Dissemination Toolkit: Writing & Publishing

Writing & Publishing IconThis writing and publishing toolkit is a compilation of advice from other experts on publishing, blogging, peer reviewing, plagiarism and copyright infringement, and writing proposals, policy briefs, press releases and white papers. The CADRE Early Career Guide has additional writing and publishing tips. For information about knowing your audience and messaging, visit the Audience & Messaging section of our toolkit.

General Publishing Tips

7 Steps to Publishing in a Scientific Journal
Publishing tips from Elsevier.

9 Publishing Basics for Anyone Submitting to a Scholarly Journal
Leah Fargotstein, a social science journals editor at SAGE, responds to basic yet essential questions about getting published in a scholarly journal. 

12 Tips for Accelerating Manuscript Publication
American Journal Expert's (AJE) Senior Academic Editor Michaela Panter shares advice on speeding up the publication process.

My Writing Productivity Pipeline
Erin Marie Furtak, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, describes how she, as an education researcher, uses a writing pipeline to help organize and move her writing projects along.

“What Editors Want: Paving the Way to Publication” Do’s and Don’ts When Submitting Papers [PDF]
Former co-editors in chief for the journal Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology wrote these do's and don'ts.

Deciding Where to Publish

Choosing the Right Journal for Your Research
American Journal Expert's (AJE) Research Communication Partner Sarah Conte shares important criteria to keep in mind when choosing a journal that is a good match for your research.

How to Target a Journal That’s Right for Your Research
This SciDev.Net article talks about predatory publishers and how to avoid them. 

Publications for STEM Educators, Policymakers, and Researchers
Wondering where to publish your article? See this list of STEM education-related publications generated by CADRE for ideas.

Scholarly Journal Publishing: Selecting a Journal That's Right for You
The Jean and Alexander Heard Library presents things to consider when selecting a journal in which to publish.

Blogging

How to Write an Awesome Blog Post in Five Steps
The Wordstream blog is chock-full of information for both beginner and more advanced bloggers. 

14 Do’s and Don’ts of Blogging You Need to Know
Three Girls Media shares advice on blogging based on their their marketing experience.

Conference Proposal Writing

Tips for Writing a Winning Conference Proposal
Written by David Kelly, the senior vice president and executive director for The eLearning Guild’s face-to-face events and conferences, this article gives advice on things to think about when writing a conference proposal.

How-To(sday): How to Write a Paper or Conference Proposal Abstract
Karen Kelsky, the founder and president of The Professor Is In, has written a short guide to writing a paper or conference proposal abstract.

Peer Reviewing

10 Tips from an Editor on Undertaking Academic Peer Review for Journals
Professor Brian Lucey from Trinity College Dublin shares his lessons learned.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Peer Review
SAE International offers guidance on writing a peer review.

Understanding Peer Review: A Guide for Authors
This Taylor & Francis resource shares why peer review is important, describes the process, and offers advice on how to respond to reviewers' comments.

Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

What Is Plagiarism?
This website defines plagiarism, gives examples, and includes tips for preventing plagiarism, as well as a link to a plagiarism checker.

Can I Use That Picture?
The Visual Communication Guy website offers an infographic to walk you through the terms, laws, and ethics for using copyrighted images.

National Science Foundation (NSF) Proposal Writing

NSF Proposal Toolkit
Planning to submit an NSF proposal? This CADRE toolkit is a compilation of helpful resources, including tips for writing a dissemination plan. See also STELAR's Effective Dissemination Plans – Success Strategies for Projects and Proposals to listen to a recording of a webinar that shares advice from seasoned PIs in NSF programs on how they disseminated their work.

Writing an Op-Ed

Op-ed Writing: Tips and Tricks
The OpEd Project offers advice on getting started, questions to ask yourself when writing, structure, and news hooks.

Writing Effective Op-Eds
Duke University Communications has developed helpful guidelines to help you write and place your articles, such as avoid jargon, use active voice, and acknowledge the other side.

Writing a Press Release

8 Tips for Writing a Great Press Release
Huffpost provides a list of things to think about when writing a press release. While this is an older post, the information still holds true today. 

How to Write a Press Release [The Guide + Expert Comments]
If you're looking for a starting point, Prowly provides a checklist and guidance. You can also find examples and a template from Hubspot.

Writing a White Paper

8 Tips for Writing White Papers (Hint: Don't Call It a White Paper)
Duct Tape Marketing share their tips on writing a white paper. 

How to Write White Papers People Actually Want to Read
This blog gives a comprehensive list of things to think about when creating a white paper. 

White Papers
This Purdue OWL resource explains what a white paper is and how it is organized, with tips for writing a white paper.

Writing Policy Briefs

Policy Communication Toolkit
PACE (Policy Advocacy Communication Enhanced) has created a comprehensive communication toolkit for researchers that covers policy-audience-specific tips on writing, presentations, social media, data visualization, and working with the media.

Reporter's Guide: State Education Policy
Education Writer's Association gives a nice overview of how state education policy works.

Research Impact: How Academics Can Grab Policy Makers’ Attention
This article published by The Guardian and written by the director of the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath goes beyond writing a policy brief and gives tips for academics who want to work with policymakers.

Writing Practice Briefs

How to Identify and Develop Practice Briefs [PDF]
Starting with an explanation of what a “practice brief” is, this resource by the Research + Practice Collaboratory project walks you through how to develop a brief for educators.


See also the Audience & Messaging section of our dissemination toolkit.