Write the article once, and once again
October 1, 1999 3 minutes read
Write the article once, and once again
Lots of polish is required to see your words in print
There is no "right" way to write a journal article. The process will vary depending on the author. "I know what I want to go into an article, so I don’t really create an outline. Instead, I start typing on the computer and bolding my section areas, then I write to those sections," says Margaret M. Duffy, EdD, RN, CNN, a clinical educator and adjunct associate professor at the College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. However, before sitting down at the computer to write the article, she thinks a lot about it and what information to include in it.
Before Magdalyn Patyk, MS, RN, coordinator of nursing development at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, starts writing, she makes sure the message she wants to convey is clear in her mind. Once she is clear on the main point, she begins writing.
Others, like Jackie A. Smith, PhD, patient education coordinator at the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics in Salt Lake City, write whatever comes to mind when creating the first draft. "Once something is down on paper, you can adjust, fix, and rewrite," she explains. If you have trouble writing, dictate the article into a tape recorder or record a lecture you give, she suggests. Once you’ve transcribed the tape, you have a rough draft of the article.
When collaborating on an article, always select a primary writer to oversee the process and work with the editor, says Patyk. Usually, each person will write portions of the piece, but it should read as if one author wrote the article.
One thing these three writers agree on is that the first draft of the article is never what gets submitted to the journal. Duffy writes three or four drafts before the article is polished enough to submit to an editor. When reviewing the article, she looks for information she has left out and always has others read it to see if they understand the points she’s trying to make. It’s a good idea to have someone with lots of knowledge about grammar read it over as well, she says.
No matter how well you have polished the article before submitting it to a publication, be prepared to do additional work on the piece once it has been edited. Usually, several reviewers and the editor or assistant editor will make suggestions about ways to make points more clear or other aspects that might be considered in the piece, says Duffy. "Rarely does an article go to an editor and come back exactly the way you sent it," she says.
Don’t take the editor’s comments personally, advises Smith. While rewriting can be frustrating, it does help to refine the article. However, to keep from having to do major rewrites, make sure the piece is tailored to the journal. "I have found that the more I am in tune with what is required with a particular journal, the more likely they will accept the article as written," she says.
There is one instance when editors should not have the last word: when their suggestions change the intent of the article. "Make sure your message isn’t misinterpreted. When editors offer suggestions or actually make editorial changes, you don’t want them to skew what you have written, so read the rewrites carefully," advises Patyk.
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