remember my
3x3 rule – three articles or more are possible on each major idea and if you
receive a rejection, submit each manuscript to at least two more journals
before abandoning that particular idea.
10. Keep
writing, keep trying!
Adhering to Stylistic Guidelines
It is crucial that you understand and adhere to
the stylistic guidelines required by any periodical to which you intend to
submit a manuscript. Many editors will simply return a manuscript and request
that it be redone according to their stylistic requirements before resubmitting
it. In addition, some reviewers will question the overall care with which you
completed your writing effort if you violate the style expectations. Most
periodicals publish their stylistic requirements regularly, make them available
upon request, or display them online. Other periodicals simply note that
authors need to utilize published guidelines such as the American Psychological
Association’s current stylistic manual, the Chicago Manual of Style, etc.
It also is possible to create your own stylistic
guidelines by examining several issues of a journal. Look for those clues
necessary to understand what is expected, such as the type of articles
published, any statements about submission expectations, the types of headings
used, how references are formatted, etc. Figures 1 and 2 provide some templates
that could be used in this process.
Journal/Magazine Name
___________________________________________
Contact Information:
Editor's
name _________________________________
Address _________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Phone/FAX _________________________________
Email ID _________________________________
Web site URL _________________________________
Submission Guideline
Information (Postal or Online Possibilities):
Style used _________________________________
No. of copies _________________________________
Margins needed _________________________________
Postal address _________________________________
Online address _________________________________
Publication Information:
Frequency _________________________________
Deadlines _________________________________
Review Information:
Review type _________________________________
Time allowed _________________________________
Legal Requirements:
Warrant needed* _________________________________
Permissions _________________________________
Other Needs _________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
__________
*Typically a written and signed statement
guaranteeing that you have not submitted the manuscript to another periodical,
that your work is original, and that you have received all necessary approvals
for tables, charts, etc.
Figure
1. Periodical Summary Information.
(Adapted
from Hiemstra & Brier, 1994)
Journal/Magazine
Name: _______________________________________
|
Examination Topic |
Article No. 1 |
Article No. 2 |
Article No. 3 |
|
Title: |
|
|
|
|
Seriation
Style: |
|
|
|
|
Type
of Heading: 1st Order 2nd Order 3rd Order |
|
|
|
|
Quoting
Format: |
|
|
|
|
Word
Count Estimate: |
|
|
|
|
References: No. used Style used |
|
|
|
|
Table
Format: |
|
|
|
|
Figures
Format: |
|
|
|
|
Other
Visuals Used: |
|
|
|
|
Citations: No. used Style used |
|
|
|
|
Special/Peculiar
Info.: |
|
|
|
|
Misc.
Comments |
|
|
|
Figure 2.
Creating a Journal's Stylistic Guidelines.
(Adapted
from Hiemstra & Brier, 1994)
Several Writing Tips
1. There are four
stages to a successful writing process: Prewriting, text development, revising,
and editing (see the next section).
2. The three
most important characteristics of a successful writer are personal commitment
to hard work, self-discipline, and perseverance.
3. Always
seek comments about your manuscript from at least two people who will provide
honest feedback; then utilize such feedback to improve your work.
4. A
successful writer acquires and uses a variety of writing resources.
5. You should
visualize yourself both as a writer and as involved in the process of writing
an article.
6. Identify
the kinds of writing you like to do and that you do well. Use this
understanding as a foundation on which you build your publication efforts.
7. You need
to determine the tone, mood, and emphasis that your article will take.
8. Think
about a subject for your writing in various ways to fully explore an article’s
possibilities.
9. You should
determine who is your primary audience. A journal's stylistic guidelines often
provides such information.
10. Have a
clear purpose for your article. Write this purpose down if you can.
11. Be a
critic of your own writing, be as objective as possible, but be fair with
yourself.
12. Designate
a regular part of each week for your writing and establish deadlines for
completing aspects of the writing process. Discipline
yourself to meet your schedule of deadlines.
13. Design an
environment for your normal writing that is compatible and conducive to
success.
14. You
should understand well the manuscript submission process that is expected by
the journal to which you will send your article.
15. The
paragraph is the primary organizing unit from which most writing evolves.
16. The basic
structural elements of your writing include phrases within sentences.
17. An
introductory section should grab the reader's attention while establishing
writing authority.
