Dr. Geleana Drew Alston Editorial Assistant, Adult Education Quarterly Former Assistant to the Co-Editor of New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education 41 st Annual State Conference-Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education March 27, 2014 San Antonio, TX

C onstructive criticism O riginality U nderstanding the aim and scope R eview articles within journal A sk questions G ain confidence E mbrace rejections/revise and resubmits O ptimism U tilize peer reviews S ave all drafts of your manuscript

 Constructive Criticism ◦ It strengthens the quality of your work ◦ It let’s you know someone cares about your work ◦ It gets you into writing mode ◦ It gives you a new perspective about your work

 Originality ◦ What is your contribution to the field of study? ◦ What makes your manuscript stand out from others that have been published in the journal? ◦ What innovative data collection or analysis techniques are described in your manuscript?

 Understand the aim and scope of the journal ◦ Visit the journal’s website and review the aim and scope of the journal ◦ If you are in need of further clarification, the Editor or Editorial Assistant to inquire about the aim and scope of the journal. ◦ If you know someone who has published in the journal, as the author to review your manuscript to determine if within scope.

 Review articles within publication ◦ The journal may have published articles related to the topic of interest for your manuscript ◦ Helps you gain a sense of the quality of work accepted by the journal ◦ Include at least three references from articles published in the journal

 Ask questions ◦ Prior to submission get clarity about submission guidelines such as word count, style of writing, and process of submission ◦ Not following guidelines is an easy REJECT…your manuscript will not even be reviewed for scope.

 Gain confidence ◦ You have to believe that your work is worth of publication. ◦ Lack of confidence is apparent within writing ◦ Avoid overly citing others’ works…the manuscript is more about your research than about other’s research (unless it is a critical literature review)

 Embrace Rejections/Revise and Resubmits ◦ It is alright if your manuscript gets rejected or you are asked to revise and resubmit ◦ A good manuscript ready for publication is birthed from various drafts and revisions ◦ Pay close attention to the reviewer comments and address them accordingly

 Optimism ◦ If you get rejected by one journal you should address the reviewers comments and send to another journal immediately ◦ You should identify a minimum of three journals and rank them in order of submission. Topic of Interest for Manuscript Journal Title Nonformal adult learning in museums 1. Adult Education Quarterly 2. The Journal of Museum Education 3. Journal for Education in Museums

 Utilize peer reviews ◦ Before you submit your manuscript allow your peers to review the manuscript ◦ Writing Groups or Circles keep you on tasks and accountable for writing ◦ Only allow individuals you trust to review and accept the constructive critism

 Save all drafts of your manuscript ◦ Your manuscript will evolve with every revision ◦ Just because one journal rejected your manuscript it it’s original form, another may accept it in its original form ◦ You never know when your older drafts will inform future research and publications

 THANK YOU!!! 