Description

This workshop is an introduction to the complex world of academic publishing and is designed to give writers in health-related fields practical experience in getting their work published in peer-reviewed journals. The workshop is also suitable for experienced writers who wish to add structure to a discrete writing project in a supportive environment. Using W. L. Belcher's book, Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success, the course explains the publication process and shares strategies for achieving success in the academic writing area, including setting up a work schedule, identifying appropriate journals for submission, working with editors, writing query letters, clarifying arguments, making claims for significance, and organizing material.

In a supportive environment, participants revise a draft (such as a conference presentation, dissertation chapter, or project manuscript) into a peer-reviewed article and submit it for publication. The goal of this course is to aid participants in taking their papers from draft quality to journal quality and in overcoming anxiety about academic publishing in the process. The class meets via Zoom for two hours once a week for 12 weeks (plus an introductory week). The class is part lecture, part workshop, that is, a combination of learning and doing, with weekly writing tasks outside the workshop. Participants should expect to spend between 2 and 10 hours per week (a minimum of 15 minutes a day) completing writing activities outside of class.

Target Audience

This workshop is designed for faculty and graduate students in the health sciences. Those who are most likely to benefit from the workshop include (1) graduate students who want to publish a paper they wrote for the classroom or their DNP project; (2) PhD students hoping to publish a chapter from their dissertation in progress; (3) recent doctorates, junior faculty, and anyone else expected to publish as part of their faculty role.

Outline

Required Texts

Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2019. Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success. Second edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (You need this edition, not the previous one from 2009) 

• University of Chicago Press
• Powell's Bookstore
• Amazon

American Psychological Association (2020). Publication Manual (7th Edition). Washington, DC. (You may use the publication manual that relates to your discipline)

Contact Us

For questions about this course, please contact School of Nursing Professional Development at soncne@umn.edu.