18. Edit your
article by looking for problems in word usage, grammar, spelling, and clarity.
19. Believe
in the value of what you are writing about in terms of making a difference for
readers.
20.
Timeliness of the subject matter about which you are writing is important to
most journals.
21. Be sure
to match the perspective you are taking with the appropriate journal. Many journals
restrict their articles to only a few perspectives.
22. Two
important references for technical support are a dictionary (hard copy or
online) and appropriate stylistic manual.
23. Pay
special attention to subject-verb agreement, as the most common grammatical
problem is lack of agreement.
24. Over time
you need to develop a style of writing that is your own.
25. Avoid the
over use of jargon or technical language in your article unless the audience
level dictates such use.
26. There are
several text effectiveness criteria you should apply to each article, ranging
from the value or timeliness of content to the tone or readability of your
word.
Four Stages of Good Writing
The following four
stages are emphasized in Hiemstra and Brier (1994). Most authors of books and
articles on professional publishing and writing usually omit step one, but we
believe this step is crucial in creating a successful finished product.
1. Prewriting
·
Find
ideas, reviewing appropriate literature, brainstorming with colleagues, and
thinking about your daily work problems
·
Analyze
prospective periodicals and understanding their stylistic requirements and
expectations
·
Determine
who is your audience
·
Establish
your purpose in writing
·
Make
good use of information or data
·
Commit
to carrying out appropriate planning activities.
2. Text Development
·
Determine
a good introduction or lead
·
Work
on the body (heart) of the article
·
Write
in paragraphs and sections and including good transitions between sections
·
Develop
convincing conclusions, making appropriate recommendations, and creating a
stimulating ending
3. Revising as Appropriate
·
Revise
as needed
·
Seek
critiques from at least two colleagues
·
Reread
and rework your own writing
·
Always
think about communicating with your reader clearly and precisely
4. Final Editing
·
Carry
out appropriate editing and proofing (see the section on careful proofing)
·
Ensure
there is technical correctness
·
Use
your spell checking and grammar checking software (some software possibilities
are listed the “Reading Suggestions” section, although most word processing
software provides some related help here)
·
Look
for consistency throughout
Obtaining a Better Manuscript at Stage Four
1. Write it!
·
Don’t
worry about tight editing initially
·
“Let
it flow out” (Stages one to three)
2.
Let it sit for at least two days after finishing that first draft
3. Then do the first of perhaps
several sweeps: For example, check for spelling errors, then check for grammar
errors, look for good transitions between sections, look for consistency in
style and word use throughout, etc.
4. Print out this second draft or work with it on screen
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as necessary
6. Then use Roger’s tally method (described in a later section) to
remove 15 to 20% of the words
7. Print out for submission or email to the editor what usually will be
a much improved manuscript
The Importance of Careful Proofing
It is very important that you spend adequate time proofing
your final copy before you submit it. Because the journal is operated primarily
through the volunteer time of reviewers, editors, and support people, the
responsibility for a well written, well crafted, and carefully proofread
article falls on authors. Articles that clearly fall outside these three
responsibilities will need to be returned to authors for their further work.
1. An article
with many stylistic problems (especially APA 5th violations)
frequently will be returned to the author for changes before it ever enters the
review process. This action obviously means a time delay and more work for the
author.
2. An article
that is circulated to reviewers may still received less than glowing commentary
if they feel that stylistic problems or lack of adherence to stylistic
guidelines get in the way of effective communication.
3. The
author’s proof reading of a manuscript (of the next to final draft) before
submitting it to the editors usually will result in a better finished product.
You may be able to proofread during the recommended tally reduction process
described below, or you may desire to do it with an earlier draft.
4. Learning
proofing, copy editing, and tally reduction skills, and thoroughly
understanding APA 5th stylistic requirements, frequently results in
an improved manuscript. This will be a manuscript that typically has a better
chance of acceptance.
Roger’s Tally Method
I make the assumption that most authors write too many words
in developing their manuscripts. A careful control of the words used and using
various techniques for reducing the number of words usually results in a better
manuscript. Here are the steps I recommend for shortening your manuscript.
1. Count the
number of words on one page (or use your word processing software to determine
the number of actual words in your next to final version – if you use your
software skip to step three).
2. Multiply
that number by the total number of pages (estimate for figures, tables, etc.).
