Writing for Academic Publications

A special issue of Publications (ISSN 2304-6775).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2016) | Viewed by 39654

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of English Language and Literature, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637616, Singapore
Interests: artificial intelligence; academic writing; research evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent years have seen a number of interesting empirical studies investigating the difficulties that authors face in their writing process for academic publishing, as well as strategies they use to get their papers published in refereed journals. These studies span a wide range of disciplines, and concern graduate students, novice academics, as well as seasoned researchers. Where shall we go from here? What are the implications of the existing results, and what are the future directions for research in this area? This Special Issue of Publications aims to provide a platform for researchers and authors to communicate their perspectives on these issues pertaining to the subject of scholarly publishing.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Traditional and alternative methodological approaches in the study of writing-for-academic-publications
  • Innovative theoretical frameworks for writing-for-academic-publication research
  • Empirical validation of existing theories in writing-for-academic-publication research
  • Critical review of existing literature that unifies knowledge, deepens understanding, or sheds new lights on prior knowledge
  • Case studies from under-explored national and cultural contexts

In terms of the genre, contributions can be theoretical discussions, research reports with empirical data, or reviews of relevant literature. All submissions will undergo the journal's regular peer-review process and editorial procedures.

I look forward to receiving your contributions to this important topic of research.

Dr. Yin Ling Cheung
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Publications is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Writing for academic publication
  • Traditional and alternative methodological approaches
  • Innovative theoretical frameworks
  • Case studies

