Writing for Publication: A Controlled Art

An overview and analysis of journal operations, journal publication patterns, and journal impact in school psychology and related fields

“…In light of this observation, the specific goals of this study were to increase understanding of these journal operations as well as journal editors' decision making, expectations for manuscripts submitted to their journals, and expectations for those who review for their journals. This study is an extension of other studies focused on educational journals conducted on a bi-yearly basis by Henson (e.g., Henson, 2003, as described in Henson, 2005). Additional studies reporting results obtained from journal editors have been published (e.g., Brewer, Scherzer, Van Raalte, Petitpas, & Andersen, 2001;Lounds et al, 2001;Mayrath & Robinson, 2006;Nickerson, 2005;Wilczenski, Phelps, & Lawler, 1992), but they have been narrower in focus or are outdated.…”

“…For example, automated reminders could be used to prompt reviewers days before deadlines and after deadlines have been exceeded (see Caruso & Kennedy, 2004). A goal of consistently providing editorial decisions in 2 months appears to be a reasonable goal in the electronic age (Henson, 2005); long review periods (and long publication lags) are detrimental to scientific progress (Cooper, 2009). …”

A Framework Strategy to Overcome Barriers in Writing for Publication

“…Besides lack of writing skill, barriers may also derive from the disparity between the academics" research knowledge and the current research trend [16]. It is pivotal for academics to keep abreast with their own discipline if they wish to publish their article in a journal [17]. The study focused on what editors want authors to submit.…”

“…This study involved 50 editors from a reputable journal in education. Drawing on data from survey questionnaires, it was revealed found that "editors are looking for articles that contribute something significant to the field" [18], and this will not be possible if the author does not update their knowledge in the discipline.…”

“…In Indonesia, the pivotal role of publication is enacted through Law number 12 Year 2012 article 12, which in detail stipulate that publication is considered as one of the means of learning and developing research culture. Furthermore, the demand for academics to write for publication is explained the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Decree number 17 Year 2013 and the Ministry of Education and Culture (hereafter, MoEC) Decree number 92 Year 2014 which in detail stipulate that academics" promotion is determined by publication in a national and/or international journal. Further, the MoEC decree number 20 Year 2017 stipulates that that publication in national and international journal indexed by Scopus would ascertain incentive for academics in higher education and professorship.…”