This is all about the basics of Writing a paper and getting it Published.

1. From Researcher to
Author: How to Get
(Educational) Research
work Published?
DR. VIKRAMJIT SINGH
SXCE, PATNA

2. Publishing in Journal: Need
and importance
 Increasing pressure- now than previous
time
 Competition and job market
 Assessment of higher education
institutions
 Peer recognition
 Professional compulsion

3. Where should we publish?
 Academic journals-on line or in
print
 Books and book chapters
 Monographs
 Professional journals
 Newspapers, magazines, blogs
 Research Reviews

4. What makes a good
publication?
 High journal impact factor
 Publication reputation
 Specialist versus general audience
 Originality significance and rigour
 Impact beyond academia

5. MAJOR SECTIONS OF A
RESEARCH ARTICLE(APA FORMAT)
 The American Psychological Association, has established a standard by which
research studies are structured, as well as how referencing other works are cited in-
text.
 Sections
Briey, here they are, and then we will examine each closer:
• Title
• Abstract
• Introduction and Literature Review
• Method
• Results
• Discussion
• References

6. Title, Authors' Names, and
Institutional Affiliations
1. Function: Your paper should begin with a Title that succinctly
describes the contents of the paper. Use descriptive words that
you would associate strongly with the content of your paper. A
majority of readers will find your paper via electronic database
searches and those search engines key on words found in the
title.
2. Format:
The title should be centered at the top of page 1 (DO NOT use a
title page ‐ it is a waste of paper for our purposes); the title is
NOT underlined or italicized.
the authors' names (PI or primary author first) and
institutional affiliation are double‐ spaced from and centered
below the title. When more then two authors, the names are
separated by commas except for the last which is separated
from the previous name by the word "and".

7. ABSTRACT
1. Function: An abstract summarizes, in one
paragraph (usually), the major aspects of the
entire paper in the following prescribed sequence:
 the question(s) you investigated (or purpose),
(from Introduction)
 the experimental design and methods used,
(from Methods)
 the major findings including key quantitative
results, or trends (from Results)
 a brief summary of your interpetations and
conclusions. (from Discussion)

8. ABSTRACT(cont…)
2. Style: The Abstract is ONLY text. Use the active voice when
possible, but much of it may require passive constructions.
Write your Abstract using concise, but complete, sentences,
and get to the point quickly. Use past tense. Maximum length
should be 200‐300 words, usually in a single paragraph.
 The Abstract SHOULD NOT contain:
 lengthy background information,
 references to other literature,
 elliptical (i.e., ending with ...) or incomplete sentences,
 abbreviations or terms that may be confusing to readers,
 any sort of illustration, figure, or table, or references to them.

9. Introduction and Literature
Review
1. Function: The function of the Introduction is to:
 Establish the context of the work being reported. This
is accomplished by discussing the relevant primary
research literature (with citations) and summarizing
our current understanding of the problem you are
investigating;
State the purpose of the work in the form of the
hypothesis, question, or problem you investigated;
and,
 Briefly explain your rationale and approach and,
whenever possible, the possible outcomes your study
can reveal.

10. Introduction and Literature
Review (cont…)
 Quite literally, the Introduction must
answer the questions, "What was I
studying? Why was it an important
question? What did we know about it
before I did this study? How will this study
advance our knowledge?"
 2. Style: Use the active voice as much as
possible. Some use of first person is okay,
but do not overdo it.

11. Introduction and Literature
Review (cont…)
 STRUCTURE
 Begin your Introduction by clearly identifying
the subject area of interest.
 Establish the context by providing a brief and
balanced review of the pertinent published
literature that is available on the subject.
 What literature should you look for in your
review of what we know about the problem?
 Be sure to clearly state the purpose and /or
hypothesis that you investigated.
 Provide a clear statement of the rationale for
your approach to the problem studied.

