How does one decide on a publication venue?

How does one decide on a publication venue?  This is a question I am asked frequently.

My basic answer is:
1) Know your field.  What are the top-tier journals?  Mid-level?  Which ones do researchers read?  Which ones do practitioners read?  Decide your audience and aim for the highest level.

2)  Review what journals you most cite. If you are using them in your own research, you are probably interested in and writing for the same audience.  Make a list of journals that seem to fit your ideas, style and intended audience.

3) Know the journal. Read several of the latest issues.  Remember, editors change and then styles might change. Read the directions to authors - aim/scope, style, word count, special sections etc.  Tailor your writing to fit the audience and journal. I usually print a few model articles so I can refer to them as a write for style and format ideas.

4) Revise and Resubmit is NOT a rejection! If the editor took the time to send the article out and compile the reviewers' comments, then the article is a fit for the journal with revisions.  Do not shelve the article.  Use the feedback to revise and resubmit ASAP.  Only shop for a new journal if the revisions significantly change your interpretation of data or wildly misinterpret your argument.  But, be open-minded to the feedback, the reviewers are experts in your field.

This is my basic advise.  However, Nick Hopwood,a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), has a much more detailed blog post, A guide to choosing journals for academic publication, that is worth a read.

One of his first discussions is whether an author should pick the journal and then write, or write and find the appropriate journal.  His answer, "Neither. Both." which is accurate.  The journal influences how you might write it up, but your methodology and topic influences which journal to choose.

He also has a detailed explanation of rankings of journals.  Although he is writing from an Australian perspective, much of his advise is relevant in the US.

The Only Way to Finish Writing is to Start Writing

One of my dearest mentors in graduate school continually reminded us that “The best dissertation is a done dissertation.” He was not being flippant and he pushed us to produce quality work, but he recognized that all of us have many avoidance techniques that delay us starting and finishing the gateway paper to academia. He continued with reminding us that our dissertation is NOT, in fact, our magnum opus but rather just the beginning of our exploration of our professional identity and writing. Very few people are able to immediately publish their dissertations as a book or articles without major revisions. And, these revisions should be targeted to the publisher or journal audience. Therefore, it is counterproductive to attempt to have a “perfect” dissertation before submitting it.

Theresa MacPhail, an Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow at New York University, had a wonderful blog post that addressed many of these ideas - The No-Fail Secret to Writing a Dissertation. And, although her advise sounds almost as glib as my mentor's, she understands that “there is only one fail-safe method, one secret, one guaranteed trick that you need in order to finish your dissertation: Write.”

As many people before her have mentioned (Howard & Barton, 1986; Zinsser, 1988), writing is thinking – and it takes time – and it requires lots and lots of writing that will never make it to the final piece. Embrace this, rather than fight it, and the act of writing can be more liberating than drudgery.

Howard, V. A., & Barton, J. H. (1986). Thinking on paper. W. Morrow.

Zinsser, W. K. (1988). Writing to learn. New York: Harper & Row.

Professors as Writers – Boice

Robert Boice (1990) has spent much of his academic career thinking, researching, writing, and mentoring others about writing. His book Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing is a compilation of his work with stuck or blocked writer and it provides a lot a solid advise for both the blocked writer and the novice writer.

His initial program to get writers writing includes four stages:

1. Establish momentum and ideas with unself-conscious techniques
2. Arrange external situations to ensure regular, productive writing
3. Manage self-control of cognition and emotions
4. Create social support, develop writing skills, and understand your audience

His first chapter reveals the nature of writing problems including; censoring self, fear of failure, perfectionism, procrastination, poor early experiences with writing, mental health issues, personality issues, attitude toward writing and busyness. An important part of revealing these issues is recognizing that all writers experience this – it is not just you.

The next chapter explores what writers say about their own work, and encourages the reader to take the assessment in the appendix to understand their own writing problems. Boice believes most writing problems can be categorized into a distaste for writing, lack of time, lack of confidence, anxiety, problems with starting, or problems with finishing. In addition, there may be psychological issues such as depression, phobias, and physical limitations to writing that might interfere with writing. Problems with writing are not unusual. By studying yourself, you can discover what blocks you and arm yourself with strategies to unblock.

For the blocked writer, quick success in writing is necessary and he recommends a technique called “Spontaneous Writing” or “Free Writing” which he credits to Dorothea Brande and Peter Elbow (1973). The basic idea is to set a timer for 10 minutes and just write – about anything – without stopping. If you can't think of anything, write gibberish or “I can't think of anything.” The goal is to get words on paper. This fast track to writing should be done each day for a week or two. The next step would be to have more focused writing – pick a specific topic that you wish to develop and set the timer. Then, re-read and develop outlines from these writings. The goal of the timed, free writing is to quiet the inner critic and not worry about flawless prose. Instead, the focus is ideas, which can be revised later.

Boice then spends some time on creating a supportive environment for writing:

1. Pick a regular place
2. Non-writing resources should be put away
3. Clean/straighten at the end of writing sessions, not at the beginning
4. Attend to the audio environment – eliminate distractions, use music if needed
5. Limit social distractions (especially digital ones)
6. Get peer support/pressure (schedule writing times with others, try #amwriting on Twitter)
7. Be physically comfortable

Beyond the environment, productive writers develop productive habits such as:

1. Write daily
2. Be aware of how you spend your time and schedule your writing time
3. Write when you are fresh/best (whenever that is)
4. Don't binge write
5. Write in small, regular amounts
6. Set writing goals for each writing sessions
7. Keep track of time, amount, and % of task completed
8. Break large goals into smaller parts – backwards plan for deadlines
9. Share with supportive peers
10. Work on multiple projects to stay interested, and at different stages.

Boice states, and it is back up by tons of other studies:

Regular, daily writing increases productivity and creativity!

If you need carrots and sticks, check out StickK http://www.stickk.com/about.php