Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD
Committee on Disability Issues in Psychology
(This article was first published in the Winter 2002 issue
of the APAGS Newsletter.)
Do you have something you want to say? A point you want to make? A
perspective you want to share? Then you must write. Writing is one of the most
important skills for you to acquire, whether you are in academics or clinical
practice. Yet this skill is often overlooked in graduate training. Let’s face
it. Graduate school is demanding even for the able-bodied. Free time is scarce.
As a graduate student with a disability, you may have even less free time
because the activities of daily living just take longer.
So why should you bother? Because in the academic world, publications are the
coin of the realm. And people with disabilities are not well represented among
people who publish. If you want to advance in your field, you must publish.
Remember, science moves forward via communication among scientists—and
articles are the way by which you do this. Writing also helps establish you as
an expert in your field of study. By writing articles, you have the opportunity
to review for journals, giving you yet another opportunity to influence your
field. Publications are also the vehicle that leads to job opportunities and
promotions. This can give psychologists with disabilities, especially those who
are not employed full-time, a chance at a level playing field. I work part-time
because of my disability, but I have almost 80 articles published, 2 books, and
2 more that are due next year. Having a good publication track record has opened
up many opportunities for me that are generally not available to part-timers.
So how do we do this?
In this article, I concentrate on taking articles through the publication
process, since this is the most difficult part for many people. I focus
primarily on journal articles, since they can be the hardest kind of publication
to get. But you’ll find that the advice I offer below also applies to other
types of publications as well.
I often characterize publication as half skill, half attitude. Approach this
process with confidence and persistence. Here are some tips that will get you
started.
Pick your journal before you write. Before you write a single sentence,
know where your article is going. So many professionals write the article, and
then start shopping for a journal. Each journal has its own style, requirements,
and type of article it likes to publish. Always remember that you are writing
for an audience of a particular journal, and the needs of readers should be
foremost in your mind.
To pick an appropriate journal, think about the main journals in your field
of study (and don’t limit your search only to APA journals). Which journals do
you tend to cite most frequently? Which are read most often? Which ones publish
the type data that you have (e.g., don’t send an article that describes a
survey to a journal that mainly favors experimental studies)? Don’t fall into
the trap of always trying to write for the "most prestigious" journal
in your field. Your work may not be appropriate for it. Send it to a journal
that will be read by your colleagues. As you write, you may change your mind.
But thinking about the journal ahead of time will help you focus.
Learn to handle "revise & resubmits." One of the most
difficult aspects of writing is negative feedback. Whenever you get a rejection,
or even a "revise and resubmit," you can feel that like the only one
who has ever had someone say something mean about your work. Our peers and
colleagues are often reluctant to share their negative reviews with others. The
good news is that everyone—even "stars"—get occasional negative
comments. Revise and resubmits may be your most common response. Often, authors
don’t know how to handle these and may do nothing for months (or even years).
Here are a couple of ways that you need to deal effectively with them.
- Limit your period of mourning.
Comments from reviewers can be quite hurtful and rude. Go ahead and be mad, but
limit your mourning period to a week. Then get to work on making the revisions.
Know that reviewers are human.
Just because a reviewer doesn’t like a particular paper doesn’t mean that it
is bad. Your paper may be outside his/her area of expertise. Your paper may not
express your ideas as clearly as it could. Or the reviewer may be having a bad
day. Be open to constructive criticism, but also know that reviewers can be
wrong.
Realize that you don’t have to make every suggested
change. A comment from a reviewer usually indicates
that something in your paper is not clear. However, you do not need to make
every change. Acknowledge the reviewers’ concerns, and politely explain why
you decided not to make the change in your letter accompanies your revised
manuscript.
Be polite. And speaking of
letters, always assume that reviewers will receive a copy of yours. Pointing out
the reviewer’s obviously flawed thinking is ultimately not in your best
interest. If a reviewer asks for a change that is wrong, politely point out the
problem, and perhaps indicate a related change that you did make.
Get emotional support. It can be
very discouraging to spend time and effort on a masterpiece, only to have some
thoughtless reviewer rip it up. Have someone in your social or professional
circle you can commiserate with. But then get back to work!
Consider alternate vehicles for publication. So many of the reward
systems of academics focus on journal articles. We often forget (or maybe never
knew) that other types of publications will get our work known, and even be
helpful. Articles I’ve written for newsletters and magazines have had more
readers than many of my journal articles. And when it comes to having our say,
this is an important consideration.
Brief reports
are mini journal articles. These are great for when you have a little bit of
interesting data that doesn’t warrant a full-length journal article. Many
journal editors like these too, thereby increasing the likelihood that they
will accept your article. The instructions to authors will list length
requirements.
Newsletters. Newsletters can
be another great place to publish your work. These articles can be especially
helpful to clinicians because you synthesize research and suggest clinical
applications. Newsletters from professional organizations and APA divisions
are often good places to start. Contact the editor to see if he/she is
interested in an article, and what the requirements are.
Electronic media. Publishing
on the Web is just in its infancy. Over the next few years, we will see an
explosion of information available via the Internet. This is yet another
opportunity for you. Find out what types of publications are available and if
they would be interested in receiving an article from you.
Act like a professional. I am always amazed at the number of people in
our field who make commitments to do work, and casually miss or blow off
deadlines. Editors often tell me that I am the only one who met the deadline
for a chapter or article. I strongly advise you to keep your commitments. Just
because "everyone" misses deadlines doesn’t mean it is a good idea
for you. Take your deadlines seriously and do your best to meet them. If you
must miss a deadline, contact the person who is requesting the article and let
them know when you will be able to get it to them. Your behavior will be so
unusual that soon others will want to work with you too.
In closing, I suggest that you write with boldness and give yourself
permission to learn. That includes making plenty of mistakes. If writing were
easy, everyone would do it. Your work is important, and so is your perspective
as a person with a disability. See you in print!
