1. Nancy Brooks, Program Specialist,
Family Living Programs
Patti Herman, Family Living Educator

2. Scholarship
Where does writing for publication fit into the
Four Elements of Scholarship (UW-
Cooperative Extension)?
 Creative, intellectual work
 Reviewed by the scholar’s peers who affirm
its value
 Added to our intellectual history through its
communication
 Valued by those for whom it was intended

3. What kind of writing
do you do?

4. What distinguishes writing for
professional publication?
 Purpose
 Audience
 Authors
 Content

5. Purpose
 Report results of original research or
analysis
 Communicate/disseminate knowledge
 Create a new framework for knowledge

6. Audience
 Scholars
 Researchers
 Students in a particular field of study

7. Authors
 Researchers and experts in their field
 Always named

8. Content
Usually contains the following:
 Describe the research methodology
 Bibliography or works cited
 Technical or specialized language
 Usually peer reviewed

9. What’s your biggest challenge in
writing for publication?

10. Author panel
 Will Andresen – CRD, Iron County
 Paula Huff -4-H/YD, Oconto County
 Faye Malek – Family Living Educator,
Manitowoc County
 Aerica Opatik – Ag Agent, Kewaunee County

11. Extension Writing for
Publication Survey
 Department of Family Development
Research & Studies Committee and Family
Living Programs
 Carried out in May/June 2010
 Sent to 300+ people on the Family Living
Programs email list via Zoomerang
 Purpose: To assess current level of
knowledge and needs for continuing
education

12. Demographics
 74 responses
Untenured faculty 15%
Tenured faculty 36%
WNEP Coordinator 19%
WNEP Educator 23%
Other 7%
(Academic Staff/Youth and Family Coordinator,
Interim FLE, WNEP Specialist, Waiting for Board
of Regents approval on tenure)

13. Demographics
 Years of employment by UW-Extension
Less than 1 year 8%
1-4 years 26%
5-10 years 28%
11-15 years 14%
More than 15 years 24%

14. Where they’ve been published
38 % National Extension Association of
Family and Consumer Sciences
25% Journal of Extension
58% Department of Family Development
website
29% Other (listed on next slide)

15. Publications listed under “Other”
 Newspapers/news releases
 Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences
 World Cultures Encyclopedia
 Book with LFB Scholarly Publishers, Inc.
 Book chapter
 Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
 Journal of the American Dietetic Association
 Not sure if local newsletters to partner agencies
would fit this question
 FYI – Staff of the week/month

16. Most knowledgeable about….
(ratings of Good or Excellent)
 Accessing library resources for your literature
review - 50%
 Maintaining fidelity to original sources – 42%
 Copyright issues – 40%

17. Least knowledgeable about…
(ratings of Poor or Fair)
 Use of appropriate citations – 69%
 American Psychological Association (APA)
Writing Guidelines – 68%
 Professional practices for publishing in multiple
journals – 68%

18. Least knowledgeable about….
(continued)
 Informal writing compared to writing for
publication – 62%
 Sharing evaluation results – 62%
 Establishing the purpose of your writing (e.g.,
persuasive, review of literature, etc.) – 61%

19. Other topics of interest
 Choosing appropriate topics for publication
 Establishing timelines for writing
 Citing technology sources
 Process of submitting for publication
 Suggestions for appropriate journals
 Finding people to review drafts
 When to write during your Extension career?

20. Writing for Publication
Professional Development Series
 Session One
Writing for publication: What does it mean?
 Session Two
The process of writing
 Session Three
Writing style
 Session Four
Writing for publication case study

21. Writing Resources
 Steenboch Library
 Writing Lab
 Your local university
 Purdue Online Writing Lab (O.W.L.)
 http://www.owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02

22. “Writing is easy. All you have to do
is cross out the wrong words.”
Mark Twain
“For a long time now I have tried simply to
write the best that I can. Sometimes I have
good luck and write better than I can.”
Ernest Hemingway