The frustrations of writing research articles for publication and what to do about them

Abstract

Prepared especially for readers who are considering taking their initial steps in writing for publication, this piece draws on the author's personal experience, as well as insights from related literature, to explore around a dozen challenges that such individuals may face. In particular, it outlines what inexperienced writers, who will be facing them for the first time, can do either in response or to prevent their development from the outset. Sequenced here approximately in the order in which they are likely be encountered, the problems described are effectively of four types: issues pertaining to the tracing of sources that the writer may want to use, concerns that arise when the individual is attempting to cite material, how the author may deal with the reactions of journal editors and reviewers to the work and matters that can emerge when the manuscript has actually been published.