riting Your 光RNAL ARTICLE n 12 WEEKS A Guide to Academic Publishing Success Wendy Laura Belcher SAGE
Ill A Guide to Academic Publishing Success / Wendy Laura Belcher I SAGE
O Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction:Using This Workbook xi Goals of the workbook.History of the workbook.Philosophy of the workbook.Pedagogy of the workbook. General instructions.Using the workbook according to your temperament,discipline,or career stage.Using the workbook by yourself,with a writing partner,in a writing group,with coauthors,or to teach a class.Feedback to the author. Week 1:Designing Your Plan for Writing Instruction:Understanding feelings about writing.Keys to positive writing experiences.Designing a plan for submitting your article in twelve weeks. Exercises:Selecting a paper for revision.Choosing your writing site.Designing your writing schedule.Anticipating and overturning writing obstacles. Week 2:Starting Your Article 43 Instruction:Types of academic articles.Myths about publishable journal articles.What gets published and why. Abstracts as a tool for success.Getting started on your article revision. Exercises:Hammering out your topic.Rereading your paper.Drafting your abstract.Reading a model article Revising your abstract. Week 3:Advancing Your Argument 67 Instruction:Common reasons why journals reject articles. Main reason journal articles are rejected:no argument. Making a good argument.Organizing your article around your argument. Exercises:Drafting your argument.Reviewing your article for an argument.Revising your article around your argument. Week 4:Selecting a Journal 99 Instruction:Good news about journals.The importance of picking the right journal.Types of academic journals: nonrecommended,questionable,and preferred.Finding suitable academic journals
Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Using This Workbook xi Goals of the workbook. History of the workbook. Philosophy of the workbook. Pedagogy of the workbook. General instructions. Using the workbook according to your temperament, discipline, or career stage. Using the workbook by yourself, with a writing partner, in a writing group, with coauthors, or to teach a class. Feedback to the author. Week 1: Designing Your Plan for Writing 1 Instruction: Understanding feelings about writing. Keys to positive writing experiences. Designing a plan for submitting your article in twelve weeks. Exercises: Selecting a paper for revision. Choosing your writing site. Designing your writing schedule. Anticipating and overturning writing obstacles. Week 2: Starting Your Article 43 Instruction: Types of academic articles. Myths about publishable journal articles. What gets published and why. Abstracts as a tool for success. Getting started on your article revision. Exercises: Hammering out your topic. Rereading your paper. Drafting your abstract. Reading a model article. Revising your abstract. Week 3: Advancing Your Argument 67 Instruction: Common reasons why journals reject articles. Main reason journal articles are rejected: no argument. Making a good argument. Organizing your article around your argument. Exercises: Drafting your argument. Reviewing your article for an argument. Revising your article around your argument. Week 4: Selecting a Journal 99 Instruction: Good news about journals. The importance of picking the right journal. Types of academic journals: nonrecommended, questionable, and preferred. Finding suitable academic journals
Exercises:Searching for journals.Evaluating academic journals. Matching your article to suitable journals.Reading relevant journals.Writing a query letter to editors.Making a final decision about which journal. Week 5:Reviewing the Related Literature 139 Instruction:Reading the scholarly literature.Types of scholarly literature.Strategies for getting reading done. Identifying your relationship to the related literature. Avoiding plagiarism.Writing about others'research. Exercises:Evaluating your current citations.Identifying and reading the related literature.Evaluating the related literature.Writing or revising your related literature review. Week 6:Strengthening Your Structure 171 Instruction:On the importance of structure.Types of structures.Article structures in the social sciences and humanities.Solving structural problems.Revising for structure. Exercises:Outlining a model article.Outlining your article Restructuring your article. Week 7:Presenting Your Evidence 189 Instruction:Types of evidence.Writing up evidence in the social sciences.Writing up evidence in the humanities. Revising your evidence. Exercises:Discussing evidence in your field.Revisiting your evidence.Shaping your evidence around your argument. Week 8:Opening