Publish or perish?

“Publish or perish”. Everyone in the academic world has heard this phrase at some point in reference to the need to get research out into the peer reviewed literature. Like it or not, publications are one of the most important indictors of research productivity. However, as we discussed a recently getting manuscripts published takes a great deal of time. This time to publication is compounded if you aren’t regularly writing up your research findings.  

So how have I made writing a regular part of my work, without making it the chore that it can feel like? It started with a shift in mindset about the writing process. When I was a graduate student, I worried about using the best words, then formulating them into the best sentences, and then creating the best paragraphs. As a result, I would end up staring at the blank word doc screen and fail to even get started because I couldn’t get the steps above right. I was putting too much pressure on writing, so I stopped writing. Yes, you read that right. I don’t write; I edit.

When you edit there is no pressure to get it right the first time, because you can always come back and change it later. Editing detaches me from my words, sentences, and paragraphs, and allows me time and space to see how I can make my objective and the data clearer to my audience. Having an editing mindset also makes getting feedback from colleagues and peer reviewers so much easier! Publishing doesn’t need to be that hard. Here are a few more things for you to consider trying too:

1.        Break the writing process down – Trying to sit down and write the whole manuscript at once is too much. Break down the process into bite sized chunks. First list out your manuscript sections. For me those generally include your introduction, objective, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion. Then start putting your ideas down for one section (I generally start with the introduction/background, but you can start anywhere). Once you get that done move onto the next. Before you know it you will have the whole thing drafted, edited, and submitted.

2.        Get a second opinion on your drafts – When I first started writing manuscripts, I often found myself thinking, “Wow this sounds so smart!” It wasn’t until I started getting feedback from research team members, colleagues, or reviewers that I realized that my smart sounding sentences weren’t so smart. Having other people read your work is key!

We tend to make a lot of assumptions in our writing, because we forget the reader hasn’t read the things we’ve read and know the things we know. Having other people read your work before you submit it for publication can help you identify those areas where your message gets lost.

3.        Find a journal to submit to – Okay full disclosure this is the part of writing that I am not great at. I have a handful of journals that I’ve been publishing in for most of my career, but has I’ve expanded the kind of work I do I’ve needed help to branch out (thank you graduate students!).

Finding a place to send your manuscript for consideration is VERY important, because without that you’re just writing a term paper. An easy place to start is to consider the journals where the articles in your background section were published. There are also other resources like this website, wherein you can enter a few key words related to your topic which will provide a list of potential options for you.

There are some people who like to make the choice of a journal before they start writing the manuscript. This allows them to format the manuscript to the journal specifications from the beginning. I think there are certainly advantages to this approach, but it has not been my practice.

It is likely I will never be the kind of writer who can just sit down and knock a brilliantly crafted and cohesive paper, but that’s okay. I must sit down and work a process, thinking and rethinking what I want to say so that my objective and data can be made clear to the reader. Honestly, I suspect that most of us are in that boat anyway. These tips have helped me be productive. I hope they will help you too!

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If you have a manuscript causing you some pain check this out.