Ian White

Publisher, Journals (Education)

Routledge/Taylor & FrancisEmail: ian.white@tandf.co.uk

Publishing in Academic Journals

Tips to help you Publish Successfully

August, 2009

Slides• Audience and Type of Publication• Choosing the Correct Journal• Assessing the Best Journal for your Article• Writing for your Chosen Journal• Preparing the Journal Manuscript• Top Ten Reasons Why Journal Articles are

Rejected• www.educationarena.com• And Finally!

Audience and Type of Publication

• Local, UK, international• Teachers, researchers, general public• Magazine article• Books• Research note• Literature review• Journal article: Do you

– Write an article for a specific journal– Find a journal for your article

Choosing the Correct Journal

• Research the journals in your field– Library– Websites– Talk to Peers

• Type of journal– General– Niche

• Familiarise yourself with the aims and scope of journals in your area

• Choose the ‘Best’ journal for your article

Assessing the Best Journal for Your Article

• What is the circulation/readership?• Is it international?• Is it peer reviewed? How long will this take?• Who is the Editor?• Who is on the Editorial Board?• Who Publishes in the Journal?• Is it listed in the Social Science Citation Index?• Available online and/or printed?• Is it published by a major publisher or association?

Writing for Your Chosen Journal

• Look at previous papers to get a feel for what is accepted

• Check the aims and scope again• Take note of maximum extent of the submission• Follow any submission guidelines

– Check if the submission is to an online editorial office, many now use ManuscriptCentral™, or Editorial Manager™

• Quote from previous papers published in the journal• Send an abstract to the editor? (some editors do not

encourage this)

Preparing the Journal Manuscript

• Read the note to contributors• Write an abstract: this is a skill, it shouldn’t be the

same as the conclusion!• Ensure references cited in text, appear in bibliography• Expand any acronyms, remember it is an international

audience• Check spelling and grammar• Take care when choosing the title, remember

academics may find it via a search engine

Manuscript Preparation Cont’d.

• Figures, tables and photographs– Check they are ALL present

– Place in a separate file

– Do not embed in the text of the manuscript

– Consider how they will appear in the journal

– Ensure you have the correct © copyright clearance

• Ask a colleague to read paper prior to submission

Peer Review

• What system (if any) does the Journal employ?

• e.g. “double anonymous”

– How many reviewers will review my paper – How long will it take?– What kind of response can I expect?– What if I get rejected/accepted?

Top Ten Reasons Why Journal Articles are Rejected

1 Sent to wrong journal2 Not a proper article (i.e. too journalistic, or clearly a thesis chapter, or

a consultancy report)3 Too long (ignoring word limits for the particular journal) or too short4 Poor regard to conventions of journal (failure to consult Notes for

Contributors) or to conventions of academic writing generally5 Bad style, grammar, punctuation; poor English (not corrected by

native speaker)6 Fails to say anything of significance (i.e. makes no new contribution

to the subject) or states the obvious at tedious length7 Not properly contextualised (e.g. concentrates on parochial interests

and ignores the needs of an international or generally wider readership)

8 No theoretical framework (including references to relevant literature)9 Scrappily presented and clearly not proofread10 Libellous, unethical, rude

Some accepted protocols

• It is a pre-condition of submission for peer-reviewed journals that your paper has not been previously published. (this includes in online form)

• Do not submit your paper to more than one journal at a time– Your paper should not be under

consideration by another journal at the time of submission

© Copyright

• (Most publishers require some form of either copyright assignment or license to publish from authors.)– Check the notes for contributors and any

Publisher’s copyright policy and author rights documents carefully. These can usually be found on Publishers’ web sites, e.g. www.informaworld.com/smpp/authors_journals_copyright_position~db=all

www.educationarena.com

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And Finally!

•Do NOT get disillusioned by rejection•Be prepared to re-write or alter your paper•Make use of the referee’s comments•Try again•Good luck!

– There IS a journal out there for you. Somewhere!