3. Multiply
the total by some target percentage for reduction (I recommend at least 15%).
For example, if you initially had 2500 words and wanted to reduce that by 20%,
you would have a final target reduction of 500 words.
4. Divide
that target figure (e.g., 500 words) by the number of pages to achieve a target
average for each page (for example, 500 words divided by 10 pages would equal a
reduction target of 50 words per page).
5. Use the
“tally” method to average a reduction of 50 words per page. I recommend
printing out a hard copy on which you carry out the tally method of reduction.
The tally methods is actually “counting” the number of words as you reduce them
with a series of tally marks, or vertical lines, one at a time, up to four (i.e.,
four vertical lines). Then place a diagonal line through the four lines to
indicate five:
Thus, at the top of the page you might have ten of these
five tally count symbols. You keep working over the pages until you “average” a
reduction of 50 words if that is your target. Almost always this will result in
a manuscript that reads better, is more clear, and that makes editors looking
for tightly written manuscripts very happy.
Common Problems Among Manuscripts
Following is a summary of several problems that are common
among manuscripts submitted for possible publication. Many of them are related
to APA (American Psychological Association, 2001) expectations or requirements
as that is the default styles utilized by many periodicals.
1. Sentences
with incorrect grammatical structure.
2. The use of
incorrect punctuation marks or grammatical protocols.
3. Sentences
that are too long or overly complicated.
4. The use of
incorrect or inconsistent heading styles.
5. Incorrect
or inconsistent seriation marks.
6. Using
stylistically incorrect or inadequate citational information.
7. Using
inadequate transitional words or sentences at the beginning or concluding
paragraphs in a section.
8. Overusing
articles (a, an, the) in a sentence or even a paragraph (see the next section).
9. Lack of
parallelism (plural/singular inconsistencies, lack of verb integrity, etc.).
10. Changing
the tense periodically (must maintain the established tense).
11. Unclear
antecedents for pronouns that are used (too far away from antecedent, another
noun in-between, etc.).
12. Too many
superfluous adjectives and adverbs.
I have developed a “primer” (Hiemstra, 2006) for writing a
journal article in the APA 5th (their fifth version and most
current) style. It should be helpful as you develop your manuscript, especially
if you do not have a copy of the guidelines (American Psychological
Association, 2001). Note, too, that there is a pdf version of the primer
(http://www-distance. syr.edu/apa5th.html).
Common Writing Mistakes
1. Lack of
agreement between noun and verb.
Wrong:
The older adults seems capable of learning throughout life
Better:
The older adult seems . . . –or–
Older
adults seem . . .
2. Incorrect or
inconsistent headings
Wrong:
Major headings centered one time but left justified the next time
Better:
Be consistent – APA 5th edition, has specific rules on 1st
order, 2nd order, 3rd, etc.
3. Using too
many articles (a, an, the, etc.) in a sentence.
Wrong:
The sample size and the methods used to assure the correct sample size suggest
that, with caution, the findings may serve as the basis for understanding the
level of participation by the older adults.
Better:
The sample size and selection method suggest that, with caution, study findings
may serve as a basis for understanding older adult participation levels.
4. Incorrect
pronoun and noun agreement
Wrong:
Jones and Smith (1990) found disagreement among the subjects. He noticed, for example, that older adults spent more time
with expressive ideas.
Better:
Jones and Smith . . . subjects. They observed that older adults . . .
5. Too many
prepositional phrases in a sentence.
Wrong:
These findings contribute to an understanding of the participation of older
adults in education by identifying differences and demonstrating an awareness
of learning needs.
Better:
These findings contribute to an understanding of older adult participation in
education by identifying differences and potential learning needs.
A Title, A Title, What's
In a Title!
Any
article's title should identify the contents as clearly and as concisely as
possible. Titles usually are stated in the form of a phrase, although it is not
unusual for a colon to separate two phrases. Following are some normal things
to avoid in selecting your title:
1.
Don't trivialize your main problem, question, or thesis.
Trivial: Better ethics for higher education
Better: An interdisciplinary code of ethics for
higher education
2.
Don't oversell the methodology used if it was primarily a means to a greater
end.
Weaker: Survey of public education in
Better: Need for reorganization of public
education in Syracuse, New York [could add something like the following if
necessary: Results from a survey of teachers and administrators]
3.
Use descriptive titles that reveal appropriate information and attract interest
in the article.
