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Category Archives: Writing
How to decide on active or passive voice
A common problem in writing is deciding on whether to use active or passive voice. There is a general tradition in scientific writing of writing in the third person, and avoid writing in the first person. But that is not … Continue reading
Posted in Guidance, Style, Writing
Tagged active voice, passive voice, writing style
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How to compose an introduction
The introduction should provide the setting for the paper, introduce the reader to the topic under investigation and provide at least a partial description of what is to come. It can be useful to also explain how you have structured … Continue reading
Posted in Guidance, Style, Writing
Tagged guidance, Literature review, Opening sentence, Writing
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Salami-slicing
Salami-slicing is the practice of reporting one piece of research many times in different papers, each time with a slightly different spin, often to different journals. I came across this today (again), when the editor of another journal invited me … Continue reading
Posted in Content, Writing
Tagged Academic Papers, Paper, Salami slicing, Social Sciences, writing style
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How to avoid desk-rejection
Before papers are sent for refereeing, editors check newly-submitted papers for a range of features. Authors can check these things themselves, and increase the likelihood that their papers will proceed from the editor’s desk and into the refereeing process. Some … Continue reading
How to write informative abstracts
Abstracts are often the least considered but most important part of any paper. Most readers of a journal will read most of the abstracts, but very few will read the full papers. Perhaps 95% of readers will read only the abstract. The … Continue reading
Posted in Editorial policies, Guidance, Style, Writing
Tagged abstract, Author, Paper, Research, Writing
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How to write editorial notes
Each issue of the journal contains an introductory editorial column. One of the purposes of this is to make the papers accessible to a wider audience, and to suggest the practical or academic relevance of the work. On acceptance of … Continue reading
How to write an informative and helpful covering letter
The primary purpose of the covering letter is to explain what the paper is about, why it is important and how the research was done, with particular reference to the aims and scope of the journal. The Editor’s first decision … Continue reading
Posted in Content, Guidance, Research papers, Writing
Tagged covering letter, covering letters, sycophancy, writing style
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What editors look for in referee reports
A recent discussion in orgtheory.net sparked some interest. I was particularly interested in the views from editors of various journals such as Organization Science, Organization Studies, Academy of Management Journal, Management Science, American Sociological Review, and Administrative Science Quarterly. If … Continue reading
How to carry out a literature search
The most essential prerequisite for a successful piece of academic research is the establishment of what is already known about the topic. While it is important to be able to produce a critical review of a research paper (See “Reviewing … Continue reading
Posted in Content, Guidance, Writing
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Writing informative and stimulating book reviews
A book review should be more than a flattering summary of the content. Many book reviews are not particularly useful in terms of positioning the book in relation to the literature or engaging with the contribution that the book makes … Continue reading