and Concluding Your Article 201 Instruction:On the importance of openings.Revising your opening and conclusion. Exercises:Revising your title.Revising your introduction. Revisiting your abstract,related literature review,and author order.Revising your conclusion. Week 9:Giving,Getting,and Using Others'Feedback 221 Instruction:Types of feedback.Exchanging your articles. Exercises:Sharing your article and getting feedback.Making a list of remaining tasks.Revising your article according to feedback. Week 10:Editing Your Sentences 235 Instruction:On taking the time.Types of revising.The rules of editing.The Belcher diagnostic test.Editing your article. Exercises:Running the Belcher diagnostic test.Revising your article with the diagnostic test.Correcting other types of problem sentences
Exercises: Searching for journals. Evaluating academic journals. Matching your article to suitable journals. Reading relevant journals. Writing a query letter to editors. Making a final decision about which journal. Week 5: Reviewing the Related Literature 139 Instruction: Reading the scholarly literature. Types of scholarly literature. Strategies for getting reading done. Identifying your relationship to the related literature. Avoiding plagiarism. Writing about others' research. Exercises: Evaluating your current citations. Identifying and reading the related literature. Evaluating the related literature. Writing or revising your related literature review. Week 6: Strengthening Your Structure 171 Instruction: On the importance of structure. Types of structures. Article structures in the social sciences and humanities. Solving structural problems. Revising for structure. Exercises: Outlining a model article. Outlining your article. Restructuring your article. Week 7: Presenting Your Evidence 189 Instruction: Types of evidence. Writing up evidence in the social sciences. Writing up evidence in the humanities. Revising your evidence. Exercises: Discussing evidence in your field. Revisiting your evidence. Shaping your evidence around your argument. Week 8: Opening and Concluding Your Article 201 Instruction: On the importance of openings. Revising your opening and conclusion. Exercises: Revising your title. Revising your introduction. Revisiting your abstract, related literature review, and author order. Revising your conclusion. Week 9: Giving, Getting, and Using Others' Feedback 221 Instruction: Types of feedback. Exchanging your articles. Exercises: Sharing your article and getting feedback. Making a list of remaining tasks. Revising your article according to feedback. Week 10: Editing Your Sentences 235 Instruction: On taking the time. Types of revising. The rules of editing. The Belcher diagnostic test. Editing your article. Exercises: Running the Belcher diagnostic test. Revising your article with the diagnostic test. Correcting other types of problem sentences
Week 11:Wrapping Up Your Article 267 Instruction:On the perils of perfection.Finalizing your article. Exercises:Finalizing your argument,related literature review, introduction,evidence,structure,and conclusion. Week 12:Sending Your Article! 271 Instruction:On the importance of finishing.Getting the submission ready. Exercises:Writing the cover letter.Preparing illustrations. Putting your article into the journal's style.Preparing the final print or electronic version.Send and celebrate! Week X:Responding to Journal Decisions 287 Instruction:An exhortation.Waiting for the journal's decision. Reading the journal's decision.Types of journal decisions. Responding to journal decisions. Exercises:Evaluating and responding to the journal decision. Planning your revision.Revising your article.Drafting your revision cover letter.Requesting permissions.On the importance of persevering. End Notes 321 Works Cited 327 Recommended Reading 337 Index 341 About the author 351
Week 11: Wrapping Up Your Article 267 Instruction: On the perils of perfection. Finalizing your article. Exercises: Finalizing your argument, related literature review, introduction, evidence, structure, and conclusion. Week 12: Sending Your Article! 271 Instruction: On the importance of finishing. Getting the submission ready. Exercises: Writing the cover letter. Preparing illustrations. Putting your article into the journal's style. Preparing the final print or electronic version. Send and celebrate! Week X: Responding to Journal Decisions 287 Instruction: An exhortation. Waiting for the journal's decision. Reading the journal's decision. Types of journal decisions. Responding to journal decisions. Exercises: Evaluating and responding to the journal decision. Planning your revision. Revising your article. Drafting your revision cover letter. Requesting permissions. On the importance of persevering. End Notes Works Cited Recommended Reading Index About the Author 321 327 337 341 351
