SAGE Talk

Garcia providing tips on how to start writing a journal article manuscript

The UTAR Library organised a talk titled “Simple Guide to Writing a Journal Article” at the Sungai Long Campus on 26 September 2016. The speaker was Rosalia da Garcia who is the Deputy Managing Director of SAGE Publications, and the Head of Sales and Marketing for the Asia-Pacific region.

With the aim to provide useful tips for journal article publication, the informative talk also empowered writers with helpful advice to improve the quality of their manuscripts to heighten the chances of the journal articles being published. Besides that, Garcia with her rich experience in the publishing field discussed the keys that one must consider before submitting a journal article for publication and offered a simple guide to preparing a good manuscript.

“Before you proceed to writing, you must first consider your purpose of writing and publishing the paper. It is necessary to spend some time to think from what angle or perspective you wish to convey your research findings. You might want to fill a research gap, extend an existing theory or present a novel idea. Understanding your purpose of writing the paper and identifying the needs of your prospective audience will help you to frame a better manuscript structure and improve the clarity of the writing,” said Garcia.

She added, “It’s also crucial to identify the objectives, genres and scopes of the target journal. Do ensure that you have met the required criteria before you submit the manuscript. Approach your colleagues and consult the journal editor when you need assistance. Those little steps will help you to keep your writing clear and relevant.”

Garcia showed some good examples on how to write a good query letter to the journal editor, and provided specific guidelines on how to structure an outstanding manuscript. The speaker further explained some strategies on writing a precise abstract and selecting a suitable journal where the writers can submit their manuscripts for publication.

In addition, Garcia briefed the audience about some psychological aspects of a successful writer while working on an academic paper. “Handling rejection and revisions of manuscripts could be time-consuming and certainly require much effort to reread, review and rewrite your submitted papers. Do not be disheartened by that as that’s what the majority of writers have to experience before they get their papers published.”

“Most manuscripts are rejected due to insufficient constructive arguments,” explained Garcia. Mentioning some criteria of a good manuscript, she highlighted, “Papers which provide insights into an important issue for research or theory development, as well as those which stimulate the audience’s mind for more questions are more likely to be accepted. I recommend you to study some good published papers as reference. Attend to details and check your language and spelling before you submit the paper as it will help to reduce the risks of getting rejected.”

The talk ended with a Q&A session with the speaker. Participants at the talk included UTAR academics, researchers and postgraduate students from various faculties and research centres.

The audience listening attentively to Garcia