Planning the article

A journal article contributes something new to the academic discourse in a particular field. To successfully plan your article:

  • Choose a journal that will allow you to reach an audience that is interested in your research topic, and that meets your strategic goals (e.g. a high-quality, reputable journal in your discipline). Consult with your supervisor or trusted contacts in your field for guidance in choosing a suitable journal.
  • Develop your article's content and structure to best meet the needs of your chosen journal and audience.
  • Maintain your article's focus on a clear gap or problem in the existing research literature.

Strategies for drafting

Writing an article is an iterative process that takes time and multiple drafts. If you are unsure how to improve your article as you write, remember your argumentative logic and always keep your research questions in mind.

It also helps to be clear about who you are writing for. In most cases your readers will have some expertise in your discipline, but may lack specific knowledge of your topic. Write to communicate your ideas in a way that this audience will clearly understand and find engaging, and pay attention to how other authors in your field manage the same task. Their choices about structure, emphasis and level of detail are a practical guide to what your readers will expect.

Clarifying your contribution

An effective journal article makes a distinct contribution to an academic field. Communicating your contribution in clear, concise terms can be a challenging part of the writing process. However, clarifying your ideas early in the process can make it easier to organise the writing:

  • If your journal article is based on a larger research project (e.g. your research thesis), conceptualise the article as a discrete argument with smaller scope. Choose a smaller 'slice' of the broader research that will function as a self-contained journal article, with its own smaller argument.
  • Whether your journal article is based on an existing project or new research, clarify and refine your ideas before producing a full draft.

One practical way to test whether your contribution is sharp enough is to try writing the title. If you cannot say what the article does in a dozen words, the contribution may not yet be clear enough to draft from. See Choosing an effective title.

In considering how suitable your article is for publication, the journal editors will consider various factors. As a starting point, aim to demonstrate the following qualities in your article: