How to publish your journal article: 5 straightforward steps

For researchers and academics who are in the early stages of their career, the need to publish journal articles is well-known. Even if you use proofreading, rewriting, or editing services to speed up the process of writing your journal article, the next step – that is, publishing it – is not as simple or convenient. For this reason, here are five straightforward steps to follow if you are in the process of publishing your journal article.

 

1. Choose your journal

The first essential step to publish your journal article is to choose the type of journal that you will write for. At the outset, research journals related to your field and try to choose one that has the narrowest possible scope. For example, if you want to write up your research results on the performance of surgical staff in an intensive care unit, consider journals like Critical Care Medicine or Journal of Intensive Care Medicine.

 

2. Check your journal’s author submission guidelines

Every reputable journal offers detailed author submission guidelines. These guidelines will be publicly available on the journal’s website, and so you should be able to find them fairly conveniently.

Your journal’s author submission guidelines will contain clear and comprehensive instructions for the formatting, referencing, word count, and use of language in your journal article. It will also provide information about how you can submit your paper and any additional materials or resources that are needed (e.g., an abstract, keywords, and so on).

When you are writing your journal article, it is always useful to have checked your target journal’s author submission guidelines in advance. If you don’t, you may have to make some changes to your manuscript before submitting it.

 

3. Edit and proofread your journal article

This is a critical but regularly overlooked stage. Use an editing and proofreading service before you consider submitting your journal article, and once the editing process is finished, be sure to proofread your document thoroughly (if your editor has not done so already).

 

4. Write your cover letter

In your cover letter, state what the journal article you are submitting is about, but don’t go on for too long about this. Remember that the person reading your cover letter will also be reading your article, and so there is no need to go into any great level of detail.

Consider writing about the context surrounding your journal article, including your academic career, your interests, and the contributions of your research. Mentioning these issues is likely to have a significant impact on the way you are received by your reviewers.

 

5. Revise your journal article and resubmit

Journal articles are seldom accepted without a request for revisions from your peer-reviewers at the journal. It is important to understand that even if you’ve put substantial amounts of time and energy into your manuscript, you will invariably receive a set of recommended revisions. At this point, follow the instructions and guidance of the reviewers, and once you’ve done so, you will be ready for resubmission and, finally, publication.