How to Write for International Journals?
Writing for international journals: 10 tips
What seems like common sense is not a common practice, said Rowena Murray, who shared her best tips for publication
1) Have a strategy, make a plan
Why do you want to write for a journal? What is your purpose? Did you write for research assessment? Or to make a difference? Does your writing have an impact or impact factor? Do you want to develop a profile in a certain area? Will this determine which journal you write? Have you calculated the impact factor?
Have you researched other researchers in your field - where were they published recently? Which group or conversation can you join? Some people write international journals first and then look for a 'home' for them, but because everything in your article - content, focus, structure, style - will be formed for a particular journal, saving you time by determining the target journal and finding out how to write in a manner consistent with that journal.
Having a writing strategy means making sure you have an external driver - like scoring points in a research assessment or going up the promotion ladder - and an internal driver - which means finding out why writing for international journals is important to you. This will help you maintain the motivation that you must write and publish in the long run. Because the time between submission in international journal call for papers and publications can take up to two years (although in some fields it is much less), you must be clear about your motivation.
2) Analysis of writing in journals in your field
Take a few journals in your field that you will target now or soon. Scan all abstracts for the past few problems. Their analysis: pay close attention to all first and last sentences. The first sentence (usually) gives a reason for research, and the last one confirms 'contribution to knowledge'. But the word 'contribution' might not exist - it's related to a doctorate degree. So which word is used? What is new knowledge in this journal at this time? How can you build a similar form of contribution from the work you do? What two sentences would you write to begin and end your abstract for the journal?
Scan the rest of the article: how is the structure? What is the component of the argument? Highlight all topic sentences - the first sentence of each paragraph - to show the stages in the argument. Can you see the taxonomy of writing genres that appear in this journal? Can you determine the different paper types, different structures and decide which is the most suitable for your paper? Choose two types of paper: one is the type of paper that you can use as a model for you, and one that you can quote on your paper, so that it joins the ongoing research conversation in the journal.
3) Outline and write only
Which type of writer are you: do you always outline before writing, or just dive in and start writing? Or do you do both? Both outlines and just writing are useful, and therefore a good idea to use both. However, make your outline very detailed: outline the main body and calibrate it with your target journal.
What type of titles are usually used there? How long does it usually take part? Set word limits for your section, sub-section and, if necessary, for sub-sections. This involves deciding about the content you want to include, so it might take time, and feedback will help at this stage.
When you sit down to write, what are you actually doing: using writing to develop your ideas or writing to document your work? Do you use the outline as an agenda for writing parts of your article? Determine your writing assignments by thinking about verbs - they define goals: to summarize, summarize, critique, define, introduce, conclude etc.
4) Get feedback from start to finish
Even at the earliest stages, discuss your ideas for a journal with four or five people, get feedback about your abstract draft. It only takes a few minutes for them to read and respond. Make a few revisions before you submit your article to the journal.
5) Set specific writing goals and sub-goals
Making your writing goals specific means defining the content, verbs, and word length for the section. This means that it does not have writing goals such as, 'I plan to have this article written at the end of the year' but 'My next writing goal is to summarize and criticize the twelve articles for the literature review section in 800 words on Tuesday between 9 am and 10:30'. Some people find this too mechanical for academic writing, but this is a way of forcing yourself to make decisions about the content, order, and proportions for your article.
6) Write with other people
While most people see writing as a solitary activity, writing together - writing with others who are writing - can help develop confidence, fluency and focus. This can help you develop regular writing discipline. Conducting your academic writing in groups or writing retreats is a way to do your own writing, but - if you pull out email, the internet and all other tools - also develops the concentration needed for regular and high-level academic writing.
At some point - ideally on a regular basis - you can get more done if you only focus on writing. If this seems like common sense, it is not a common practice. Most people do several things at once, but this will not always work for writing regular journal articles. At some point, paying writing privileges for all other tasks, for a certain period of time, such as 90 minutes, is long enough to get something done on your paper, but not so long that it's impossible to find time.
7) Warm up before you write
When you decide what you want to write, a successful warm-up is to write for five minutes, in sentences, in response to the question: 'What writing for the publication you have done [or the closest thing to it], and what you want to do in the long, medium and short term? '
After you start writing your article, use variations on this question as a warm up - what writing for this project have you done, and what do you want to do in the long, medium and short term? Top tip: end each writing session with 'written instructions' for you to use in the next session, for example, 'on Monday from 9 to 10 am, I will arrange the concluding section in 500 words'.
As discussed, if there are no numbers, there is no purpose. The goals that work must be specific, and you need to monitor the extent to which you are achieving them. This is how you learn to set realistic targets.
8) Analyze reviewers' feedback on your submissions
What exactly do they ask you to do? Find out if they want you to add or cut something. How many? Where? Write a list of revised actions. When you resubmit your article, include this in your report in the journal, which determines how you respond to reviewers' feedback. If your article is rejected, it is still useful to analyze feedback, find out why and revise it elsewhere.
Most of the feedback will help you improve your journal and, perhaps, writing your journal article, but sometimes it feels too hot, personalized or even vindictive. Some of them even look unprofessional. Discuss the reviewers' responses - see what others think about it. You might find that other people - even prominent researchers - still get rejection and negative reviews; every refusal is a reason for celebration. Repair and resubmit as soon as possible.
9) Be persistent, thick-skinned, and tenacious
This is a quality that you might develop over time - or you might already have it. It might be easier to develop it in discussions with other people who write for journals.
10) Take care of yourself
Writing for international journals is very competitive. This can be very stressful. Even taking the time to write can be stressful. And there are health risks in sitting for a long time, so try not to sit writing for more than an hour at a time. Finally, be sure to celebrate thoroughly when your article is received. Remind yourself that writing for an international journal is what you want to do - that your writing will make a difference in several ways.