The Daily Bulletin Archive

“Learn What Journal Editors Value,” the latest workshop in the series “The Donut Shop of the Mind,” was presented for campus scholars on June 19. The event featured four current and past editors of national journals who shared their expertise with campus members who have been, or plan to be, published authors.

Publishing one’s scholarly work is a critical activity for faculty members, both to secure tenure and to share findings with colleagues around the world. However, publication is difficult and demanding. The panel was designed to help Buffalo State researchers understand the process of scholarly publication from the journal editor’s perspective.

Sharon Cramer, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor of exceptional education and creator of the Donut Shop series, facilitated the workshop. She shared some of her own publication experiences: “Write from an important place within yourself,” she urged, “and make writing a ‘front-burner’ commitment throughout your career—before and after tenure.”

The editorial panel comprised Jim D. Atwood, professor of chemistry at the University at Buffalo and editor of theJournal of Coordination Chemistry; Carolyn M. Hilarski, professor of social work at Buffalo State and past editor of Residential Treatment for Children and Youth; Louise M. Lonabocker, executive director of student services at Boston College and editor of College and University: Educating the Modern Higher Education Administration Professional; and Paul Theobald, Woods-Beals Endowed Chair and professor with Buffalo State’s Center for Excellence in Urban and Rural Education at Buffalo State and founding editor of the Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education. Although each journal is highly specialized, the editors have common experiences in soliciting articles and communicating with authors.

Atwood’s journal is an international peer-reviewed journal about inorganic chemistry that has doubled its circulation since 2006. Its acceptance rate is about 55 percent.

Hilarski said that Residential Treatment, which has been in existence since 1986, has a circulation of about 1,000. Its audience consists of people who work in residential treatment settings. “We often solicit experts to write for us,” said Hilarski. The journal’s acceptance rate is about 75 percent.

Lonabocker emphasized that College and University is targeted for enrollment management professionals. “We reject articles about teaching,” she said. The journal’s feature articles are peer-reviewed; the acceptance rate is about 55 percent.

Theobald edits the relatively new online publicationJournal of Inquiry and Action in Education. “Its subject is what we do when we’re in the schools,” he said. The most recent issue includes articles about educating homeless children, a case study of the impact of No Child Left Behind on urban school teachers, and an argument to eliminate sports in schools. Inquiry and Action accepts about 65 percent of the articles submitted for publication.

According to the panelists, the most common errors authors make are failing to follow submission guidelines and using the wrong format and/or style guide. The most important thing authors can do to get their work published is to become familiar with the journal to which they are submitting their work. To demonstrate familiarity, authors can refer to articles that have been published in the journal.

If an author has a question about a journal’s interest in an article, he or she should e-mail an inquiry to the editor. By asking first, the author may be able to shape an article to meet an editor’s need. Authors should indicate that they have conducted research into their topic before contacting an editor.

“It is important to make sure that your e-mail is error-free,” said Hilarski.

If an editor suggests revisions, it indicates an interest in publishing the piece. “Make the suggested revisions,” advised Lonabocker, “and do so in a timely way.”

For articles that are peer-reviewed, authors should e-mail the revised version to the relevant reviewers with detailed information about where the revisions were made.

Blind peer-review, in which reviewers are anonymous to authors, can be discouraging if the comments are disparaging. “Don’t take it personally,” said Hilarski. “Look for the truth; look for the positive. And don’t be deterred in your efforts to publish, no matter what anybody says.”