Writing for a scholarly journal
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A workshop hosted by the South African Journal of Science aimed at postgraduate students and early career researchers with little or no experience in writing and publishing journal articles.
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Writing for a scholarly journal
- 1. 8 June 2023 9:00 – 15:00 @SAJS_Official @ASSAf_Official PROGRAMME 9:00 – 9:05 Welcome 9:05 – 10:35 Writing: what the research tells us – Chrissie Boughey 10:40 – 11:40 Writing and submitting a journal article – Leslie Swartz 11:40 – 12:00 Q&A 12:30 – 13:15 Writing for a non-specialist audience – Basil Brooke 13:15 – 14:00 Writing tools, resources and tricks of the trade to help you – Jennifer Fitchett 14:00 – 15:00 Q&A Writing for a scholarly journal
- 2. 8 June 2023 9:00 – 15:00 Basil Brooke Head of the Vector Control Reference Laboratory, NICD SAJS Outstanding Article Awardee 2022 Jennifer Fitchett Professor of Physical Geography, Wits University Associate Editor: SAJS Chrissie Boughey Emeritus Professor, Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Rhodes University Associate Editor: SAJS Leslie Swartz Professor of Psychology, Stellenbosch University Editor-in-Chief: SAJS @SAJS_Official @ASSAf_Official Meet the presenters Writing for a scholarly journal
- 3. Writing: What the research tells us Chrissie Boughey Emeritus Professor Rhodes University 8 June 2023 Writing for a scholarly journal @SAJS_Official @ASSAf_Official #AcademicWriting
- 4. A lot of research on writing • Focuses on the products of writing (i.e written texts) • It analyses texts • It tells us what the products should look like • So, it gives us descriptions of what, for example, journal articles look like
- 5. The problem is . . . • That this kind of research doesn’t tell us about how to produce those perfect texts • It doesn’t tell us how to address the actual writing of a text
- 6. The other side of writing research • Looks at writers as they write • Identifies what writers do as they are writing
- 7. This kind of research on writing • Began in the 1970s • Has increasingly become more sophisticated in the methods it uses • Has looked at writers writing • all sorts of different kinds of texts (academic text, fiction, reports …) • in a wide range of languages (including writers using non-alphabetic writing systems)
- 8. Over time • It became possible to identify what ‘successful’ writers did and to compare what they did with what ‘unsuccessful’ writers did • This gave allowed us to identify successful writing strategies • The strategies were then developed into an ‘approach’ to teaching writing
- 9. So, what did the successful writers do? • They wrote for themselves first to find out what they wanted to say • They used informal writing strategies (freewriting, journaling) • They did not worry about the formalities of writing (spelling, grammar, punctuation) at this stage • They wrote in any language • They used writing as a tool for learning
- 10. Over time • They moved into writing for a prospective reader (the reader of a journal, the examiner of a thesis…) • As they wrote, they imagined the reactions of this intended reader to what they were saying (‘If I say this, they’ll say that, so I can’t say this’) • Writing thus became a process of drafting and redrafting a text in response to this imaginary conversation
- 11. If they got stuck • They moved back into the less formal ‘generative’ writing they had used to find out what they wanted to say in the first place
- 12. Even at the drafting stage • They did not pay a great deal of attention to the form of the writing
- 13. Finally, • When they thought they had satisfied or ‘silenced’ their reader they moved into editing their text • Editing involved a process of polishing the text to ensure it was technically perfect and stylistically appropriate
- 14. The strategies used by successful writers • Allow us to identify three stages in a writing process
- 15. A writing process Generative Writing Drafting Editing Focus on identifying ideas ‘Informal’ writing No concern for reader Moves into concern for reader Imaginary conversation Drafting and redrafting Focus on making meanings stand up to critique Focus on form – on saying things better at a linguistic level Focus on technical aspects of writing
- 16. Importantly • Movement between the three stages was not linear • Writers began with generative writing • Moved into drafting but • If they got stuck went back to generative writing
- 17. Many writers • Ignore the generative writing (i.e. using writing as a tool to find out what they want to say) • Move straight into writing for an audience (drafting) • Even worse, they combine writing for an audience with editing
- 18. Some generative writing strategies • Freewriting • Keeping a reading journal
- 19. Freewriting • Identify a question to answer (‘What’s the relationship of x to y?’ ‘What does xxx really mean?) • Set a time limit (3,5,7 minutes) • Write without stopping for the entire time • Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, punctuation • Write in any language • When the time is up, stop! • Read what came out
- 20. A reading journal • Typical strategies for reading include highlighting, underlining and making notes • These focus on identifying important points, on understanding and remembering • Academic writing requires us to make knowledge claims (statements about what we believe are true) and to support them with evidence • This is particularly true of the literature review section • How does highlighting, underlining or making notes allow you to identify those knowledge claims?
