Getting published

1. Getting published Clare Tilbury Life Without Barriers Carol Peltola Research Chair School of Human Services & Social Work

2. Discussion to cover • choosing a journal • preparing a quality manuscript • the submission process • responding to reviewer feedback School of Human Services & Social Work

3. Why publish • To contribute to scholarly debate in your field • To disseminate your findings that are interesting, important, fill a gap … • To see yourself in print! • Writing up: the point where rich data, careful analysis and lofty ideas meet the iron discipline of writing (Woods, 1999) School of Human Services & Social Work

4. Writing a paper • It takes time to prepare a manuscript for publication … a lot of time • Organisation – deciding what goes where is part of structuring your argument • Conform EXACTLY to publication standards and submission standards • APA guidelines are not just about referencing • Always get someone else to proofread School of Human Services & Social Work

5. Selecting a journal • Get a good draft of your manuscript – and match your work to a suitable publication • Read journal scope and aims – write to an audience • Aim for where the best researchers in your field publish; where you will be read • Rejection rates are high for the top journals – but most journals WANT YOUR SUBMISSION • Don’t bother the editor School of Human Services & Social Work

6. Structure • Choose title and key words carefully • Lit review – 2 pp of 15pp manuscript • Methods • When and where study conducted • Who participated and why selected • How study was done incl ethics • Results • Discussion • link results with literature • contribution of current study • limitations School of Human Services & Social Work

7. Editing checklist • Insufficient guidance in the introduction • Weak conclusions • Structure - similar material in different sections, insufficient signposts • Theoretical or conceptual framework • Faulty grammar – tenses, singular and plural forms etc. • Clutter eg. adverbs and adjectives • Check every single word and sentence – is it necessary? Does it make sense? • Accuracy • Evidence – don’t under or over claim, beware of speculating, significance • Bias, hidden ‘persuasive rhetoric’, loaded words (endured, unfortunately) • Ethics • References • Tables • Punctuation - ‘Full stops and commas are lovely because they are simple. Express ideas directly, eliminate unnecessary hedges and forgo smart-aleck asides’ (Robinson 2002) School of Human Services & Social Work

8. Submit and nominate preferred reviewers • Follow instructions for submission • Not your friends, family, colleagues • Someone whose frank opinion you would value School of Human Services & Social Work

9. Dealing with reviews • Avoid: • Dejection • Outrage • ‘guess the reviewer’ • Acceptable responses • Appreciate that people have taken the time to carefully read your work • C’est la vie! Life goes on … • Gratitude - someone has picked up your incorrect referencing or unclear phrasing • Even if they don’t like it, another journal may! School of Human Services & Social Work

10. Responding to reviews • Be polite • Take it seriously • List the changes you have made • You don’t have to accept every suggestion – but justify why it is not necessary School of Human Services & Social Work

11. War stories to share? School of Human Services & Social Work

12. Further reading • APA manual (not just for referencing) • AGPS Style Manual • Richardson, Laurel (1998) ‘Writing: A method of inquiry’ in Denzin N.K. and Lincoln Y.S., Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials, Sage, California. • Woods, Peter (1999) Successful Writing for Qualitative Research, Routledge, London. School of Human Services & Social Work