1. Helen Fallon, Deputy Librarian,
National University of Ireland Maynooth
Helen.b.fallon@nuim.ie
3. Goals of this workshop
Increased energy and confidence in writing
Greater understanding of the mechanics of
writing
Greater understanding of the different
requirements of peer-reviewed and
professional journals
Increased knowledge on finding out about
publishing opportunities and publicising your
publications
4. Task 1– Writing to Prompt
Write for five minutes, in sentences, without
stopping, using one of the following prompts
I am interested in writing about…
An area of my research which I would like to write
about is…
I feel at my most creative when I’m writing about…
5. Task 2- Finding Topics
Work with a colleague and list as many
topics as you can that you feel you could
write about. These topics could relate to
work you have been involved in, subjects
that interest you or topics you have done
research on
Next list the sources you might use in
your article
6. Task 3 – Making a case for writing
Write for five minutes in sentences,
in no more than fifty words,
explaining to your department head
why is it important that you publish
7. Task 4– Defining audience and Purpose
Describe in one sentence the purpose of
the piece you are writing
What is the audience for your article?
What’s your angle?
What data do you have?
Is this topic most suited for a research
article/a practice-based article or some
other format e.g poster?
8. Practice-based article
Based primarily on experience
Give some background
Describe what happened
What was the impact
Reflection – what worked, what didn’t work
so well, what could be done to improve it
Conclusion
(who, what, when, where, how)
9. Research-based article
• Must draw on research
• Generally longer than practice-based article
e.g. 5,000 words
• Double blind peer review
• Has an abstract (informative or structured)
• Literature Review
• Gives methodology and results
• References
10. Outlining/Structuring
There are different ways to structure articles
Study the format of articles in the journal you
hope to target
Read first for story then for structure
Model articles on other articles that work well
(template)
Different structures can achieve the same end
in different ways
Be aware of your audience
11. Outlining
Murray, R. (2005) Writing for Academic Journals. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/Open
University Press, p. 9
Context/Background
Literature review
Method/approach
Results/Analysis
Discussion
Conclusion
Topic 1 – 250 words
Topic 2 – 250 words
Topic 3- 250 words
Introduction
12. Task 5 - Outlining
Draw up an outline for an article you wish
to write
Give approximate number of words in
each section
Write a description of each section
beginning with the words This section will
cover…
13. Elements of a peer-reviewed article
Title
Abstract & Keywords
Introduction
Literature review
Methodology
Results/Analysis
Discussion
Conclusion
References
14. Task 6 - Drafting a query e-mail
Before writing/submitting
Identify journal
Identify editor
Single sentences
I am writing an article on…
My experience is this area…
I think that readers of your journal would be
interested in… because…
15. Writing
To begin writing you have to begin
writing
Writing generates ideas
Don’t look for perfection, just write
Give yourself permission to write
badly
All writing is rewriting
16. Writing
Can start at any point, but generally not
introduction or conclusion
Scientists often write the results section up
first
Write in sentences
No more than one idea in each sentence
Logical movement from sentence to sentence
and from paragraph to paragraph
17. Style
House style (journal style)
First, second or third person
Active or passive voice
Tense
Transitions
Signposts
Headings & subheadings (official)
Endings of sections that hark back to what went before,
announce what comes next (unofficial)
Movement/Coherence/clarity
18. Writing as Storytelling
Writing as storytelling
Beginning, middle and end (not necessarily in
that order)
What makes a story interesting?
A story has a theme
A story has movement
A story has a flow
Something happens/changes
19. Drafting and Revising
Draft and redraft
Number and date drafts
Refer back to your audience & purpose
statement
Ask a critical colleague to read
Revise title, abstract & article
20. Drafting and Revising
When finished put aside for at least a
week
Reread
Spell check
Recheck submission guidelines
File preprint
Let go
21. Submission
Professional Journal – editor
Academic Journal – double blind peer-reviewers
Accept as is
Accept with revisions
Revise and resubmit
Reject
Make changes as quickly as possible
Reread
Resubmit
Keep postprint
22. Publicising Your Work
Deposit in Institutional Repository
Policy available at www.sherpa.ac.uk
Create a profile using google scholar
http://scholar.google.co.uk/intl/en/schol
ar/citations.html
Create a profile on Academia.edu
23. Academic Writing Librarians Blog
To encourage/promote academic writing
among library staff
Calls for papers/posters/book chapters etc.
Links to my articles on academic writing
Tips from published authors
Tips from journal editors
Other
http://www.academicwritinglibrarian.blogspot.ie/
26. Academic Writing Toolkit
Section 1. Beginning to write
Section 2. Ideas generation
Section 3. Outlining
Section 4. Abstract and title
Section 5. Finding a journal
Section 6. Writing the article
Section 7. Submission
Section 8. Peer-review and resubmission
Section 9. Publication and celebration
29. Follow Academic Writing Librarians
Follow Helen Fallon on Twitter for updates
Access the blog at
http://academicwritinglibrarian.blogspot.ie/
Sign up as a follower
Follow by e-mail from the box on the homepage
30. Moving on with your writing
Write
Describe, reflect
and evaluate
Talk
Notebook
Data
Collaborate
Be strategic
Cite key people
Set realistic goals
Give and look for
peer support
Celebrate
31. Bibliography on Academic Writing
Academic Writing Librarians
http://anltc.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/BIBLIOGRAPHY-ON-ACADEMIC-WRITING.pdf
32. Online Academic Writing Group
E-mail helen.b.fallon@nuim.ie by Friday 4 April
Put online Writing Group in title of Message