Writing for Writing for Publication: Publication: OT6026 Occupational OT6026 Occupational Therapy Project 3 Therapy Project 3 Íde O’Sullivan Íde O’Sullivan Regional Writing Centre Regional Writing Centre
Dec 22, 2015
Writing for Writing for Publication:Publication:
OT6026 Occupational OT6026 Occupational Therapy Project 3Therapy Project 3
Writing for Writing for Publication:Publication:
OT6026 Occupational OT6026 Occupational Therapy Project 3Therapy Project 3
Íde O’SullivanÍde O’Sullivan
Regional Writing CentreRegional Writing Centre
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Reflection• Why write for publication?• Implications of publishing/not
publishing?• Misconceptions about writing and
publication• Common problems among new
writers• New writers’ worries/fears• Difficulties associated with writing
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Difficulties associated with writing
• Anxiety and fear of writing• Lack of confidence and motivation• Cracking the codes of academic writing• Getting started• Lack of guidance, practice and feedback• Misconceptions of writing
– Good writing skills are innate X– Think first, then write X
• The writing process is recursive
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The process• Decide on the writing project• Choose a target journal• Get information about the journal
– Mission/vision of the journal– Identify categories of submission– Identify key subject areas
• Analyse the journal• Select a sample paper from the target
journal• Follow the guidelines for authors
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The journal• “The British Journal of Occupational Therapy
(BJOT) is the official journal of the College of Occupational Therapists. Its purpose is to publish contributions of papers relevant to theory, practice, research, education and management in occupational therapy.”
• “Vision: A monthly journal presenting high quality international research and practice related papers that informs the knowledge and evidence base of occupational therapy and is easily accessible through online searches.”
• British Journal of Occupational Therapy, February 2008, 71(2): 77
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Types of publications• Scholarly Papers• Short Reports• Research Articles/Papers• Practice Analysis/Evaluations • Critical Reviews • Case Histories/Reviews• Opinion Pieces• Editorials • Letters to Editor• Book Reviews• Guest Editorials
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Key areas1. Clinical (a) Assessment (b) Adult
Physical (c) Adult Psychosocial (d) Learning Disability (e) Elderly (f) Paediatrics
2. Equipment and Technology3. Education4. Professional Development5. Theory and Philosophy6. Management7. Research Methods and Methodology
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Analysing the journal• Cracking the codes• Analysing the genre/text and modelling• Generate a list of the important criteria
which will make your writing more effective
• Ask yourself the following questions:– How is the paper structured?– How is the contribution articulated?– What level of context is provided?– What level of detail is used? – How long are the different sections?
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Analysing the journal• What organisational features/patterns are
in evidence? • How are arguments and counterarguments
presented and structured?• What types of evidence are important?• What stylistic features are prominent?• Is the text cohesive? How does the author
achieve such cohesion?• What kind(s) of persuasive devises does
the author employ?• Voice?
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Guidelines for authors• Categories of submission• Preparation of the manuscript
– Copyright– Ethics– Layout– Presentation
• Submission of the manuscript • The review process
– Editorial process– Editorial decisions
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Key considerations• The Occasion
• The Topic
• Your Purpose
• Audience
• You – the writer
NB: Joining the conversation
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The manuscript• Abstract• Introduction• Literature review• Method• Results/Findings• Discussion• Conclusions
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Reasons for rejecting manuscripts: Brown, Rodger
and Brown (2005:88)• Methodology or research design
problems• Poorly developed idea• Poorly written• Data interpretation problems• Literature review not
relevant/comprehensive/up to date• Content undocumented • Statistical problems• Term-paper type article• Issues of validity, reliability and
trustworthiness not addressed
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Reasons for rejecting manuscripts: Brown, Rodger
and Brown (2005:88)• Poorly referenced• Content not important/significant • Discussion not based on results/findings• Content inaccurate• Content not consistent with journal
purpose• Implications of findings and results on
practice not included • Submission format guidelines not followed• Manuscript too lengthy• Key terms and concepts not clearly
defined
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Reasons for rejecting manuscripts: Brown, Rodger
and Brown (2005:88)
• Aim/purpose of paper not clearly stated • Limitations of research study not
included/acknowledged • Content not current or timely• Clinically not applicable • Too technical • Manuscript submitted concurrently to
another journal• Subject/topic covered recently • Content already scheduled for future
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Overview: Reasons for rejecting
• Poor writing skills• Poor research skills• Failure to consider the journal’s audience• Failure to follow the journal’s guidelines • Before you start establish familiarity with
– The journal– The audience– The submission guidelines
Strategies to Strategies to Develop Writing Develop Writing
Strategies to Strategies to Develop Writing Develop Writing
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Getting started• Writing is a process• Create time and space for writing• Freewriting
– Keep writing non-stop for 5 minutes– Write in sentences– Do not edit or censor your writing
• Prompt– “How I go about writing…”
• How do you feel? • Other prompts:
– “The aim of this research paper…”
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Dialogue about writing• Peer-review• Generative writing• The “writing sandwich” (Murray,
2005:85): writing, talking, writing• Writing “buddies” (Murray and Moore,
2006:102)• Writers’ groups• Engaging in critiques of one another’s
work allows you to become effective critics of your own work.
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Strategies that work for you
• Writing is a personal process• Learning diary (Moore and Murphy,
2005:61) / Process journal (Elbow and Belanoff, 2003:19)– When do you feel most/least motivated to
write?– What strategies have/have not worked in
the past? • Write a little bit every day (Moore and
Murphy, 2005:117)• Writing can be a positive experience• Get stuck in
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Works cited• Brown, T.G., Rodger, S. and Brown, A. (2005) ‘Publication
Practices of English Language Occupational Therapy Journals’, British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68(2): 85-92.
• Elbow, P. (1998) Writing without Teachers (2nd edition). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Elbow, P. and Belanoff, P. (2003) Being a Writer: A Community of Writers Revisited. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Moore, S. and Murphy, M. (2005) How to be a Student: 100 Great Ideas and Practical Hints for Students Everywhere. UK: Open University Press.
• Murray, R. (2005) Writing for Academic Journals. UK: Open University Press.
• Murray, R. (2006) How to Write a Thesis (2nd edition). UK: Open University Press.
• Murray, R. and Moore, S. (2006) The Handbook of Academic Writing: A Fresh Approach. UK: Open University Press.