Writing for Publication: Get Started, Get Support, Get Published

Writing for Publication: Getting Started, Getting Help and Getting Published EAHIL + ICAHIS + ICLC : 10-12 June 2015 : Edinburgh

Maria J GrantResearch Fellow (Writing for Publication)

Editor, Health Information & Libraries Journal (IF: 0.932)

http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hilj

How many people here write?

• Peer reviewed article

• Newsletter item

• Non-peer reviewed article

• Project or management report

• Twitter or Facebook

• Blog post

• Book review

Realising we all write…

…and that Writing for Publication is just part of that continuum…

Writing for Publication Is Different

• Expected to support statements with references

• Contextualise what is known about the subject and any gaps in the evidence

• How does your writing adds to the body of knowledge

• Level of rigour when writing for publication is higher

http://bit.ly/1He9a2E

Why Might You Want to Write for Publication?• Dissemination of research findings• Stimulate debate• Expectation of peers and employers• Prestige• Credibility with colleagues• Financial incentives

http://bit.ly/1lUIkk5

Introduce yourself to the person next to you…

• What is the main thing you do in your everyday practice?

• What types of things have you written before?

• What are your areas of interest?

• What topics would you potentially like to write about in the future?

http://bit.ly/1KUGVYX

http://bit.ly/NhZRBm

Hello, my name is Maria…

• What is the main thing you do in your everyday working life?


– I co-ordinate a dissertation module for the MSc Nursing programme

– Contribute to literature reviews within the school

– Book reviews– Project reports– Peer reviewed journal articles– Twitter accounts

(@MariaJGrant @HILJnl)

Hello, my name is Maria…

• What are your areas of interest?– Writing for Publication

• What topics would you potentially like to write about in the future?- Moving from what we believe

works well to gathering confirmatory evidence of what actually works well

Introduce yourself to the person next to you…

• What is the main thing you do in your everyday practice?


• What are your areas of interest?

• What topics would you potentially like to write about in the future?

http://bit.ly/1KUGVYX


Your Working Title

• Brainstorming a range of draft working titles

• Think creatively

http://phil-race.co.uk/

• Shortlist no more than six

• Rate your titles

(Race 1999)


Robert Brown’s 8 Questions (Q1 & Q2)

1. The working title of your paper2. Authors3. Anticipated journal/s 4. Intended readers/audiences5. What is the central question

your paper poses? / What is the answer it will provide?

6. If your readers had only one sentence to summarise your article, what should it be?

7. Why did you do the work? What did you do? What happened? What does your study contribute?

8. What remains unresolved?


http://bit.ly/1EIpxUh

Robert’s Questions 3 & 4 (Anticipated journal/s & intended readers/audiences)

Health Information and Libraries Journal (HILJ) is an international journal with interdisciplinary interest to practitioners, researchers, and students in the library and health sectors. Its objectives include promoting debate about new health information developments with an emphasis on communicating evidence-based information both in the management and support of healthcare services. http://bit.ly/1DIALH2

Robert Brown’s Questions 3 & 4 (Anticipated journal/s & intended readers/audiences)

Health Information and Libraries Journal (HILJ) is an international journal with interdisciplinary interest to practitioners, researchers, and students in the library and health sectors. Its objectives include promoting debate about new health information developments with an emphasis on communicating evidence-based information both in the management and support of healthcare services. http://bit.ly/1xpMpzg

Author Guidelines (Q4)

http://bit.ly/1zZbdTf


Look at Past Issues

Learn from people who’ve already been through the process

http://bit.ly/qOaJWR

The Health Information and Libraries Journal Wont Be Interested In My Local Project…

• Not just about what you did…

• Setting it in context of what’s gone before

http://bit.ly/1MxVZd5

Setting the Context

Literature review– What is known about

the subject area?– What are the gaps

identified in the literature?

– How does your manuscript address this gap?

