Tips for planning your journal article write-up

Writing a manuscript (aka journal article) may seem like a daunting task. Many leave this writing until after they have collected and analyzed their data. I personally find that the busier I get, the more productive my writing is if I work on the article as I am planning and running a study. That way, the ideas and rationale are fresh, and the process feels a lot more efficient. The key to success with this approach, however, is being disciplined and blocking off time to write. Otherwise, you risk competing interests creeping in and taking over. Regardless of where you are in the process, below are some tips that you may find useful for planning and starting your article write-up.  Although everyone has their own approach, this is a strategy that I have developed over the years that works well for me and seems to have benefited my trainees. Have a read-through. Feel free to use what suits you and make a note of the rest in case it proves to be beneficial somewhere down the line. Be sure to leave a comment if you have any tips you’d like to share!

1)      Develop a solid idea of the general content of the article. For example:

·         What is it about?

·         What research domains does it fall under?

·         What’s the main message?

·         What are the general methods?

·         What kind of an article is it – original report, short report, commentary, review, etc.?

2)      Familiarize yourself with and gather all of the relevant study data, planning documents (e.g., manual of procedures, statistical analysis plan), and any other underlying or related information.

3)      Identify the article’s co-authors, the proposed authorship order, and roles and responsibilities as they relate to the article. It’s essential to have these conversations early to help avoid miscommunications, incongruent expectations, and damaged relationships.

4)      Identify one or two articles that you think are excellent examples of the one you want to write. These can act as as a template or guiding light, helping you think through and plan your article’s structure.

5)      Identify a few target journals this article would ideally be published in so you have an idea of the parameters you need to work with (e.g., section headings, word count, reference style, any specific requirements).

6)      Identify the reporting guidelines (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/) that apply to your study design. This will help to further guide your article’s content and structure and ensure transparency and reproducibility in reporting. If you engaged patients and the public in your research, consider using the GRIPP-2 guidelines as well.

7)      List the tables and figures you plan to have in the manuscript. This includes their captions (i.e., titles) and the header rows and columns. If you’ve already analyzed your data, you may want to populate the figures and tables next. I know many successful researchers who tackle study write-ups by creating tables and figures and drafting the results section as an initial step.

8)      Plan out each of the paragraphs you will write by jotting down paragraph headings (e.g., could be a 1-sentence statement about the paragraph’s topic). Start from the introduction and work your way to the discussion. Note: Whether I do steps 7 or 8 first varies by paper and according to my familiarity with the project.

9)      Based on Steps 7 and 8, identify where you will need help (e.g., analyzing data, a second reviewer to assess the quality of included data, etc.). Develop a plan for how you will obtain this help and act on it.

10)  Start filling in each section’s content!

As you work on your article, remember that writing is an iterative process. This means that you will likely write many drafts before arriving at the final product. So be kind to yourself and remember to reach out to your colleagues, mentors, and other supporters to discuss your ideas and progress and ask for help. You can also book one of our many services that are designed to help you with your writing journey – whether it is a consult to help you as you plan or write your manuscript, editing or proofreading to help you maximize the effectiveness of your writing or a pre-submission peer review we have you covered!

Good luck! You’ve got this!