- 21. A reading journal • Open a folder on your computer or buy a notebook • Write a complete reference for everything you read at the top of a new file or new page • Sit somewhere comfortable • Read without taking notes, highlighting or underlining • Focus on what the author is saying, what claims they are making and what the evidence is for those claims • When you have finished reading, write an entry in your journal
- 22. Dear Diary . . . • How does this text agree or disagree with other texts I have read? • How does it relate to my article/study? • What’s interesting about it? • What do I agree with/disagree with?
- 23. Drafting: your audience • Other sessions in this workshop will help you to know your audience better • Ask questions like • What do they know (so what don’t I need to tell them)? • What don’t they know (so what do I need to tell them)? • What objections can they make? • How does this evidence support the claim I am making? What’s missing? • Your aim is to ‘silence’ your reader
- 24. Editing • Sit alone in a closed room and read your text aloud to yourself • You will often hear mistakes you can’t see
- 25. Remember • An article is about presenting new knowledge to your audience • What are your knowledge claims? • How well supported are those claims with evidence?
- 26. Writing and submitting a journal article Leslie Swartz 8 June 2023 Writing for a scholarly journal @SAJS_Official @ASSAf_Official #AcademicWriting
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- 49. Writing for a non- specialist audience Basil Brooke National Institute for Communicable Diseases 8 June 2023 Writing for a scholarly journal @SAJS_Official @ASSAf_Official #AcademicWriting
- 50. Take a step back Think about the context of your field of research: • In which country do you work? • Is your field of research academic, applied, operational? • Is the significance of your work local, regional, global? • Your work is significant, but do you truly know why? • What is your work’s benefit? • To whom is your work significant? • Are you inclined to understate the value of your work? • Are you inclined to overstate the value of your work? • Who are your target audience? (think about this broadly – there are probably more stakeholders than you think) • What are the important features of your work that non-specialists really need to know?
- 51. Stakeholders • A stakeholder is anyone who has an interest in your work e.g., colleagues, other researchers, senior staff at tertiary institutions, policy-makers, industry, donors, project funders, NGOs, professional societies, general interest readers, media channels. • It is always a good idea to do a stakeholder analysis so that you know who your audience is. • A list of stakeholders will enable you to disseminate your work more effectively, and particular persons in your list may be in a position to champion your work.
- 52. Academic research • Often described as ‘blue-sky’ research i.e. has no immediate or obvious practical application but adds to humanity’s knowledge base. • A good example is deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope that aims to provide information on how the universe formed, amongst other things. • This is an important frontier in science that will help us contextualize our existence. • It will not solve any of the world’s pressing issues such as food security, pandemic preparedness, the preservation of biodiversity and global warming / climate change.
- 53. Applied research • This is basically research development of new technologies and methods that make production processes, services and interventions more efficient. • Examples include the development of vaccines that help prevent and even eliminate certain diseases, technologies for harnessing renewable energy sources, environmentally-friendly technologies that enhance food production. • One can even think of artificial intelligence and drone warfare as forms of applied research.
- 54. Operational research • Usually based on the collation and interpretation of surveillance information i.e. using population or environmental data (human communities, populations of other organisms, environmental indicators) to inform intervention policies and practices. • Some examples are census data for the provision of services, disease surveillance to inform public health policy and practice, environmental surveys to inform anti-pollution initiatives, fauna and flora surveys to inform biodiversity and conservation initiatives, geological surveys to inform mining practices.
