Part 1 This begins a series of articles devoted to the question that is arguably the one most often asked by learners: How do I get published? This is one of those questions that will get a wide variety of answers, however, depending on the experiences of the person answering the question. Still, there are a few generalizations that apply.

Getting Published - Part 2 This is the second and last article devoted to the question that is arguably the one most often asked by learners: How do I get published? This article discusses conversion of course papers, etc., to articles.

The most important thing to remember in converting a course paper (or other academic work product) into an article is that you write for a different audience. The general approach to writing an academic paper is to assume that your audience is "educated, but not knowledgeable." As such, you provide definitions and explanations that may go beyond what would be necessary in an article.

If you wrote a course paper that discussed the cost effectiveness of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), for example, you would normally devote some of the paper to informing the reader what an EAP was, what its objectives were, and how it operated. Depending on the journal you targeted for submission, such background information might not be necessary, especially if the journal was one that specialized in the EAP field.

Another area you pay attention to in writing course papers is professional jargon. While there are conventions to handle jargon within a course paper (define it to the reader!), jargon may be perfectly acceptable without special handling in an article. A review of other articles in the journal will give you an idea of how other authors deal with it.

Journal articles are typically more direct and to-the-point than academic papers. At Capella, however, we prefer that learners write in a more direct manner, using active voice, and short, 20-25 word sentences, etc. If you are successful in writing this way, there will probably be little or no text revision at this point. Stand by for the journal's editors, however; they always seem to have a mind of their own!

You should not try and second-guess the editorial review board of the journal by trying to revise the work (see Generalization #3 in the previous article). It would not be unreasonable, however, for you to read a few of the articles printed in the journal to get a feel for the style and tone that are expressed by the authors. Applying that style and tone to your own submission may reduce editing later in the process.

Next, some more words about rejections. Use them to your advantage. If your submission is rejected, don't be reluctant to write back and ask for a recommendation on another journal that might be interested in your manuscript (you might even get this before you ask). Some journals will provide a short critique in their rejection. Heed their advice, they provide it from experience. And if they don't provide it, ask for it. Every little bit helps.

Getting published is not easy. There are many more submissions than there are published articles. Don't be discouraged, persistence (mixed with a little serendipity) is often the key.

In general, the same approach to publication applies to those of you that might seek to publish your dissertations as a book. Because there are much fewer books published than articles, the challenge is even more imposing, and the risks of your efforts being rejected are much higher. Still, here are a few tips:

1. There are a number of books and monographs that provide help in converting dissertations to books. They are not particularly expensive ($5-$15) and might be worth purchasing and reading before you decide to seek publication. And if you do decide to publish, they will help you revise your manuscript and prepare the dissertation for submission.
   
2. Do some research to determine which publishers print books in your subject area. Narrow your list of prospects to those most likely to be interested in your work.
   
3. Solicit publisher interest BEFORE you undertake to revise the dissertation. Usually, you can do this by sending the publisher a 3-5 page summary of the work, together with a cover letter expressing your interest.
   

Good luck!

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