Publishing Papers

Publishing papers in professional journals is a good way to establish your credentials as a contributing member of your field.

What should you write?

To be published, a paper needs to present original, important ideas. Your advisor can help you develop ideas. In addition, you should always read papers in the journals to which you want to submit your paper. Reading other articles will help you see what kind of topics are of interest to people in your field.

Who is your audience?

Your first step in writing should be to determine your potential audience. Knowing your audience will determine not only what you write but how you write it and what language you use. Are you writing for a lay audience that will need more background and fewer details? Or for a more specialized audience that is interested in the technical details? Can you use technical jargon and abbreviations without explanation?

What do you want to say?

As you write, make sure to state the point of your paper clearly. State what problem you have researched and why a solution is important. Explain your procedures and results. If other researchers have addressed a similar problem, explain how your methods and results are superior.

Can you write well?

You need to use excellent writing skills. If you are not confident in your writing skills, have a friend look over your paper for typographical mistakes, spelling errors, and grammatical problems.

You should also show a draft to your advisor or other professors and students, and ask for their advice and feedback. You can also ask researchers in your field from other schools to read your paper and offer comments.

What if your paper is rejected?

If your paper is rejected, you will probably receive comments from reviewers with suggestions for improvement. Take the opportunity to rewrite the paper, addressing the reviewers' comments, and then try submitting it again.