- 55. The hourglass – IMRAD Introduction Aim objectives Methods Results Discussion conclusions Abstract Title
- 56. Title – try to make it catchy and interesting to non-specialists Insecticide resistance in the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Malaria risk and receptivity: Continuing development of insecticide resistance in the major malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- 57. Sections of a manuscript Introduction • This section is especially important for non-specialist readers because it gives them the background they need to understand the objectives of the work, its context and significance. • Avoid specialist jargon as far as possible, and where very specific terms and phrases are used, they should be defined for the reader. • Begin this section with an introduction to the subject of the manuscript (eg. malaria in South Africa), followed by the broad context of the subject (malaria is endemic in some provinces), followed by the specific context of the subject (malaria control is based on certain methods), followed by those factors that have the most bearing on the context (malaria vector mosquitoes, control methods, insecticide resistance), followed by a problem statement (insecticide resistance threatens to destabilize the effectiveness of the malaria control programmes), followed by the aim of the project (the aim of this project was to evaluate insecticide resistance in malaria vector mosquitoes in ?) • List specific objectives that can be linked to the Methods section
- 58. Example – stratifying statements Specialist collaborator: Anopheles gambiae is monophyletic for 2Rb in Namuno Specialist: Anopheles gambiae is monophyletic for the 2Rb inversion in Namuno General specialist: Anopheles gambiae is monophyletic for the 2Rb chromosome inversion haplotype in the Namuno District Within-field colleague: The major malaria vector Anopheles gambiae is monophyletic for the 2Rb chromosomal inversion haplotype in the Namuno District of Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique General reader: The major malaria transmitting mosquito Anopheles gambiae has only one genetic arrangement at a particular chromosomal site, termed the 2Rb inversion site, in the Namuno region of Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique
- 59. Sections of a manuscript Methods • Describe the methods in enough detail for the experiments/surveillance to be replicated. • Describe the materials used and give details of the supplier/manufacturer. • For statistical software, provide the name, version and manufacturer. • Link the description of the methods to each objective. • A diagrammatic representation of the methods used and flow of activities often helps. • Use this as a checklist: Who? Where? What? How?
- 60. Sections of a manuscript Results • This section concisely highlights the major results of the analysis. • Explain what you found. • Move from simple to complex. • Judiciously use tables and figures and do not repeat information that is in the tables in the text as well. • Provide an explanatory legend to each table and figure that is detailed enough that the reader does not have to refer to the text for clarity.
- 61. Sections of a manuscript Discussion • Provide your interpretation of the results. • Link your primary results back to your objectives. • Interpret your results in their context. • Compare and contrast your study with the findings of other relevant studies. • Write a conclusion. • Provide recommendations if necessary.
- 62. What to conclude • Do not make statements outside of the scope of information or data that you provide in the manuscript. • Academic rigor means that all conclusions are supportable by the evidence available. If you step outside of this maxim, you are really just giving critics ammunition and reasons to be skeptical of the value of your work. • When evaluating the significance of your work, humility is your best friend. Know, understand and state the limitations of your work. There are always limitations. • Acknowledge relevant work done by other researchers in your field and show how their work relates to yours. Nobody works in a vacuum, and you need the respect and support of your colleagues, principals and peers.
- 63. Meaning and unsupported inference Statement: The major malaria transmitting mosquito Anopheles gambiae has only one genetic arrangement at a particular chromosomal site, termed the 2Rb inversion site, in the Namuno region of Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique Conclusion: • This suggests reduced genetic variation in the Anopheles gambiae population of that particular region • This population is therefore likely more susceptible to insecticides than other Anopheles gambiae populations • This population is likely to be a weaker transmitter of malaria than other Anopheles gambiae populations • This could explain why there is less malaria in Namuno than in other areas
- 64. Meaning and reasonable speculation Statement: The major malaria transmitting mosquito Anopheles gambiae has only one genetic arrangement at a particular chromosomal site, termed the 2Rb inversion site, in the Namuno region of Cabo Delgado Province in northern Mozambique Conclusion: • This suggests reduced genetic variation in the Anopheles gambiae population of that particular region • It is possible that such reduced variation is a consequence of past bottlenecks • These may have been caused by insecticide-based control operations in the Namuno region over a prolonged period • The implications for malaria transmission in that region are unclear
- 65. Recommendations • This is especially important in certain fields, particularly applied and operational research. • Consult with professional organizations and/or government departments to ensure each recommendation is feasible, reasonable and does not contradict policy or tried-and-tested practice. • Try to provide recommendations in the SMART format (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound). • Example: Vague: Insecticide resistance should be managed SMART: Insecticide resistance in affected malaria vector populations can be managed using a mosaic approach that includes at least two unrelated products with different modes of action. Consideration should be given to doing this annually by the provincial malaria control programmes using preset targets for each product against which coverage can be measured.