Weaker: Change in older adults
Better: A framework for describing change among
older adults
4.
Avoid including useless or nonessential words. Use what is necessary to peak
the reader's interest.
Clumsy: The history of the Perry movement's impact
on American education
Better: History of the Perry movement in U. S. education
Clumsy: The relationship of athletic participation
to male violence in society
Better: Athletic participation and male violence
[could add something like the following if necessary: Impact on society]
5.
Don't use words that are or could be taken as synonyms for each other.
Wrong: Growth and development of computer
technology in science and technology education
Better: Growth of computer technology in science
education
6.
Avoid the use of boastful words or terms that beg readers to believe in the
writer's credentials.
Clumsy: A critical analysis of the teaching
techniques used in teaching reading to elementary children
Better: Effective techniques for teaching
elementary children to read
Clumsy: A professional study of the instructional
design requirements for nuclear energy training
Better: Nuclear energy training's instructional
design requirements
7.
Avoid using time or place locators that are too specific unless absolutely
necessary for depicting a study within some little understood context.
Clumsy: History of African-American and White race
relations in several southern states during the sixties
Better: History of race relations in the South
[could add something like the following if necessary : A "sixties"
retrospective -or- something like : The sixties]
8.
Avoid catchy titles that seem to imply the article will lead eventually to a
best selling novel or trade book.
Catchy: The Salt City shakers: Computer
enhancement of the Central New York fault line [“Salt City” is a nickname for
Syracuse, NY]
Better: Earthquake potential in Central New York:
Computer enhancements
9.
Resist wordy titles, the temptation to oversell an idea, or the desire to serve
as a missionary for your passion.
Clumsy: A study of the effectiveness of Pro
Literacy's Learning Place with undereducated adults in
Better: The Learning Place in Syracuse, New York:
A Pro Literacy initiative
10.
Avoid misleading words or terminology with a double meaning.
Wrong:
Reliable procedures for collecting information concerning socio-economic
levels of rural adults [here it is not known if reliable means accurate or
consistent]
Better: Procedures for gathering socio-economic
information in rural areas
Reading/Reference
Suggestions
American Psychological
Association. (2001). Publications manual
(5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Apps. J. (1982). Improving your writing skills: A learning
plan for adults. New York: Cambridge (Follett).
Brockett, R. G. (1985).
Tips for the practitioner on writing book reviews. Lifelong Learning: An Omnibus of Practice and Research, 8(5),
29-31.
Dowling, L., &
Evanson, J. (1990). Writing articles: A
guide to publishing in your profession. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Company.
Elbow, P. (1981). Writing with power: Techniques for mastering
the writing process. New York: Oxford University Press.
Flesch, R. F. (1974). The art of readable writing (with the
Flesch readability formula). New York: Harper & Row.
Henson, K. T. (1988).
Writing for education journals. Phi Delta
Kappan, 69, 752-754.
Hiemstra, R. (2006) Writing articles for professional journals [a
simulated journal article in the APA, 5th ed., style]. Retrieved January 15,
2007, from /apa5th.html
Hiemstra, R., &
Brier, E. (1994). Professional writing:
Processes, strategies, and tips for publishing in educational journals.
Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company.
Maggio, R. (1990). How to say it: Choice words, phrases,
sentences, and paragraphs for every situation. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Moxley, J. M. (1992). Publish, don't perish: The scholar's guide
to academic writing and publishing. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing
Group.
Ross, S. M., &
Morrison, G. R. (1993). How to get research articles published in journals. Tech Trends, March, 29-33.
Shaw, R. (2002). Grammar
checkers helpful or harmful? USA Today.
Retrieved January 15, 2007, from
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2002/07/15/tech-grammar-full.htm
Smart Communications. (2007). MAXit Checker. Retrieved January 15, 2007, from http://www.smartny.com/
maxit.htm
Strunk, W., & White,
E. B. (1979). The elements of style (3rd
ed). New York: Macmillan Publishing.
StyleWriter: The Plain English Editor. (2007). Retrieved
January 15, 2007, from http://www.stylewriter-usa.com/stylewriter.html
Thyer, B. A. (1994). Successful publishing in scholarly journals.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Tracz, R.F. (Dr.
Grammar). (1991). Dr. Grammar's writes
from wrongs. New York: Vintage Books.
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