Acknowledgments owe much to Assistant Vice Chancellor Jim Turner,emeriti professor and mentor extraordinaire,who incubated the writing workshop at UCLA with me;to Vice Chancellor Claudia Mitchell-Kernan,who hired me to teach the workshop for the UCLA Graduate Division for ten years;to UCLA Extension Program Writing Director Linda Venis,who hired me to teach for the first time;and to Elin Skaar,who brought me to teach the workshop in Norway. Many thanks to my writing group,Harryette Mullen,Alice Wexler, Kathleen McHugh,Mary Bush,and Ellen Krout-Hasegawa,for reading early drafts and offering essential suggestions;to Judith Stevenson for keep- ing me going with daily encouragement;and to Bonnie Berry-Lamon,fel- low writer,for being there since ninth grade and negotiating the contract. For anecdotes,advice,encouragement,or invaluable assistance,thanks to Sana Abasher,Ali Behdad,D.Christopher Belcher,John H.Belcher,Zara Bennett,Erica Bochanty,Jean Arnold,Martha Banta,Haeng-ja Chung,Helen Deutsch,JaneAnn Dill,Cynthia Feliciano,Stefan Frazier,the late Guillermo E.Hernandez,Ruth E.Iskin,Meg Powers Livingston,Suzanne L'Oiseaux, Bharati Mandapati,Janice Molloy,Peter McLaren,Tammi Monsanto,Angela Nonaka,Chon A.Noriega,Paul Ong,Carrie Petrucci,Samantha Pinto,Mark Quigley,Karen Quintiliani,Sam See,Sean Silver,Vivian Sobchack,Guri Ste- gali,Liz Taylor,Ward Thomas,Juliet Williams,and Alayne Yonemoto Thanks also to the wonderful folks at Sage,including its editors Lisa Cuevas Shaw and John Szilagyi;its directors Alison Mudditt,Jim Brace-Thompson, and Blaise Simqu;the book's shepherds MaryAnn Vail,Cassandra Seibel, Stephanie Adams,and Belinda Thresher;its copyeditor Belea T.Keeney;its proofreader Lisa Allen;and its compositor/designer Trice Atkinson. For enabling me to teach the workshop in Africa,I am especially grate- ful to friends at the Chr.Michelsen Institute in Bergen,including Siri Glop- pen,Pavla Jezkova,Lise Rakner,Elin Skaar,Gunnar M.Sorbo,Lars G. Svasand,and Arne Tostensen,and to all the workshop participants in Sudan and Malawi,including Abdel Ghaffar Ahmed,Sana Abasher,Nan- dini Patel,and the late Nixon Khembo.I wish I could thank all my students by name;each one of them made this book stronger. iⅸ
-(!) Acknowledl!ments I owe much to Assistant Vice Chancellor Jim Turner, emeriti professor and mentor extraordinaire, who incubated the writing workshop at UCLA with me; to Vice Chancellor Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, who hired me to teach the workshop for the UCLA Graduate Division for ten years; to UCLA Extension Program Writing Director Linda Venis, who hired me to teach for the first time; and to Elin Skaar, who brought me to teach the workshop in Norway. Many thanks to my writing group, Harryette Mullen, Alice Wexler, Kathleen McHugh, Mary Bush, and Ellen Krout-Hasegawa, for reading early drafts and offering essential suggestions; to Judith Stevenson for keeping me going with daily encouragement; and to Bonnie Berry-Lamon, fellow writer, for being there since ninth grade and negotiating the contract. For anecdotes, advice, encouragement, or invaluable assistance, thanks to Sana Abasher, Ali Behdad, D. Christopher Belcher, John H. Belcher, Zara Bennett, Erica Bochanty, Jean Arnold, Martha Banta, Haeng-ja Chung, Helen Deutsch, JaneAnn Dill, Cynthia Feliciano, Stefan Frazier, the late Guillermo E. Hernandez, Ruth E. !skin, Meg Powers Livingston, Suzanne L'Oiseaux, Bharati Mandapati, Janice Molloy, Peter McLaren, Tammi Monsanto, Angela Nonaka, Chon A. Noriega, Paul Ong, Carrie Petrucci, Samantha Pinto, Mark Quigley, Karen Quintiliani, Sam See, Sean Silver, Vivian Sobchack, Guri Stegali, Liz Taylor, Ward Thomas, Juliet Williams, and Alayne Yonemoto. Thanks also to the wonderful folks at Sage, including its editors Lisa Cuevas Shaw and John Szilagyi; its directors Alison Mudditt, Jim Brace-Thompson, and Blaise Simqu; the book's shepherds Mary Ann Vail, Cassandra Seibel, Stephanie Adams, and Belinda Thresher; its copyeditor Belea T. Keeney; its proofreader Lisa Allen; and its compositor I designer Trice Atkinson. For enabling me to teach the workshop in Africa, I am especially grateful to friends at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, including Siri Gloppen, Pavla Jezkova, Lise Rakner, Elin Skaar, Gunnar M. S0rb0, Lars G. Svasand, and Arne Tostensen, and to all the workshop participants in Sudan and Malawi, including Abdel Ghaffar Ahmed, Sana Abasher, Nandini Patel, and the late Nixon Khembo. I wish I could thank all my students by name; each one of them made this book stronger. Ix