- 66. Abstract • An abstract allows readers to quickly decide whether the paper is relevant to them and whether they need to read the whole manuscript. • An abstract must be self-contained and make sense without further reference to the actual paper. It highlights the key content areas, especially the main outcomes. • It is best to write the abstract in the IMRAD format (required by most journals) • As with the other sections, avoid specialist jargon as far as possible. • Most journals place a strict word limit on abstracts (usually 250 – 300 words). • It is easier to write the abstract after the main text is complete.
- 67. Engagement • Be willing and available to discuss your work within your field of expertise and with the public at large, usually via the media or on social platforms. • Know the boundaries of your work and do not overstep them. What you say on social media is as good as published. • To do this effectively, you must have key explanatory phrases that avoid technical jargon, are understandable to a general audience, and stay within the boundaries of the evidence you have.
- 68. Acknowledgements • Special thanks to the editors and workshop organizers of the South African Journal of Science (SAJS) for this opportunity • Thanks also to the management, editorial and production team of the Public Health Bulletin of South Africa (PHBSA) for their support
- 70. Writing Tools, Resources and Tricks of the Trade to Help You South African Journal of Science Writing Workshop 8 June 2023 Prof Jennifer Fitchett SAJS Associate Editor Earth and Environment Jennifer.Fitchett@wits.ac.za
- 71. What does a paper writing toolbox look like? • Inspiration • Time management • Structure • Improving figures • Improving writing style • Referencing
- 72. Tools to get inspired • Instagram accounts • Study tubers • Podcasts • Mood boards • Goal setting • Reading groups • Writing groups • Accountability buddy
- 73. Tools to get inspired
- 74. Tools to get inspired Lydia Violeta
- 75. Tools to get inspired
- 76. Time management tools • Calendar blocking • Pomodoro method • Forest app • Creating deadlines • Writing retreats • Writing sprints
- 78. Time management tools Pomodoro Method NB: This is refuted by proponents of the flow state, where focused work of up to 2 hours can take place with little distraction
- 79. Tools for beating writers’ block • Free writing • Mind mapping • Keeping a reflective journal • Going for a walk • Body doubling • Change to a different task for a while
- 80. Tips to determine structure Identify 5 papers similar to yours Identify 5 papers from the journal you intend to submit to Read these through with a critical eye to structure and layout Write up your headings and subheadings, with notes on paragraph order Check the authors’ guidelines before you start writing
- 81. Tools to improve your figures • Create a Pinterest board of your favourite figures to draw inspiration from • Learn the basics of CANVA or photoshop • Make sure you’re familiar with graphical software relevant to your discipline – eg. C2, ARCGIS, CAD • Youtube tutorials!
- 82. Tools for keeping on top of referencing • Saving the files with your academic papers with a sensible system • Keeping notes on papers in a clear filing system • Referencing software • Referencing style in the author’s guidelines • Working in split screen • Reference checks at the end
- 83. Tools for keeping on top of referencing
- 84. Tools to improve your writing style • Read, read and read! • Keep a journal where you record notes on good stylistic elements • Google and keep record of words you don’t know • Ensure your spell and grammar check are active • Read your work out loud when you’re finished writing • Ask a friend to read through it, and do the same for them
- 85. The most important tips for writing?
- 87. @SAJS_Official @ASSAf_Official #AcademicWriting Thank you for your participation 8 June 2023 Writing for a scholarly journal