1. Preparing for Submission or Avoiding the desk reject! Allan Macpherson

2. Anne Huff ‘Writing for Scholarly Publication’ Sage, 1999 Scholarship depends on interaction with other scholars Academic writing is conversation, with ground rules and etiquette Following the rules of good conversation results in a greater likelihood of successful outcome. Four Questions to ask yourself n preparing your paper: ▫Who do I want to talk to? ▫What are they talking about as I arrive? ▫What do I have to add to the conversation? ▫How do I introduce myself?

3. Who do I want to talk to? ▫Is this the right Journal?  What are the journal aims and objectives?  Have I read and understood the author guidelines? ▫Can I frame the paper to fit the journal? ▫Would I be better off targeting a different journal? ▫Take advice from a trusted colleague in the field prior to journal submission - and act on the feedback you are given.

4. What are they talking about? ▫What debates in this journal and the field in general am I engaging with?  Select the written works to examine that fit your project.  What are the emerging questions within this discipline?  Does my paper help to develop the conversation and move it on?  Cite articles already published in the journal on the topic – this d emonstrates the conversation to which your paper contributes

5. What do I have to add? Should be able to do this in the Introduction 1.What is the paper about? 2.Why is it important? 3.What are my research questions? 4.How am I going to accomplish them? 5.What is my contribution?

6. How do I Introduce myself? The covering letter: ▫Write a convincing case for paper – show where it fits and why it is of interest, how it has come about. ▫Tell the editor who has already read and commented on your paper ▫This shows effort in development and allows editor to chose compatible (and different) reviewers ▫Show the editor how you have studied the debates/conversation in the journal and that you have something worthwhile to say

7. Summary A good paper targeted at the right journal: ▫Engages in the journal’s conversation ▫Is explicit about the papers contribution (i.e. make it interesting and relevant) ▫Is formatted and presented iaw the journal guidelines.

8. Reasons for Rejection Methodology74.3% Significance – so what?60.3% Writing Style58.4% Literature Review Section50.9% Data Analysis Section42.1% Organization42.1% Quality and Rigour30.0% Sampling29.2% Conclusions27.6% Discussions Section25.2%