Writing for your peers: journal articles Kristina Boone, Professor and Head

Why write journal articles? Administrators like it Demonstrates expertise Peer review maintains high standard Professional development Makes you think differently BIG REASONS: Adds to the body of scholarship; improves practice; public obligation We are scholars. We work in higher education.

Why difficult to write? Unfamiliar format Information is new and complex Clarity and conciseness are critical

Structure of Article Title – concise, provides insight Abstract – mini-paper IMRAD –Introduction –Method –Result –Discussion References – all cited in article

IMRAD Recipe Introduction (aka intro, review of lit, background) –Context, problem statement, related studies, research question/hypothesis –Illustrates the gap in the previous work that your work addresses Methods (aka materials and methods) –What you did and how you did it Results (sometimes grouped with discussion) –What you found

IMRAD Recipe Discussion (sometimes implications, recommendations, etc) –What all this means Puts work in context of other studies Explains realistic impact of findings Answers the “so what” question Recommends future research –Hardest section to write; most common problems

Hot Buttons for Editors and Reviewers (JOE) Content –Contribution –Audience –Methods –Rigor –Usefulness Readabilty –Interesting –Comprehension/ Understandable –Development/ Sequencing –Mechanics

Process 1.Write it up/identify journal (call editor?) 2.Follow journal guidelines 3.Submit it 4.Wait 5.Wait 6.Get reviews back 7.Have a beer and calm down 8.Revise 9.Resubmit, complete approvals 10.Wait 11.Celebrate publication!

What are your article ideas?