From Academics to the Profession: Publishing in the Social Sciences

Catalog description

This professional writing seminar is an introduction to the complex world of academic writing and publication. It is designed to give students in the social sciences an opportunity to overcome anxiety about professional level writing and the publishing process. Students in this course will gain practical experience in revising their work so that it may be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for possible publication. Using Wendy Laura Belcher’s best-selling Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success, the course explains the publication process to students and shares strategies for achieving success in the academic writing arena, including setting up a work schedule, identifying appropriate journals for submission, working with editors, writing query letters, clarifying arguments, and organizing material. In a supportive environment, participants revise a previously completed classroom paper, conference paper, thesis, or other work into a peer-reviewed article and submit it for publication. The goal of this workshop is to aid participants in taking their papers from classroom quality to conference, and ultimately, journal quality. (Prerequisites: SSGS711)