Writing a Good Journal Paper Cecilia Wong Professor of Spatial Planning and Director of Centre for Urban Policy Studies The University of Manchester

Publish &/or Perish Dissemination and publication is part of academic life lots of advice on how to publish: substance/ strategy/ skills / luck Guide to academic publishing in Geography e.g. pub.html pub.html research assessment culture and funding allocation regime

Build a publishing strategy Think about publishing strategically in both short and long terms Plan ahead and consider alternative avenues you may be taking Copyright: don’t waste a publication e.g. once publish on the web or in a book chapter, refereed journals will not accept it Update your plan and strategy from time to time to seize opportunities and to seek advice from senior academics Carving up your PhD thesis into different potential journal papers - lateral thinking

Different publication sources Books (edited or authored, research or text) Invited book chapters in edited books Journals (academic vs professional/popular) Conference proceedings Research reports Newspapers Popular electronic media

Author credits The norm varies from field to field e.g. name order, group credits and also from country to country Fairness vs the danger of stepping out of line Norms about publishing with supervisors vary Need to discuss openly about credit-sharing with your supervisor(s), talk to his/her other PhD students

Seeking academic mentoring Normally will be your supervisors, research centre directors or project directors If not, seek out alternatives e.g. adopt a mentor from the senior academics you meet Find an author that you admire their writing style and use s/he as your model.

Academic journal papers: (1) Select a journal before writing the paper Reputation – and its limit for your strategy Citation – varies from field to field International, refereed journals (double blind review): carries more weight Relevance to the topic Recent editions of the journal: the expected content, level of scholarship, format & style, what and who has published recently, and the 'notes for contributors’

Academic journal papers: (2) Title Abstract and key words Introduction Main content: literature review, conceptualisation and framing, methodology, analysis and findings Conclusion Acknowledgements References (footnotes and endnotes) Supported by tables, figures and maps – copyright and permission

Academic journal papers: (3) Strategise for an international audience How to frame your arguments so that they are of international interest Try to contextualise the materials and guide the readers – depends on how footloose is the topic Put yourself in the reviewer’s shoes Seek comments and advice from others Polishing and proof-reading

Academic journal papers: (4) Electronic submission e.g. manuscript central Follow the instructions carefully (e.g. don’t forget to remove your name) Review by ‘recognised’ academics in the field – normally between 3-5, hope to have 2 back Most stringent – double blind review The role of editors The role of editorial board Guest edited issue

Academic journal papers: (5) Typical review criteria: 1.Importance of subject 2.Originality of approach 3.Soundness of scholarship 4.Level of interest and pertinence for the journal’s readership 5.Quality of article structure 6.Depth and strength of argument 7.Clarity of expression 8.Graphic material appropriate

Academic journal papers: (6) It could be a lengthy reviewing process: range from months Reviewers’ reports (can be different for the editor and for the author) will be sent to the editor The editor need to make a decision and then communicate back to you The dilemma of revisions!

Academic journal papers: (7) How to deal with reviewers’ comments – can be mean, rude and nasty, but many are constructive and helpful! How to make a cover letter to catalogue what have been revised? (some required track changes) Don’t argue with referees!? Be positive and ‘thick skin’ Be persistent – move down the peck order of journals Revision makes better papers Hopefully, accepted for publication, wait for the proofs arrived for final checking Can take up to 12 to 24 months before in print

Academic journal papers: (8) to strengthen an argument to bring in new material, ideas and thinking to better structure the paper to remove repetition and redundant material to summarise passages of text into one or two sentences to delete references and quotations which are not essential to your discussion to replace lengthy descriptions by tables and charts where possible to butcher whole sections where these are not central to your argument