12. Method
 This section is variously called Methods or Methods and
Materials.
1. Function: In this section you explain clearly how you carried
out your study in the following general structure and
organization.
the organism(s) studied((plant, animal, human, etc.)
description of the study site,
experimental OR sampling design (i.e., how the experiment
or study was structured. For example, controls, treatments,
what variable(s) were measured, how many samples were
collected, replication, the final form of the data, etc.);
the protocol for collecting data, i.e., how the experimental
procedures were carried out, and,

13. Method(cont…)
 how the data were analyzed (qualitative
analyses and/or statistical procedures used to
determine significance, data transformations
used, what probability was used to decide
significance, etc).
 2. Style: The style in this section should read as if
you were verbally describing the conduct of the
experiment. You may use the active voice to a
certain extent, although this section requires
more use of third person, passive constructions
than others. Avoid use of the first person in this
section. Remember to use the past tense
throughout ‐ the work being reported is done, and
was performed in the past, not the future.

14. Results
1. Function: The function of the Results section is to
objectively present your key results, without
interpretation, in an orderly and logical sequence
using both text and illustrative materials (Tables and
Figures).
 The results section always begins with text, reporting
the key results and referring to your figures and tables
as you proceed.
2. Style: Write the text of the Results section concisely
and objectively. The passive voice will likely dominate
here, but use the active voice as much as possible.
Use the past tense. Avoid repetitive paragraph
structures. Do not interpret the data here.

15. Discussion
1. Function: The function of the Discussion is to
interpret your results in light of what was already
known about the subject of the investigation, and to
explain our new understanding of the problem after
taking your results into consideration.
 Fundamental questions to answer here include:
 Do your results provide answers to your testable
hypotheses? If so, how do you interpret your findings?
Do your findings agree with what others have shown?
If not, do they suggest an alternative explanation or
perhaps a unforseen design flaw in your experiment
(or theirs?)

16. Discussion(cont…)
 Given your conclusions, what is our new
understanding of the problem you investigated
and outlined in the Introduction?
If warranted, what would be the next step in your
study, e.g., what experiments would you do next?
2. Style: Use the active voice whenever possible in
this section. Watch out for wordy phrases; be
concise and make your points clearly. Use of the
first person is okay, but too much use of the first
person may actually distract the reader from the
main points.

17. References
 The research paper is not complete
without the list of references. This section
should be an alphabetized list of all the
academic sources of information utilized in
the paper. The format of the references
will match the format and style used in the
paper. Common formats include APA,
MLA, Harvard and so forth.

22. Writing for Publication
Building Your Manuscript
 demands on your time
 writing reviewing the first draft
writing the second draft
getting feedback from colleagues
writing the third draft
sending it to a journal

23. Steps to Good Writing
1.Writing is Work! Clear, concise writing takes
effort.
 Take time and make time for writing
 Write, rewrite, and write some more.
2.Be direct and simple .Present clearly.
3.Stay on target.
4.Be fresh and lively, avoid ambiguous words
 Use good metaphors
 Don't hesitate to make the article interesting!
 Use active verbs

24. Steps to Good
Writing(cont…) 5.Use strong, simple openings:
 "The caring teacher", Nel Noddings, Handbook of
Research on Teaching, 4th ed.Virginia Richardson, Ed.
 Use strong, simple closings:
‘The academy is not paradise. But learning is a place
where paradise can be created. The classroom, with all
its limitations, remains a location of possibility. In that
field of possibility we have the opportunity to labor for
freedom, to demand of ourselves and our comrades, an
openness of mind and heart that allows us to face reality
even as we collectively imagine ways to move beyond
boundaries, to transgress. This is education as the
practice of freedom.’’
“Theory as liberatory practice", in Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of
Freedom, bell hooks, (1994).

25. Steps to Good
Writing(cont…)6.Observe mechanics. Read the style
(APA, Chicago, MLA, etc.) manual carefully,
and master the appropriate style so you can
do most common citations from memory.
 Consider getting a manual that will also help
you hone your analysis skills.
7.Read and record! Keep a writers notebook.
Keep ideas, quips, notes from other articles,
phrases, etc.

