Writing and Publishing Manuscripts as an Emerging Professional in School Health Brittany L. Rosen, PhD, CHES

Kelly L. Wilson, PhD, MCHES

Learning Objectives • Summarize research-based strategies for writing clear, concise manuscripts

• Identify effective strategies for collaborating with co-authors

• List the steps for submitting a manuscript for publication in the health education field

• Describe methods for addressing reviewers’ comments

Strategies for Writing Manuscripts • Sequence of writing a manuscript

• Writing group

• Writing schedule

Increasing writing time

• Writing logs

• Documenting writing projects

• Read about writing

Sequence of Manuscript Writing • Develop result tables

• Draft the following sections in order:

results

methods

introduction

discussion

• Obtain feedback on each section

Writing Group • Accountability

• Meeting to write

• Meeting to provide feedback

• Emotional support

Writing Schedule • Scheduling writing time

makes it a priority over other commitments Key to success and

productivity

Same time every day

• At what time of day are you most productive?

• Add 1 minute of writing time to your regular writing session, one session at a time: Session 1: 15 minutes

Session 2: 15 minutes + 1 minute

Session 3: 15 minutes + 2 minutes

Writing Logs • Three purposes:

Helps keep you on track and accountable

Positive reinforcement

Accountable to other people

• Writing logs impact your productivity

Document Writing Projects

• Tool to document progress

• All writing projects have their own journal

• Include the date, writing session goals, completed tasks, and what to work on next

Read about Writing

• Bird by bird by A. Lamott

• How to write a lot: A practical guide to productive academic writing by P.J. Silvia

• Revising business prose (4th ed) by R.A. Lanham

• Becoming an academic writer: 50 exercises for paced, productive and powerful writing (2nd ed) by P. Goodson

Strategies for Collaborating

Creating a Team • Who should be an author

Contributions to:

Concept or design of the study

Data collection

Analysis or interpretation of data

Drafting manuscript or providing critically important edits

Should review and provide approval of final manuscript version

Willing to take responsibility for content

Creating a Team • Discussing authorship order

Discuss before writing beings

Expertise

Skills level/writing ability

Time commitment

Responsibility/Contribution

• Authorship Order

1st is responsible for substantial amount of writing and revising

2nd is responsible for significant amount of writing, but less than 1st author

3rd through last author is responsible for some writing, editing, feedback, and approving final version

Creating a Team

• Document agreed upon authorship order and responsibilities

Email

Word document

Contract

Productivity • Standing Meetings

Weekly, biweekly, or monthly

Mentoring writing meetings

• Writing meetings

• Deadlines for each section

Send friendly email reminders for deadlines

• Always thank your co-authors for their work and time

Finding a Journal Home

• Identify several journals

• Aims & Scope

• Readership

• Impact factor

• Time from submission to decision

Journal “Finder”

• Edanz Journal Selector http://www.edanzediting.com/journal_selector

• Elsevier Journal Finder http://journalfinder.elsevier.com/

• Journal Article Name Estimator (Jane) http://www.biosemantics.org/jane/

• Cofactor Journal selector http://cofactorscience.com/journal-selector

• Journal Suggester (Springer) http://journalsuggester.springer.com/

• Journal Guide (Research Square) https://www.journalguide.com/

Article Format • Abstract

• Background/Introduction Significance and Innovation

• Methods Participants

Instruments

Procedure

Data Analysis

• Results

• Discussion Limitations

Conclusions

• Implications of Findings for School Health

• Human Subjects Approval Statement

• Acknowledgements

• References

Preparing to submit for publication

• Cover letter

Why you are submitting to the journal

Description of interesting findings

Statement of permission, funding, and conflict of interest

• Title page (with Author Information)

• Manuscript (without Author Information)

• Tables and Figures

Preparing to submit for publication

• Journal instructions and formatting

Article “category”

Word count

APA or AMA citation style

Table and figures formatting

Table and figures in separate documents

IRB/Human subjects approval statement

Cover Letter

Title Page

Submission Process

• Log in as a register user

• Follow instructions for manuscript submission

approval of final pdf

After you Submit…

Submission

Accept

Wait for proofs

Revise & Resubmit

Review comments

Develop Comments to

Reviewers

Make appropriate

revisions

Submit revisions and comments to

reviewers

Reject

Review comments

Find “new” home

Revise and Resubmit: Comments to Reviewers

• Review all comments from

reviewers

• Organize comments

• Address all comments

• Make appropriate revisions

Accepted and Waiting for Proofs

Accepted and Waiting for Proofs

Your Manuscript is in Print!

Resources for Writing • Goodson, P. (2016). Becoming an

Academic Writer, 2nd Edition. Sage Publications.

• Belcher, W.L. (2009). Writing your journal article in 12 weeks: A guide to academic publishing success. Sage publications.

• Silvia, P..J. (2007). How to Write a lot: A practical guide to productive academic writing. Amer Psychological Assn

Contact Information • Brittany L. Rosen, PhD, CHES

Health Promotion and Education Program, School of Human Services

University of Cincinnati

Email: Brittany.rosen@uc.edu

Phone: 513-556-3872

Website: http://cech.uc.edu/human-services/employees.html?eid=rosenby

• Kelly L. Wilson, PhD, MCHES

College of Education and Human Development

Division of Health Education, Department of Health and Kinesiology

Texas A&M University

Email: kwilson@tamu.edu

Phone: 979-845-3503