This document provides tips for building an effective writing circle to help academics successfully publish their work. It recommends connecting with colleagues who have similar writing goals, designing a realistic writing plan, choosing an article to work on, and dedicating time to writing. Key aspects of a writing plan include following Belcher's 12-week template, setting goals, making writing a habit, considering co-authors, selecting an appropriate journal based on acceptance rates, and providing feedback. Maintaining accountability through writing partners or groups, establishing rewards and punishments, and participating in online writing circles can all help improve writing productivity.

1. WANT SUCCESS
AS AN
ACADEMIC
WRITER?
BUILD A
WRITING CIRCLE
Center for University Scholars
2016 – 2017 Writing Circle Series

2. ① Connect with colleagues with similar goals.
② Design a realistic writing plan to help manage the article
writing process.
③ Select an article to write/revise for submission to a journal.
④ Go forth and write.
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3. ① Review Belcher’s12-week writing plan
② Create your team
③ Design your writing plan
④ Set realistic goals
⑤ Make writing a habit
⑥ Choose a text
⑦ Consider a co-author
⑧ Select a journal
⑨ Wrap-up & feedback
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4. HTTP://WWW.WENDYBELCHER.COM/PAGES/WORKBOOKFORMS.HTM
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• Set up a
realistic, not
ambitious
writing plan!
• Where you can
fit in 15 minutes
of writing?

6.  The writing itself is a solitary activity, but shared
planning and accountability make it more social
(and more successful).
 Work with a writing partner/writing group. This
helps not only to provide a reviewer, but adds
motivation.
 Consider having a contract.
 Decide on a reward & punishment.
 Rewards: new shoes, movie, tickets, etc.
 Punishments: a week without
Facebook/Twitter, no TV for a week, etc.
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7. Writing Partners Writing Group
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9.  Pick a writing site and stick to it!
 What improvements can you make to it?
 Plott out your time and creating a writing plan
 Use a chart
 Use online/mobile phone tools/apps such as
iCal, Google calendar/reminders
 Plot out writing tasks for each day for the span of
plan
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10. How to identify a good text (Belcher, 2009):
 Praise: has a professor said a certain paper was strong?
 Pleasure: was there a topic you really enjoyed writing about?
 Relevance: have you talked/written about a current debate in
the field?
 Research/Findings: have you performed any
research/collected data in the field?
 Conference presentation: have you presented on a topic at a
professional conference?
 Thesis: did you write a Master’s/Doctoral thesis?
 Rejected article: did you send in an article already?
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11. Consider co-writing with:
 A peer
 A former professor
 A mentor
 A graduate student
Tips for collaborating
 Determine a file naming
system e.g.
YEAR_MONTH_DAY_AUTHOR
INITIALS_TITLE.docx
 Save ALL drafts
 Never have two authors
working at the same time
 Take advantage of others’
strengths
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12. Based on a survey conducted in 2000:
 38,000 active academic journals in circulations today
 22,000 of these are peer-review journals
 Only 35% of journals get more than 100 submissions each year
 Only 5% of journals have a 90% rejection rate or higher
(as cited by Belcher, 2009)
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13.  Find the acceptance rates/impact factors of the journals
you are considering.
 Cabell’s Publishing http://www.cabells.com/directories.aspx
 Science Watch http://sciencewatch.com/
 Visit journal websites and read their publication guidelines
for authors.
 Search for the journals that have an upcoming theme or
special issue on your topic.
 Is the journal formal or informal in style? Do they prefer
primary research, theoretical articles, or pedagogical
articles?
 What does the review process for the journal look like?
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14.  If you would like to provide encouragement and support to your peers
in today’s workshop, we have a Twitter account @ScholarsWrite that
you can follow.
 And you can take part in the virtual writing circle by posting your
writing goals once a week (we like Tuesdays) by using #scholarswrite
in a post along with your goals or successes for the week.
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