University of Cape Town
Library and Information Studies Centre
Higher Education Libraries Interest Group (HELIG) Webinar
Publishing tips for librarians
22 November 2016
Librarians and publishing
Jaya Raju

Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Overview
• Why the need for librarians to publish?
The novice writer
• What can be published?
• What characteristics make a paper publishable?
• Understanding the journals market
• Stages in getting a paper published
 Preparing a paper for submission to a journal
 The reviewing process
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Why the need for librarians to publish
• Personally rewarding
 Offers a sense of progress, achievement and pride in your
personal and professional development
• Opportunity to engage in discourse and debate in an area of
LIS services – contributes to your intellectual growth
• Making a meaningful contribution to growth of knowledge in
the LIS field (extending the boundaries of knowledge in LIS)
• Builds your profile/CV (self-fulfillment + promotional
opportunities)
• Exposure - accords you recognition in the field
 Identified to sit on advisory councils, professional body
structures, institutional structures, government structures, etc.
 Opportunity for further contribution in your field
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
The novice writer (1)
• Understandably - intimidating task for the novice writer
• Feelings of vulnerability and exposure - may be
overcome
• Do your research thoroughly and write it up carefully -
so that it will stand up to scrutiny in the public domain
• Writing is hard work - requires commitment - have no
illusions
• But gets easier with practice
• Even experienced writers have bad days and rejection
from publishers
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
The novice writer (2)
• Do not be ashamed about having to ask for help -
there is no virtue in struggling on your own
• Discuss your research widely (work colleagues,
family, friends, etc.)
• The process of verbalizing your thoughts and
arguments helps you to frame and clarify them
• Get others to read your work and take their
comments seriously - strengthens your work
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
The novice writer (3)
• Writing up research - on-going and iterative process
• Process of writing is complex, messy but creative
• As you go along with your research – ‘writing down’ will
help you sort out your ideas, shape and guide
your research
• It’s a process of continuous refinement
• Aspire to get your work to the best quality that you can
• Do not think that you can get it right the first time and
without the help of others and several stages of drafting
and re-drafting
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
What can be published? (1)
• Premature publication should be avoided
• On the other hand - do not constantly put off
submitting a paper for publication
• Process of crafting a research paper involves
several stages of drafting and redrafting
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
What can be published? (2)
• You may publish after completion of research for a higher degree:
 Here supervisors play an important role in carving up the
dissertation into publishable parts
 The ‘big book’ was written for a different purpose and for a
different audience
 Carefully selected aspects need to be reworked into stand-alone
journal articles
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
What can be published? (3)
• Others may publish ‘along the way’ while a study
(degree or work-place based) is in progress:
One is encouraged to subject aspects of one’s work to
public evaluation
Publishing should be part of an ongoing research process,
even before completion
Feedback from the peer review process will strengthen the
study and improve the final product
By publishing, you place your research in the public domain
to be in dialogue with others in the field
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
What characteristics make a paper
publishable? (1)
• A publishable paper presents new knowledge in any
of the following forms:
Substantive research findings
Theoretical developments
New insights into existing debates
New analyses of existing knowledge
A synthesis of the literature
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
What characteristics make a paper
publishable? (2)
• The paper is well grounded in relevant literature
• If the paper is empirically based, the research
methodology used must be sound
• The paper addresses issues relevant to the discipline
• It is well written with carefully crafted and logical
arguments
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Understanding the journals market (1)
• Focus in this presentation –
publishing in journals (print or online)
– most intimidating of all publishing
forms
• To be successful in journal publishing
- need to
first understand the journals market
in your discipline
• Only then would you be able to
effectively target an appropriate
journal
Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town 12

Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Understanding the journals market (2)
• Become familiar with the journals in your discipline:
 Go through your research reference list
 Peruse the reference list of core articles in your research area
 Speak to senior colleagues and research supervisors
 Search the Web (relevant databases and search engines)
• Identify the hierarchy of journals in your discipline:
 Prestigious journals – might not be within reach of a novice
 Other good journals with an encouraging approach to new
authors
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Understanding the journals market (3)
• Peruse your discipline’s journals on the Web:
All journals have notes for contributors and
statements of editorial policy on their websites
Look at exemplars of published articles
Read the editorial policy and scan the articles to
ascertain which journals your work may be
compatible with
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Understanding the journals market (4)
• Different journals have different areas of interest,
presentation styles, methodologies, aims and
objectives:
Become familiar with these aspects for the journals in
your field
Some journals have a particular theoretical, political or
epistemological leaning
If your research does not fall into the paradigm of the
journal, then do not send your work to the journal
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Understanding the journals market (5)
• Understand what the target audience of the journal is:
If the subject of your research is of national interest - then you
would not send it to a journal that targets an international
audience
• Once you have decided on the journal you are targeting
for your work - then shape your paper in terms of the
requirements of that journal
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University of Cape Town 17
Stages in getting a paper published

Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
• A paper goes through several stages before it gets published (see
slide 17)
• Research and writing: you draw from your research
and develop a paper
• Presenting your work: Once you have developed a paper - take it to
conferences, seminars, workshops, etc. – forums which provide
opportunities for feedback
• Use this feedback positively to refine and polish your paper before
sending it to a journal
• The next stage is to target a journal (discussed)
• The process of preparing your paper for submission is captured in
slide 19
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Stages in getting a paper published

Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town 19

Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Preparing a paper for submission to
a journal (1)
• This process involves a blending of three elements:
Your existing paper
Feedback you received from ‘taking your paper on the road’
Requirements of the targeted journal
• The process of synthesizing the three elements is referred
to as drafting and crafting
• Content and Form are critical to drafting and crafting
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Preparing a paper for submission to
a journal (2)
• Content:
 The argument in your paper should be logically constructed
 The relationship between the argument and the data/evidence
gathered should be clear
 The analysis of data gathered should be sound
 If the paper has drawn from theoretical resources, these must be
relevant and used to good effect
 Above must be done in terms of ensuring proper ‘fit’ with the targeted
journal
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Preparing a paper for submission to
a journal (3)
• Form:
Make sure that the abstract reflects the contents of the paper
Ensure that the prescribed house style of the journal (guidelines
regarding capitalisation, spelling conventions, punctuation, etc.)
have been followed
The length of the paper must conform to the requirements of the
journal
The designated referencing style of the journal must be used
Diagrams, graphs, tables, etc. should be clearly labeled, of good
quality and should be referred to in the text
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Preparing a paper for submission to a
journal (4)
• Once the drafting and crafting are done, it is useful to
get one or two critical colleagues to read your work
• Do your final tweaking and polishing
• Send off the paper to the targeted journal
• You should feel satisfied that you have complied with
all the requirements of the journal and that your work
is of a sufficiently high standard to warrant it being
sent out for review
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
The reviewing process (1)
• Good journals use a ‘double blind’ system of refereeing
• The editor will, if your paper warrants reviewing, remove your
name and dispatch it to at least two reviewers together with
the journal’s evaluation sheet
• This evaluation sheet (see slide 25) asks for evaluation on
various aspects of your paper and to indicate if it is
publishable
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25
SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF LIBRARIES AND
INFORMATION SCIENCE
http://www.liasa.org.za/publications/journals
REVIEW FORM
Please rate the following:
(1 = Excellent) (2 = Good) (3 = Fair) (4 = Poor)
Recommandation: (Kindly Mark With An X)
Originality
Relevance and contribution to the field
Methodology (where applicable)
Structural and technical presentation
Language usage and clarity
Application of reference techniques
Requires minor corrections
Requires moderate revision
Requires major revision
Submit to another publication such as:
Reject

Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
The reviewing process (2)
• Reviewers are generally experienced academics and
researchers in the field
• The review process can take between six weeks and three
months
• Once the editor receives the reviewers’ comments, the editor
will decide what happens to your paper. Should it be:
 Accepted
 Rejected
 Accepted with minor revisions or
 Be revised and resubmitted
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
The reviewing process (3)
• Once this decision has been made the editor will inform you of
the decision, enclosing necessary aspects of the reviewers’
comments
• Whatever the outcome (sometimes very bruising), deal with
the editor’s and reviewers’ comments to move your paper
along so that it eventually gets published even if not by the
same journal
• Very rarely is a paper accepted without revisions, even for the
most senior academics
• Learn how to turn critical comments into helpful feedback
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
The reviewing process (4)
• Use the feedback to revise your paper in order to finally get it
published perhaps in a different form and even in a different
journal
• The time-lag between submitting a manuscript to a journal
and it eventually appearing in print can take up to eighteen
months
• Though a long drawn out process peer review remains a key
quality-assurance process in the academic world
• The review process can be drawn on positively to build
yourself as a research writer and to grow your publications
record
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Conclusion
• Research is virtually lost if you do not put it out in the
public domain via publishing
• By publishing you are making a contribution to
knowledge creation and advancement of your
discipline
• Research and publication are exciting and rewarding
• However, it requires commitment to your research
area, rigour in quality and discipline in attitude to
research
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Useful references
• Beck, S.E. & Manuel, K. 2008. Practical research methods for librarians and
information professionals. New: York: Neal-Schuman
• Blaxter, L., Hughes, C. & Tight, M. 2006. How to research 3rd ed. Berkshire,
England: Oxford University Press
• Bless, C., Higson-Smith, C. & Sithole, S.L. 2013. Fundamentals of social research
methods: an African perspective. 5th ed. Cape Town: Juta
• Davies, M.B. 2007. Doing a successful research project. New York: Palgrave
• Denscombe, M. 2010. The good research guide: for small-scale research projects.
4th ed. Berkshire, England: McGraw-Hill
• Epstein, D., Kenway, J. & Boden, R. 2005. Writing for publication. London: Sage
• Leedy, P.D. & Ormrod, J.E. 2013. Practical research: planning and design. 10th ed.
Boston: Pearson
• Pickard, A.J. 2013. Research methods in information. 2nd ed. Chicago: Neal-
Schuman
• Tarling, R. 2006. Managing social research: a practical guide. London: Routledge
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Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town
Thank you!
Jaya Raju
Library and Information Studies Centre
University of Cape Town, South Africa
jaya.raju@uct.ac.za
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