How to Write for Peer-Reviewed Journals
In the academic world, publishing scholarly research in peer-reviewed journals is one way of becoming a more widely known expert in your particular field. Publishing credits like this are also pivotal in beginning and especially advancing your career, such as becoming tenured and getting promoted.
Peer-reviewed journals do not have staff writers. Instead, each academic journal has a peer review board --- a panel of subject matter experts --- that decide from a pool of submitted materials which articles are selected. Academic journals have very high standards, and the competition is fierce. But by following submission guidelines and taking extra measures to gain visibility, you raise the stakes of writing for a peer-reviewed journal.
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Instructions
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Preparing for Publication
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Conduct research in your area of expertise. Articles in peer-reviewed journals are findings from research conducted in academic or professional settings. This could be original research or research done to further support or disprove other research in the same field. Continually performing research gives you an arsenal of article ideas, which you can later write and submit.
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Find a collaborator or co-author. If you are presently unpublished, collaborating with a more experienced author could help you land your first credit. Of course, co-authoring a paper also means sharing in the research. You will need to determine a project on which to collaborate and strategize together about how to present your findings and divide the writing and editing accordingly. If you are a graduate or doctoral student, a co-author could be a mentor or even a fellow student.
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Network with others in your field. While meeting people in person cannot guarantee getting published, networking with peers who may edit or serve on the board of scholarly journals can increase your chances of being considered and also be a great way to get feedback on your research. Networking opportunities include attending and presenting at national conferences.
Writing and Editing
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Find target academic journals in your area of expertise. As an academic professional, you are likely to already read peer-reviewed journals in your field. If not, find scholarly publications that fit your area of research and familiarize yourself with them, their style, editorial board, type of articles, variety of authors and publishing frequency.
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Review submission guidelines. You can certainly review submission guidelines after you complete your article and are ready to submit, but sometimes it is more helpful to find out what journals are looking for first. This way you know the acceptable word count, structure, format and other details before writing.
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Write and proofread your article and bibliography. Compile your research into article form. Explain things clearly, but don't be too wordy as shorter pieces are more likely to be published. Once your first draft is done, let your manuscript sit for a few days. Come back to it and proofread. Don't just look for grammar and spelling issues; also consider organizational structure.
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Ask someone else to edit your article. This could be a colleague or a mentor, or a professional editor. A fresh set of eyes will help pick up on errors you may have missed.
Submitting Your Work
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Write a cover letter that describes your article and your academic and professional experience. This letter will help you sell yourself, in addition to your research.
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Submit your article to the peer-reviewed journal in its desired format. For example, if it asks for a hard copy, don't email your manuscript. Or sometimes with hard copies, a certain number may be requested.
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Wait an average of three to four months for a decision. You may initially receive an acknowledgment of receipt, but hearing back about the status of your submission takes longer. The internal review process is different at each journal, so the wait could be shorter or much longer.
If your response is positive, you will receive information regarding rights, payment, etc. If you receive a rejection, revisit your manuscript and make any revisions you see fit, especially if your rejection included notes. Then resubmit to other journals.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider submitting your thesis to a peer-reviewed journal. Once you get your first publishing credit, it becomes much easier to write for peer-reviewed journals.
Always follow submission guidelines. If resubmitting a rejected paper to another journal, remember to make adjustments to fit the new targeted publication.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit young researcher image by Nadezda Karaseva from Fotolia.com
