UKSG webinar - Writing for Academic Publication

www.maynoothuniversity.ie/library

Writing for
Academic
Publication
Helen Fallon
Deputy Librarian, Maynooth
University
Helen.b.fallon@mu.ie
@helenfallon
#UKSGwebinar

• VSO in Sierra Leone (1989-1991)
• Read/researched Sierra Leone on
my return to Ireland
• Light bulb moment “write from your
experience”
• Wrote about teaching librarianship
at University of Sierra Leone
• Published in a professional journal:
http://bit.ly/slarticlehf
• Continued to write and encourage
others to write/established
academic writing blog/run
workshops nationally and
internationally
My story

• What can you write about?
• Who is your audience?
• What is the purpose of your
writing?
• Where can you publish?
• How do you write the piece?
• How can you find time to write?
• How can you promote your
publishing?
Your story

Inspiring Quotes
If you’re clear in your mind about what you are going
to paint, there is no point in painting it (Picasso)
I have to start to write to have ideas (Françoise Sagan)
Writing is a process of discovery. Sometimes you don't
know what you know. You may know it but have no idea
how it fits together (Alice Walker)

What can you write about?
• Your practice/everyday work/a
project you were involved with
• Your research/thesis
• Topic that interests you/topic you
know a bit about
• Other – book you read,
conference you attended, course
you undertook etc.
• Consider what information you
have
• Consider what topics are popular
Literature
review
Statistics
Survey
Quotes
Feedback
forms
Photos
Reflective
journal

Where can you Publish?
• Books and book chapters are usually
commissioned – See Murray (2006)
• Professional journal or peer reviewed
journal
• Where has the topic been covered
before? What is your angle?
• Do a search to identify potential
journals
• Consider Open Access
Directory of Open Access Journals
https://doaj.org/

Benefits of Open Access

Where can you Publish?
• Predatory Publishing – What it is and how to avoid it
http://bit.ly/2snFmRT
• Predatory journals issue -
https://thinkchecksubmit.org/
Read contributor guidelines & a few recent articles
• Send query e-mail to editor

Professional Journals
Practice-based Monthly /
bimonthly
500 to 2,000
words
Short lead-in
time
Editor/editorial
board make
decision

Peer reviewed Journals
Academic/Scholarly
Articles
5,000 words plus
Literature review
(research context)
Quarterly/
bi-annually
Lead-in time
Peer Review
Process

Examples
Professional journals Peer reviewed journals

Layout and structure
Professional Journal Peer review journal
Title Title and keywords
Introduction Abstract – informative or structured
Background / Context Introduction
What happened? Background / context
Outcome / results Literature review
Reflection Method / Approach
Conclusion Results / analysis
Possibly some references Discussion
Often include case studies Conclusion
References

Writing prompts
Write for five minutes, in sentences not
bullets, using one of the following prompts
• I am interested in writing about…
• An area of my experience which
I would like to write about is…
• A really interesting project that
I think people would be interested
in reading about is…
• I feel at my most creative
when I’m writing about…

Writing - Outlining
• Work from an outline –
model your article on an
article in your target
journal that works well
• View structure at a glance
• Order ideas/ Sift &
eliminate ideas
• Contextualise/Give
framework
The reason many aspiring authors fail
is that they throw themselves
immediately into the activity of writing
without realizing it is the forethought,
analysis and preparation that
determine the quality of the finished
product
Day, A. (2007) How to Get Research
Published in Journals. Burlington, VT.:
Ashgate. P.9

Task – outlining
Draw up an outline for an article for a professional journal
and begin each section with “This section will cover…”
OR
Draw up an outline for a peer-reviewed journal article and
begin each section with “This section will cover…”
OR
Write your article as a story with a beginning, middle and
end in no more than 500 words

Writing
• Adhere to journal guidelines
• Read some articles in recent issues of your
target journal/Look at structure as well as
content
• Have a working title
• Draft an abstract (good discipline)
– informative abstract or structured abstract

Informative Abstract
This article explores the integration of a Special Collection – the Ken Saro-
Wiwa Archive - into the undergraduate curriculum at Maynooth University
(MU). Following background information on the archive, the Development
Theories module on the BA in Community Studies is briefly described. The
rationale behind the decision to use the archive in the module is presented;
learning outcomes are given; the content of the module is described;
student feedback is presented and the method of assessment outlined.
The article concludes with a discussion on how Special Collections and
Archives might be further integrated into the undergraduate curriculum.

Informative Abstract
© Taylor & Francis

Structured Abstract
©Emerald

Writing
• Adhere to journal guidelines
• Read some articles in recent issues of your target
journal/Look at structure as well as content
• Write from your outline
• Write in sections – look at your outline
• Include headings and sub-headings
• Consider tense
• Consider Voice – active or passive
• Style isn’t evident in first drafts

Writing
• Don’t look for perfection, just write - Give yourself permission
to write badly
• All writing is rewriting
• You are a storyteller – what are the elements of good
storytelling?
• Draft and redraft
• Read aloud
• Put aside for a week then reread
• Let go! (80%)
• Refer to your query e-mail in your submission

Peer Review
• Double Blind
• Accept as is
• Accept with minor changes
• Accept with major changes (revise and resubmit)
• Reject
• If rejected, need to reconsider and possibly rewrite to
some degree to match new journal style/guidelines for
authors

Responding to Peer Review
• Do not despair!
• Acknowledge receipt
• Go systematically through
suggested changes
• Make changes where feasible
• Reread complete article
• Resubmit explaining changes you have
made and explaining why you have not
acted on certain suggestions

After Publication
• Check Sherpa for journal guidelines on
depositing in an institutional repository
http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/
• Accepted Manuscript Online (AMO)
• Free downloads (50 T&F)
• Social media - Tweet link to your
article/create link in your e-mail
signature
• Altmetrics
• Can you develop this topic further?
• Celebrate success

Moving on With Your Writing
• Time – snack or sandwich writing
• Set goals
• Look for collaborators – within and outside your
discipline
• Collect data – your practice
• Describe, but also reflect and evaluate
• Read & discuss

Books & Articles
• Day, Abby (2017) How to get research published in journals. 2nd ed.
Gower.
• Fallon, H. (2011). The Academic Writing Toolkit
http://eprints.maynoothuniversity.ie/1387/1/HFSconul20.pdf
• Kitchin, R. & Fuller, D. (2005) The Academic’s Guide to Publishing.
London: Sage
• Morris, W (2018) Superhero Writing Tips for Librarians
http://bit.ly/2zxwFIn
• Murray, R. (2006) Writing Articles, Books and Presentations IN
Gilbert, N (ed.) From Postgraduate to Social Scientist: A Guide to Key
Skills. London: Sage, p. 149-170
• Murray, R. (2009) Writing for Academic Journals. 2nd ed. McGraw
Hill/Open University
More resources on getting published including a comprehensive bibliography are available
on my blog

http://academicwritinglibrarian.blogspot.com/

Thank you!
Please feel free to contact me:
Helen Fallon, Deputy Librarian, Maynooth University
Helen.b.fallon@mu.ie
@helenfallon
#UKSGwebinar

UKSG webinar - Writing for Academic Publication

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