Much to my dissappointment I havent found one phD student in any seminar that has written a paper :-( the university really doesnt encourage us at all, so I've started to pester my supervisors about guidance on writing my first journal :-). I feel a little nervous..as I don't know where to start.. could anyone help me please?

What is the difference between writing a conference paper and a Journal paper? Are journal papers better for your academic career..are there any sites that could help a beginner in journal paper writing?

Thanks Xx Donut

I'll (((hug)) anyone who replies to this as I don't have a clue lol.

I can only speak for myself, but I did my first Journal article as a response article to something that was at the time a topical issue. To me, that made my task slightly simpler as the areas being discussed were already there for me to add to / agree / disagree etc. I'm not sure about length, but I think it was around 3,500 - 4,000 words.

For my second publication, and writing on a topic not previously (recently) discussed, the experience of my first journal was great and helped me to create something shorter but more original.

Don't know if there's much you can take from that, but hopefully it might help in some way!

Great thanks fatbob! I hadn't thought of it that way, will give it a go any sites anyone could suggest please? Xx Donut

To be honest, I'd be lying if I said I knew of any decent sites. Personally I try not to take too many tips from websites on writing articles as I have a style that I feel comfortable writing in, and I have a nagging feeling that the quality of my writing might not be the same if I was attempting to follow somebody elses guidelines... but then that might just be me, I'm sure others wouild tell you the complete opposite....

What is it you're looking for ideas for? The topic itself? Or styles of writing, relevance etc.?

Hiya, well I could follow the format of the journals in the field of tourism, I think what I'm looking for are tips on style, being concise :-/ (as thats a prob for me), in particular what are the publishers, referees looking for when they view the paper? My supervisor told me that writing a journal paper is much more difficult then a conference paper.. as the publishers are strict but in what sense? I haven't had experience of either to know :( Xx Donut

Sorry Donut, I meant to write in that reply, my PhD is in an academic as opposed practical subject (ie Law based), so I'm used to writing lots of garbage! Is your subject more academic, or is is mainly practical based?

academic I guess hehe - its tourism, relating to tourism and development studies, ethnicity.

Ok, well in that case the advice I'd give you is the following:

1. Look for either an area that is currently topical that you can look at from a different angle, or one which is not often discussed but you think should be for some particular reason. Don't choose something that has been done to death.

2. Don't be afraid to open a dialogue with the editors of the Journals you're seeking publication with. For my first piece I simply emailed the editor and explained that I had an interest in publishing some work that was a response to a rather topical article another academic had written which was very very biased. I explained that I felt having another article from a different point of view would be good to strike a balance. He agreed and that was it. The more you can get talking to these people the easier it will be to get published.

cont.

3. Know your journals - some like work of completely different styles. (ie some like factual work, others like opinion etc.). If you follow what they seem to like it will be easier than if you write something 'off the wall'.

In terms of conciseness / relevance. When writing something, I set myself a deadline of a week before my agreed deadline with the publisher. When I'm finished, I'll close the article and not even look at it for at least 3 or 4 days then read over it again. Sometimes you'll look at it with fresh eyes and think 'what on earth was I thinking writing that' or 'I could write that slightly differently'. Also, get somebody else in your field to read over it, who will know the background though not necessarily the specifics. If they can understand and grasp what you're writing then you know what you've written is good. If they don't, then you know there's something missing.

Hope that helps...

That is great thank you so much fatbob! I was wandering, is it procedure for the supervisor to support and add their name to a the journal? Can you approach an editor without the supervisor support, and publish with just your name on it.. is that possible ?

Hah! Now THAT is the question!! I think it really depends on how much input you feel the supervisor has had in the research you are using in the publication. I think if it is a purely factual article then you should include the supervisor, as they will have helped to guide you in acquiring those facts (assuming those facts are discovered through your PhD research). If the article is more opinion based then it's a different matter - your opinion, your name!

Do you feel confident enough to write an opinion based article? If so, you'll need to be thick skinned and not worry that others may not agree with your opinions (INCLUDING your supervisor!).

Hiya, hmm maybe a factual one for a beginner like moi :-$, actually I think the ideas I have are more factual..hmm though I do have an opinion and good argument on it.. thats got me thinking now :) Xx

Right, well in that case - remember to keep facts and opinion seperate. You have to be careful not to dress opinion up as fact because that's when experts and other academics will tear you to shreds or discredit you. Ensure that even for your opinion you hav it based on something tangible rather than inclination. make sure you try to reference opinion too in order to demonstrate how you arrived at your conclusions.

A good transaction journal can take a serious amount of work and pain. One of mine took 12 months work before submit, then an 8 month wait, then another 4 months of corrections, then another month before acceptance. ie it took 13 months between submitting and acceptance.

By contrast a good conference submission takes ~3 months work and is then either accepted as a presentation/poster, or rejected, by a dealine in time for the conference.

Conferences are mostly reviewed by PhD students or early post-docs, whereas a good journal use highly qualified world class experts who know your field very well.