– International context

http://bit.ly/nS9QxS

What do we expect when we read an article?• Relevant/Useful• Present something new

– Want to use time efficiently

• Clarity/Well written• Knowledgeable author

– Illustrated by being linked to known work in the area• Hoping is done well – good science• Uses particular technique to demonstrate real world

application of techniques – study design• Follow appropriate conventions (methods in methods

section, results in results, discussion, conclusion is merely summing up) so easier to follow

• Abstract matches article • Well edited/typeset


Robert’s Question(s) 5

• What is the central question your paper poses? / What is the answer it will provide?

http://bit.ly/1EIpxUh

Your Writing Sandwich

• Write for 5 minutes about the working title you ranked as the most important

• Don’t self edit• Don’t re-read• If you don’t know what to

write then write “I don’t know what to write”

• Keep your pen or pencil flowing

http://bit.ly/N4gUGY


The Sandwich Filling

• Take turns to share your writing idea with the person sitting next to you

• Ask questions to clarify your understanding



The Last Slice

• Re-visit your five minutes of writing

• Rework it in light of the questions your partner asked and the answers you gave



Reconvene in 30 minutes…

http://bit.ly/1JBFVsz

Finding Time…

http://bit.ly/M8BJ1E

Making Time…

http://bit.ly/M8BJ1E

Consider…

“Learning to talk about writing is an important key to becoming a productive writer.”

(Belcher, 2009 p2)

http://amzn.to/16aNxth

(Experienced) Colleagues

• Talking• Learning• Writing • Editing and advising

(Grant et al 2010)

English as a Second Language

Language: The language of publication is English. Authors for whom English is a second language must have their manuscript professionally edited by an English speaking person before submission to make sure the English is of a high quality. It is preferred that manuscripts are professionally edited. A list of independent suppliers of editing services can be found at http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/english_language.asp All services are paid for and arranged by the author, and use of one of these services does not guarantee acceptance or preference for publication. This should conform with the Concise Oxford English Dictionary.

English as a Second Language

Language: The language of publication is English. Authors for whom English is a second language must have their manuscript professionally edited by an English speaking person before submission to make sure the English is of a high quality. It is preferred that manuscripts are professionally edited. A list of independent suppliers of editing services can be found at http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/english_language.asp All services are paid for and arranged by the author, and use of one of these services does not guarantee acceptance or preference for publication. This should conform with the Concise Oxford English Dictionary.

Second Languages: Easier to Speak than to Write!

• Punctuation is used to create sense, clarity and stress in sentences

• You use punctuation marks to structure and organise your writing

Punctuation…

perhaps you dont always need to use commas periods colons etc to make sentences clear when i am in a hurry tired cold lazy or angry i sometimes leave out punctuation marks grammar is stupid i can write without it and dont need it my uncle Harry once said he was not very clever and i never understood a word he wrote to me i think ill learn some punctuation not too much enough to write to Uncle Harry he needs some help

(edufind.com 2015)


Punctuation is used to create sense, clarity and stress in sentences…

Perhaps you don't always need to use commas, periods, colons etc. to make sentences clear. When I am in a hurry, tired, cold, lazy, or angry I sometimes leave out punctuation marks. "Grammar is stupid! I can write without it and don't need it," my uncle Harry once said. He was not very clever, and I never understood a word he wrote to me. I think I'll learn some punctuation - not too much, enough to write to Uncle Harry. He needs some help!

(edufind.com 2015)

“patter” @ http://patthomson.net/

Weekly Writing Tips @MariaJGrant

Research, Evaluation & AuditKey Steps in Demonstrating Your Value

• Chapter 11: Writing for Publication

• Co-written with Graham Walton, Editor, New Review of Academic Librarianship

(Grant et al 2013) http://bit.ly/MXt6LT

Timelapse Writing a Research Paper

http://bit.ly/1I93OYm

Edit, Edit, Edit…

Revisit every section of your paper… including the title, abstract and authorship

Authorship/Attribution Can Be Contentious (Q2)Discuss authorship as early as possible,

ideally before you start to writeMake, distribute & keep copies of

authorship agreement– What is to be written up– Who is to write up which elements– The order of authors on the final document

All authors to agree the final draft prior to submission and approve any amendments

http://bit.ly/1yqTXlU

Submitting Your Manuscript!

