How to Publish in JM and Other Top Journals

1. How to Publish in JM and Other Top Journals Roland T. Rust Editor, JM

2. Work on Something Important • Something a stakeholder cares about • Something new • Something that your mother, father, spouse, or friends would think was interesting • Something controversial

3. Connect to the Existing Literature • Position your work • Refer to previous work in a positive way • Bring in relevant theory

4. How to Write • Choose your target publication • Write the title page • Then write the abstract • Then write the outline • Then do the research • Then finish the paper • Revise, revise, revise (37 drafts?) • No typos or grammatical errors!!!

5. The Title • The most important part of the paper • Shorter is better • Skip the jargon • Provoke the reader to read the abstract

6. The Abstract • The second most important part • Less of what you did • More of what you found • Assume this is all the reader will read • Avoid jargon

7. The Introduction • Not “Literature Review” • Emphasize the main point • Foreshadow the main findings • What is the paper’s unique contribution in relation to the literature?

8. Method (if an empirical paper) • Include all of the details • Explain any decisions that you made

9. Discussion and Conclusions • Reaffirm the paper’s main contribution(s) • Explain why the findings are important • Mention any potential limitations • Suggest topics for future research

10. Tables and Figures • Tables and figures should stand alone • Check the numbers • Figures should show the paper’s main ideas

11. Other Tips • Write for a particular journal, and use that journal’s style • It’s OK to be easy to understand • Get your paper copy edited before submitting • Have colleagues review the paper before submitting • Revise to meet their objections

12. Summary – The Most Important Things • Work on something IMPORTANT!!! • Agonize over the title • Agonize just as much over the abstract • Clearly state your contribution • Pay attention to detail