Having a paper accepted for publication in an academic
journal is an exciting event that comes with a personal sense of achievement.
Not only does it validate an academic’s knowledge but it is also a source of
industry exposure. Writing in a journal is not impossible but does take
preparation like other types of writing. Those who publish in journals not only
offer a sense of expertise but also a level of academic writing skill.
Writing at a level that will be published by a
peer-reviewed journal requires a significant investment of time. It will take
at least a month to write a solid piece of academic literature. The quality
must be near perfect depending on the genre of the journal. The topic should
contribute a unique perspective or piece of knowledge to a wider body of
literature to create relevancy.
(Step
1) Pick Your Topic
Having some sense of your topic before writing will
make a huge difference in the amount of effort and time it takes to complete
your work. Some journals will require you to have a broader “how to” approach
for industry readers but most will require you to be very narrow in your focus.
One of the best ways to find your writing focus is
to spend time reading on a particular topic that interests you. Find a general
interest and start reading until you come across something that you wouldn’t mind
learning about yourself. Uniqueness improves your chance of getting your work
published while interest will help ensure that you have enough motivation to
complete your topic.
(Step
2) Find The Journal Genre
One you have your topic you should start looking at
the type of journals that publish works in that genre. Seek open access
journals and peer-reviewed journals from your academic library. Read articles
that are printed in the journal to discovered insight into what the journal is seeking.
Review their paper submission requirements to better align your writing.
(Step
3) Build an Outline
Each paper
should have an abstract, introduction, body, and conclusion. Building an
outline helps solidifying you’re thinking by better managing how information
connects together to create a final product. It will also ensure that you are
actively seeking information that will benefit your paper without wasting time on
dead ends.
(Step
4) Start Researching
Try and find information that fits under the topical
headings within your outline. This will help ensure that you’re not wasting
time browsing information that isn’t relevant for your work. Look at libraries,
Google Scholar, and even news articles when they are relevant. Try and seek a
citation for every couple of paragraphs. Peer-reviewed articles are typically
the best and are more scholarly in orientation.
(Step
5) Start Writing
Writing is an art form and a science. It is
important to use an active voice and ensure that you are discussing concepts
concisely. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting, and sentence structure
should be strong. When you have your draft you may want to share it with others
and ask them to help you proofread. A few obvious mistakes will raise the
chances your journal submission is rejected.
(Step
6) Submission
The type of
journal you are submitting your work will have a definitely impact on the
quality and time-frame of publication. Peer-reviewed scholarly journals that
have a strong reputation in the market are the best for raising credibility.
They will not ask you to pay for anything but are exclusive and difficult to be
approved. As a beginning writer you can also consider less than premium
journals to practice your skills and obtain a few notches under your belt
before going after prestige. The choice is yours.