26. Writing the Introduction and
Conclusion
What are scholarly articles for?
 common currency of the academic community
 Dissemination of knowledge
Introduction-
 Establish a territory: identify your research topic
 How will you ‘sell’ your general research area to your editor,
referees and readers? By stating its importance or by
establishing an evocative contrast?
 How will you situate your own research in relation to earlier
critical literature?
 How will you announce your own research questions or
procedures?

27. Writing conclusion
1. Summarise what you have achieved
in the article
2. Evaluate what you have achieved in
the article (e.g. by stating its
implications or limitations)
3. Anticipate and defuse possible
counter-claims
4. Give suggestions for future
research.

28. Common reasons for
rejectionwhy do journals reject an article/research paper
 IT IS NOT A RESEARCH ARTICLE
 It falls outside the journal’s focus.
 It ignores the journal’s submission guidelines.
 It is not accompanied by a covering letter.
 It has not been properly proof read.
 It is too long or too short.
 The journal has recently published/ will soon publish,
another article on a similar topic or with a similar argument.
 The journal already has accepted sufficient articles to fill
the next several issues.

29. Possible outcomes...and possible
responses
 the journal declines to publish, without
further comment...immediately send your
paper off to the next journal (on your list)
 the journal declines to publish, but provides
comments and suggestions on the
paper...immediately incorporate the useful
suggestions, make relevant modifications, and
send to the next journal on your list.

30. Possible outcomes...and
possible responses
 If the journal asks you to revise and
resubmit your paper...seize the opportunity
with both hands. There are three very positive
aspects to such a journal response:
• The journal has expressed an interest in the
paper.
• They have provided you with feedback, either
from editors or reviewers or both.
• They are willing to consider the paper again.

31. Revise your paper
 Revising a paper is a lot easier than writing a
paper from scratch.
 Address all feedback. Pay close attention to
reviewers’ comments. They may be very
critical; they may require a major
restructuring of the paper.
 remember that they are criticising the paper,
not you.
 Be sure to respond to all comments, either
directly, in the paper itself, or indirectly, in a
letter to the editor accompanying the revised
paper. Ideally, do both; at the very least.

32. Revise your paper(cont…)
 clearly indicate to the editor exactly
what revisions you have made and
where in the paper
 If you think a comment is completely
inaccurate or irrelevant, justify your
view in a separate letter to the editor.
 If you think a reviewer has
misunderstood your argument, clarify
your argument so that there can be no
misunderstanding.

33. Revise your paper(cont…)
Plan timeframes and communicate your intentions to the journal
 Make sure that journals and editors know where you and they stand
with regard to your paper, especially if you intend to revise and
resubmit it. Put down your intentions and timeframes in writing to
avoid misunderstanding.
 Unless a journal has given you a specific time limit or deadline to
revise your paper, don’t send your revised paper back to them in
only a week or two – they may think that the revisions have been
superficial.
 except by prior arrangement, don’t take more than a couple of
months to complete the revisions, since editors can lose interest if
they think that you’re taking them for granted, and they can be side-
tracked by other submissions.
Acknowledge all correspondence
 In writing, politely thank journals and editors for their time even
when they reject your paper

34. Proofread, Proofread, &
Proofread!!!1. Are all words spelled correctly? (Use a paper or online dictionary is unsure!)
2. Did I capitalize the beginning of each sentence and all proper nouns?
3. Did I punctuate correctly?
4. Do I use grammar correctly?
5. Did I answer all of the topic questions, and fulfill all of the requirements on my rubric.
6. Did I include an introduction and conclusion?
7. Did I type the paper using the correct font type, size, line spacing and margin requirements?
8. Did I paraphrase all content?
9. Did I use parenthetical notations for quotes?
10. Do my sentences make sense when read aloud?
11. Have I had my paper peer edited?
12. Does my paper flow well?
13. Did I include a bibliography page?

35. Submitting for Publication:
issues
Choice of Journal
Presentation of paper
Submission guidelines
Conflict of interest
Defining authorship
Issue of collaboration

38. Finished!!! You did it!!!