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Writing & publishing academic papers(additional slides)

Edwin van Teijlingen

Structure of a paper XI

Be consistent:• Tense changes within paragraphs.• Don’t mix US and UK English.• Swopping between passive and

active language.• Lists with ‘,’ AND ‘;’

Structure of a paper XII

Key words• Helps other to find your paper in a

data base with mlns of papers.• Indexers index title & key words;

don’t use title words in key words.• Some papers mean ‘words’ others

accept phrases: ‘antenatal care’

Finding key words: MeSH

• Medical Subject Headings (MeSH®) controlled vocabulary thesaurus for indexing records

• Sets of terms naming descriptors in hierarchical structure that permits searching at various levels of specificity.

• Because MEDLINE is American, it generally uses American spelling rather than UK:

• anesthesia rather than anaesthesia• Program / labor /rather than programme /

labour

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Presenting Qualitative Research

• For some social science journals it is not always necessary/ expected to separate out Findings AND Discussion.

• Introduce all themes• Introduce to each theme with your

quotes then the literature!• Have confidence

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1st sentence: Introduce the theme idea

of the paragraph

• First: Develop the theme, include

relevant examples, details, evidence,

your quotations.

• Subsequent sentences: Add

references!

• Last sentence: Summarises the

paragraph or leads into the next

paragraph.

Structure – each theme

Presenting Qualitative Research

Gatekeepers to getting published

Getting your paper into a journal means you have to overcome at least two hurdles:• Editor: is paper appropriate for journal,

timely, etc.• Reviewers: is paper so methodologically

sounds, well written, analysed, etc. 7

If reviewers were negative, but helpful consider submitting elsewhere. Some journals, e.g. Midwifery have a high rejection rate (in 2012 about 54%).

Journal editors may suggest more appropriate journals for your type of paper.

You may already have another journal in mind yourself.

On rejection I

• If you have good material/data be persistent!

• You can appeal editorial decisions.

• Take rejection at face value, i.e. someone did not like your paper, NOT you have conducted the worst study ever and you are an idiot. Submit elsewhere!

On rejection II

Proof-reading

1. Academic content • Someone who knows your topic;• General academic reader (logic/structure)

2. Grammar/ style/ spelling/ etc.• Native speaker / student of English• You can pay someone at the end!

3. Page proofs of accepted paper • Read word for word

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Proof-reading

• Check details, read line by line • Tables, references, • Check what text editor has changed.• Check authors’ details, change addresses

and qualifications of co-authors.

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Researcher ID/ ORCID

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Pitchforth E, et al. (2005) Writing up & presenting qualitative research in family planning & reproductive health care, J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 31(2): 132-3513