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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229 KiB  
Article
Academic Publishing: Making the Implicit Explicit
by Cecile Badenhorst and Xiaolin Xu
Publications 2016, 4(3), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030024 - 22 Jul 2016
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 9323
Abstract
For doctoral students, publishing in peer-reviewed journals is a task many face with anxiety and trepidation. The world of publishing, from choosing a journal, negotiating with editors and navigating reviewers’ responses is a bewildering place. Looking in from the outside, it seems that [...] Read more.
For doctoral students, publishing in peer-reviewed journals is a task many face with anxiety and trepidation. The world of publishing, from choosing a journal, negotiating with editors and navigating reviewers’ responses is a bewildering place. Looking in from the outside, it seems that successful and productive academic writers have knowledge that is inaccessible to novice scholars. While there is a growing literature on writing for scholarly publication, many of these publications promote writing and publishing as a straightforward activity that anyone can achieve if they follow the rules. We argue that the specific and situated contexts in which academic writers negotiate publishing practices is more complicated and messy. In this paper, we attempt to make explicit our publishing processes to highlight the complex nature of publishing. We use autoethnographic narratives to provide discussion points and insights into the challenges of publishing peer reviewed articles. One narrative is by a doctoral student at the beginning of her publishing career, who expresses her desires, concerns and anxieties about writing for publication. The other narrative focuses on the publishing practices of a more experienced academic writer. Both are international scholars working in the Canadian context. The purpose of this paper is to explore academic publishing through the juxtaposition of these two narratives to make explicit some of the more implicit processes. Four themes emerge from these narratives. To publish successfully, academic writers need: (1) to be discourse analysts; (2) to have a critical competence; (3) to have writing fluency; and (4) to be emotionally intelligent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Writing for Academic Publications)
868 KiB  
Article
Structure of Moves in Research Article Abstracts in Applied Linguistics
by Seden Can, Erkan Karabacak and Jingjing Qin
Publications 2016, 4(3), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030023 - 18 Jul 2016
Cited by 33 | Viewed by 11144
Abstract
An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis studies of abstracts in applied linguistics (AL) have used similar coding frameworks and demonstrated similar rhetorical organizations, their findings have not yet been aggregated to show the overall picture. [...] Read more.
An abstract summarizes the accompanying article in order to promote it. While many move-analysis studies of abstracts in applied linguistics (AL) have used similar coding frameworks and demonstrated similar rhetorical organizations, their findings have not yet been aggregated to show the overall picture. The present study aimed to both examine move structures in AL abstracts and compare the results with previous studies both synchronically and diachronically. Fifty abstracts were collected from articles published in the journal English for Specific Purposes (ESP) between 2011 and 2013. Sentences were coded using a five-move scheme adapted from previous studies. Combining the results from previous research and the present study showed that most AL abstracts give information on the purpose, methodology, and findings of the associated article, while about half of the articles omit introduction of the topic and discussion of the findings. It was also found that authors frequently violate the move sequence expected by current schemes. These findings consistent with previous research suggest that future researchers informed by move analyses should explore the connection between the findings of move analyses and teaching materials for academic writing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Writing for Academic Publications)
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1619 KiB  
Article
Obstacles to Scholarly Publishing in the Social Sciences and Humanities: A Case Study of Vietnamese Scholars
by Phuong Dzung Pho and Thi Minh Phuong Tran
Publications 2016, 4(3), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030019 - 30 Jun 2016
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 9383
Abstract
Publishing scientific research is very important in contributing to the knowledge of a discipline and in sharing research findings among scientists. Based on the quantity and quality of publications, one can evaluate the research capacity of a researcher or the research performance of [...] Read more.
Publishing scientific research is very important in contributing to the knowledge of a discipline and in sharing research findings among scientists. Based on the quantity and quality of publications, one can evaluate the research capacity of a researcher or the research performance of a university or a country. However, the number of quality publications in Vietnam is very low in comparison with those in the other countries in the region or in the world, especially in the fields of social sciences and humanities. Employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the current study investigates university lecturers’ attitudes towards research and publication and the obstacles to local and international publication at one of the main universities in social sciences and humanities in Vietnam. The study found the main barriers to publication are funding and time for research and publication, among many other obstacles. From the analysis of the data, the study would also argue that lecturers’ obstacles to publication may vary across faculties (or disciplines), ages, qualifications, education, research and publication experience. The findings in this study may be applied to other institutions in Vietnam or in other countries where English is used as a foreign language. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Writing for Academic Publications)
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166 KiB  
Article
Editing in Jamaica 1989–1998
by Stephen K. Donovan
Publications 2016, 4(2), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4020010 - 8 Apr 2016
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4405
Abstract
Despite changes in technology that have improved both production and the final product, small local journals still have a low profile and struggle to obtain adequate copy, in terms of both quality and quantity. My experiences as editor of two small journals in [...] Read more.
Despite changes in technology that have improved both production and the final product, small local journals still have a low profile and struggle to obtain adequate copy, in terms of both quality and quantity. My experiences as editor of two small journals in Jamaica in the 1990s provided similar problems to those that are encountered by many editors today. Endeavour to persevere, but, if you are not appreciated, be prepared to resign in order to retain your own respect. There will always be more jobs for good editors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Writing for Academic Publications)

Other

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178 KiB  
Case Report
Chinese Postgraduate Medical Students Researching for Publication
by Yongyan Li
Publications 2016, 4(3), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/publications4030025 - 27 Jul 2016
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4304
Abstract
The value of including a research component in medical students’ training programs has been widely recognized. Nevertheless, examples of how this may be done are rarely found in the literature. The case study reported in this short paper aimed to address this gap [...] Read more.
The value of including a research component in medical students’ training programs has been widely recognized. Nevertheless, examples of how this may be done are rarely found in the literature. The case study reported in this short paper aimed to address this gap in the literature by investigating how a group of postgraduate students attached to the Orthopedics Department of a major hospital in China engaged in research for publication. Fourteen students were interviewed, and their “mission lists” were analyzed to reveal the students’ research profiles, the sources of their research ideas, and their data collection activities. The study showed that the students pursued more clinical than basic research topics, their research topics often fell under their immediate supervisors’ larger projects, and the students were actively engaged in the gathering of research data on the wards and at the outpatient clinic. The reported study does not claim generalizability of its findings. More of such reports from various settings in different parts of the world are needed to enhance constructive exchanges and mutual learning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Writing for Academic Publications)
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