The publishing process
Understand the different stages in the scholarly publishing process, including:
- writing and formatting in the preferred style of the publisher or journal
- understanding author responsibilities
- submitting your article and what happens in editorial review
- peer review and peer review training opportunities
- avoiding unethical publishers.
2. The writing process
What to publish
Check the scope and focus of the journal you want to publish in to avoid a "desk rejection". The scope and focus can usually be found in the Instructions for authors or About this journal sections.
There are a range of article types that you can write:
Literature reviews provide an overview of the published work in a particular field. A literature review can be part of a larger study or may stand alone as a research effort in its own right. See our Literature review guide.
Research articles describe and analyse data from a research project and are used in social science, humanities, and science disciplines. They can be written at various stages in the research process, providing you have appropriate data to comment upon.
Empirical studies describe the results of an experiment or controlled study.
A case analysis presents the significant details of a practical situation and discusses its challenges, outcomes and implications. This type of article may be produced in medical/clinical practice, business and law.
Book reviews present a critique of a recently published book. The book review author should seek to evaluate, as well as provide an opinion and insight into the content.
Systematic reviews summarise research evidence that addresses a particular question. A systematic review should identify all relevant published and unpublished evidence and interpret and assess the quality of each study. Systematic reviews are often used in the medical disciplines. See our Systematic review guide.
Theoretical analyses are used in the humanities, social sciences and business management. This type of article reviews and advances theory by tracing the development of a theory and then proposing a new theory, criticising errors in the old theory or suggesting that one theory is better than another.
Response articles respond to a previously published article, providing a critical evaluation of the research presented in one paper. Response articles may confirm, contradict or expand upon an author's argument.
Academic writing resources
- Writing skills courses and workshops from the Graduate School
- Improving writing through corpora (UQx free online course, 8h) aims to provide you with the tools, knowledge and skills to become a 'language detective', using special software to improve your academic writing. Boost your knowledge of academic words and phrases to improve your vocabulary and written fluency
- LinkedIn Learning courses on writing, grammar, editing and proofreading (access LinkedIn Learning with your UQ login)
- Writing Commons - a community site for writers and a creative learning space for students and teachers to share resources and pedagogy.
- Nature Publishing Group - one of the top academic publishers, Nature provides advice on how to write an article for a Nature journal
- Emerald Publishing Group - provides advice on how to get published in an academic journal
English help
There are many resources to help with professional editing of research papers, reports, book chapters or PhD theses, if English is not your first language. The UQ Union has a list of recommended proofreaders. Your postgraduate coordinator or supervisor may also know of proofreaders who have previously edited scholarly work in your field, who may be able to help.
Many of the major journal websites include links to paid services.
- Elsevier's English Language Services
- Sage's English Language Editing Services
- Wiley Blackwell English Services
- Taylor and Francis Author Services
Formatting publications for submission
Instructions for authors
Journals expect material to be submitted according to their preferred style. These can vary greatly from publisher to publisher. This information is usually included in the Instructions for Authors on publisher websites. See examples on these journal sites:
- Journal of Applied Psychology
- Educational Researcher - SAGE Publications
- Australian Journal of Primary Health
For Biosciences see Recommendations for the conduct, reporting, editing and publication of scholarly work in medical journals (ICMJE Recommendations).
Writing and formatting
Writing software and tools are available to help you work collaboratively and format your manuscript.
Overleaf is a web-based collaborative writing tool, available to UQ staff and students, that has templates for several journals that automatically formats your manuscript in the required style.
Referencing
Check the journal's Instructions for Authors to determine the publications preferred referencing style. The Library has guides on the different referencing styles used at UQ.
Referencing software
You can use EndNote or other referencing software to produce references formatted in the correct style. Referencing software can produce the same references in many different styles.
EndNote referencing software is available for download by UQ staff and students. The Library also offers:
Article length
Journals set their own requirements for article length. This information can usuaully be found in the Instructions for Authors. For example, the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology presents the following guidelines:
- Reviews and original articles — 3,000 to 5,000 words
- Letters — 500 words
- Brief reports — 1,500 words
- Commentaries — 2,500 words.
Literature searching
- Check Where and how to search for the right system and method to find information efficiently
- Contact the Librarian Team for searching advice
UQ policies
- Responsible Research Management Framework Policy
- Authorship Procedure
- Research Data Management Policy
- Open Access for UQ Research Publications Policy
- Open Access for Research Publications Guideline
Next steps
- Set up an ORCID iD before you publish to establish your unique identity as a researcher
- Use the Strategic scholarly publishing - Think, Check, Submit, Promote, Track method to ensure you publish in the most effective outlet.
Contact the Librarian Team if you need help.