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Author Resources

Contents

We are a graduate student journal; we provide writing and publication resources to support both first-time and experienced authors.

Selected Readings

  • Bernier, A. (2011). Reaching escape velocity and the purpose of SLIS Student Research Journal. SLIS Student Research Journal, 1(1). Retrieved from http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/slissrj/vol1/iss1/2
    In our guiding document, SRJ Advisor Dr. Anthony Bernier describes the steps of preparing a secondary research literature review. He presents an appealing perspective of the deep engagement a researcher has with a particular subject, how students can contribute to progressive LIS scholarship and the importance of and pathway to reaching "escape velocity" in new LIS scholarship
  • Lucas Laursen's article about the academic journal submission process helps authors reframe a determination of "Revise and Resubmit." Laursen, L. (2008, August 15). If at First You Don't Succeed, Cool Off, Revise, and Submit Again. Retrieved from https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2008/08/if-first-you-dont-succeed-cool-revise-and-submit-again
  • Often described as the "best book about writing," The Elements of Style is a useful guide for any and all writers. Strunk, W. (1920). Elements of style. New York: Harcourt Brace. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/cu31924014450716

SRJ-created Resources

  • SRJ Overview (6:39) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn0jP4hF9CQ Former EIC Tamarack Hockin gives a brief overview of the SRJ, how to submit, what editors look for when reviewing your submission, and benefits of submitting. Note: Presentation is from 2016, so while it is still relatively current, we do now also accept Evidence Summaries as a submission option.

Workshops & Webinars

  • Joining the Conversation: Tips for Strengthening Your Academic Voice (1:01:11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q3DNTCrO5E&t=1s SRJ’s former Content Editor Emmanuel Te gives an honest, encouraging, specific and detailed deep dive into academic writing. He discusses the differences between a successful course paper and a successful journal submission. He addresses how to adjust your course paper to meet SRJ or other journal guidelines, and why you should consider publishing. He walks viewers through the rubrics that SRJ Content Editors use when evaluating a paper for submission, offers helpful and detailed guidance on how to meet those rubric elements. He explains how editors view submissions, reviews a sample paper, and identifies common “traps” writers can fall into. Clocking in at over an hour, this is a comprehensive and detailed overview directly from an editor’s perspective of how to ensure your paper is journal-ready.
  • Publish a Great Book Review (48:13) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooRwO3V0EB4&t=201s Devon Lee, a former SRJ Content Editor, and Dr. Anthony Bernier, Faculty Advisor to SRJ and Professor at the School of Information at San Jose State University, present "Publish A Great Book Review." This webinar workshop guides participants through the process of analyzing an academic work for review and provides an analysis of the structural components of excellent published reviews.
  • Target Your Audience: The Art of the Abstract (29:22) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmvAW-llj7M Capture the essence of your research or literature review with a well-crafted abstract that holds the reader's attention. In this online workshop, Devon Lee breaks down the characteristics of a great abstract and help student writers communicate the value of their work. This session is for students looking to get published in the MLIS field, submit a conference abstract, or simply improve their graduate writing.

Quick Tips and How-to

  • What’s in it for me? Publishing in the SRJ (1:36) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l_aFM4yTdc Emmanuel Te talks about the process and benefits of publishing in SRJ as a graduate student.
  • Thinking about Presentation: Writing for the Journal (1:19) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWUlWflcrE0 Former SRJ Content Editor Brooke Heskett covers the basics to consider before submitting your manuscript.
  • Altering Your Course Paper for SRJ Publication: Writing for a broader audience (2:57) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUoE1KyEU9Q Emmanuel Te provides guidance and specific direction on altering your iSchool course paper to provide context on the subject, so it becomes appropriate for a broader academic audience.
  • From Assignment to Article: Questions and Guidance for Successful Submission https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gYM4c7Gv68XZv2s78Ywhm-2hwE_FnguuX3w7m60SSfM Editors Stacy Andell and Claire Goldstein walk you through questions you should ask yourself about your paper when revising it from a class assignment to journal submission. This self-paced tutorial covers everything from thesis to APA formatting.

SRJ Recommends

Formatting

Other Journals

Q&A

  • Q: What happens to my paper after I submit?
  • A: See this video for a brief but thorough explanation.
  • Q: What should I do after I receive my paper’s decision?
  • Following a decision of either ‘major revisions required’ or ‘minor revisions required’, submissions are returned to the author for further revision. If the author has questions concerning the CRR, they may communicate with the EIC. Authors then submit their revisions (via bepress) within the timeframe allotted.

    Manuscripts which received a decision of ‘major revisions required’ will undergo another round of review with content and copy editors as per the initial review process. Editors will be provided with a copy of the CRR from any earlier rounds of editing to determine if the author has made significant progress in revisions. Editors will evaluate the manuscript in light of these previous CRR recommendations. Editors will include any new recommendations for revision as appropriate (i.e., as changes are made, new changes may be required).

    Manuscripts which received a decision of ‘minor revisions required’ usually proceed to a round of detailed copy editing using the track-changes function in MS Word. Typically this round is performed by one copy editor. The copy editor will be provided with a copy of the CRR in order to evaluate the manuscript in light of the recommended revisions. The suggested edits should bring the manuscript into a publication-ready state concerning APA citation and any Journal style guidelines. The copy editor may additionally comment and make suggestions regarding language and usage throughout the manuscript in order to facilitate greater clarity, specificity, and quality of writing.

    The final edited manuscript will be returned to the ME who will ensure all identifying information is removed from the MS Word metadata, and that the editor is anonymized (as per double-blind review).

Coming Soon

  • How submitting to the Journal can help you meet your Portfolio Core Competencies
  • Step-by-step Transformation of a classroom paper to a Journal-ready paper
  • How did I get here? An Info 200 paper gets published
  • How to peer-edit effectively
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