What is Peer Review?

‘Peer review is the process by which reports of, or proposals for, research are scrutinised by other researchers.’

(Committee of Publisher Ethics 2011)

What is the purpose of peer review?

• To ensure that only the best quality manuscripts are published

• To provide constructive feedback on how a manuscript can be further developed

http://bit.ly/1JHacVg

What are the Potential Outcomes of a Peer Review?

• Five potential outcomes– Accept– Minor revisions– Major revisions/Rewrite &

resubmit – Un-submitted– Reject

http://bit.ly/1QIhTe5

Outcome 1: AcceptedA cause for

celebration!I’ve only known a

peer reviewed manuscript be accepted at first submission once

Usually a journey…http://bit.ly/o80w2e

Outcome 2: Minor Revisions

“A recommendation of minor revision should be made if the manuscript is likely to be of interest to the HILJ readership but typographical errors or incomplete references are present.” (S1M 2011)

http://bit.ly/n3Uowg

Outcome 3: Major Revisions/ Rewrite & Resubmit

“A recommendation of a major revision should be made if the manuscript is likely to be of interest to the HILJ readership but requires a reworking in terms of structure or the inclusion of additional materials.”(S1M 2011)

Outcome 4: Un-submitted

Likely to be of interest to the Health Information and Libraries Journal but requires further development before it is ready to send for peer review

http://bit.ly/1JBUXOP

Outcome 5: Rejected

“A recommendation to reject a manuscript should be made if the manuscript is unlikely to be relevant/of interest to the HILJ readership or is not sufficiently rigorous to be suitable for publication in an academic journal.”(S1M 2011)

http://bit.ly/pT2Ess

Reasons a Manuscript Might Be Rejected

Out of scope– Topic area or format

Insufficiently developed– Bullet points

PlagiarismNot responding to

referee/s comments

http://bit.ly/pT2Ess

What To Do When You Receive Referee/s Comments?

Take a deep breath– Read the comments– Put the manuscript aside– Discuss them with your co-

author/s– Respond positively to each

point raisedhttp://bit.ly/LBT2Ja

Remember, very few manuscripts are accepted without any revisions

Your Manuscript Has Been Accepted!

http://bit.ly/1eZIvvw

http://bit.ly/1FGhB2c

You’ll Be Sent a “Proof”…

Published on Early View

If you had only one sentence… (Q6)

http://bit.ly/1vjtStO


Robert’s Eighth Question (Q8)

What remains unresolved?

http://bit.ly/1CjowP0

Is the Health Information and Libraries Journal interested in your local project?

http://bit.ly/1dmoqhX

ReferencesBelcher, W. L. (2009) Writing your journal article in 12 weeks: a guide to academic publishing success. London: Sage.

Grant, M. J., Sen, B. and Spring, H. (2013) research, evaluation & auditkey steps in demonstrating your value. London: Facet Publishing.

Grant, M. J., Munro, W., McIsaac, J. and Hill, S. (2010) Cross-disciplinary writers‘ group stimulates fresh approaches to scholarly communication: a reflective case study within a higher education institution in the north west of England, New Review of Academic Librarianship, 16: 1, 44-64.

Mewburn, I. (2014) The thesis whisperer. http://thesiswhisperer.com/

edufind.com (2015) English grammer guide. Web site: http://www.edufind.com/english-grammar/english-grammar-guide/

Race, P. (1999) 2000 tips for lecturers. London: Routledge.

Thompson, P. (2015) Patter. Web site: http://patthomson.net/

Weninger, T. Timelapse writing of a research paper. Web site: http://bit.ly/1I93OYm

Wiley (2015) ScholarOne Manuscripts. Web site: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hilj

http://bit.ly/1ybnaaq

Maria J Grant

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MariaJGrant

Facebook: http://on.fb.me.ovBuiM

Health Information and Libraires Journal: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291471-1842

Health & Medicine

Writing for Publication: Get Started, Get Support, Get Published