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Some Thoughts About Writing for Publication From One Who's "Been There, Done That"
by Mary E. Johnson
These comments come from my personal experiences as a librarian, an author and an editor.
I learned decades ago as an undergraduate English major that the two basic elements in any piece of writing are form and content.
In the journal literature, form is somewhat determined by the editor or publisher. Any prospective author should carefully review -- and follow -- the guidelines indicated in the section found in most journals entitled "information for authors or contributors." A lot of time and effort is saved if the author has the style elements and cited references in the prescribed format when the manuscript is initially submitted for possible acceptance. If these basics are not heeded, the editor may think that the author either didn't read the journal guidelines, or didn't care enough to follow them. Both suspicions do not set well with editors.
Authors should familiarize themselves with the specifics of the style required by the journal to which they are submitting their article by obtaining a copy of the appropriate style manual. Commonly used manuals are the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, the Chicago Manual of Style, the American Medical Association Manual of Style, and the MLA [Modern Language Association] Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. Access to the basics of several of these editorial styles is now available on the Internet, however the style manuals themselves provide a wealth of additional information for the writer, including tips on manuscript preparation, discussion of copyright and ethical concerns, reviews of language usage, and much more.
We know that skill in writing varies from person to person. Some people simply are better writers than others are. However, while everyone may not be exceptionally talented in the art of writing, most people have informative things to say and should be heard. Careful crafting and honing of one's material can offset deficiencies in writing style. Grammar and spell-check software makes it easier to create a manuscript devoid of basic language errors, but nothing can take the place of having the proposed article read, re-read, and 'red penciled' by a human being. All prospective authors should have their work reviewed by colleagues, both in and out of the library field, to catch grammatical mistakes, to prevent the use of jargon, and for clarity of phrasing.
Content is the other element. One should write about something one enjoys and finds interesting. If the topic isn't interesting to the author, it probably won't be interesting to the reader. Writing an article takes a lot of work, and the author should write with the anticipated joy of sharing findings with the larger community because of his or her belief in the value and worth of the research or project the proposed article discusses.
However, one needn't undertake massive research to have something to publish. Indeed, the belief that empirical research and theoretical articles are the 'best' kind of articles sometimes causes librarians to think that they do not have anything to contribute. However, many valuable articles come as by-products of some element of day-to-day activities or library routines. The analysis and description of a successful -- or not successful -- program is a very valuable addition to the literature. Writing about a project undertaken by your library might give another librarian an idea about how to do a similar project or to take your idea and go in another direction.
Writing book reviews, creating topical bibliographies, or contracting to write a regular column are other ways to get your written work into publication. Some journals also have sections for briefer articles or commentaries, and these places are good for shorter reports or descriptive essays. The contributor information area in most journals will usually list the types of materials accepted.
You also don't have to write a 'solo' piece or do a study in isolation. Collaborative research or joint project work is often more highly regarded than a single-library study because of the more inclusive nature and the greater possibility of result validity in a multi-site study. Having several authors may reduce the writing load (or not -- depending on the skills of the librarians involved) and improve the chances that an article will be accepted.
Librarians are thought of as "information brokers" or "information mediators" or "information gatherers" -- providing access to information produced by others. But, in our professional lives we must also become information generators -- creating new work, putting forth new ideas, and adding our voices and experiences to the literature of librarianship.
Mary E. Johnson has been the library director at the Missouri Institute of Mental Health since 1984. Over her career she has been active in local, regional, and national library organizations. She has written journal articles, is the editor of a book published in 1997 entitled Library Services in Mental Health Settings, and is completing her tenure as editor of the journal Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian.