Topic: Publishing in Professional Journals (3)

10-second review: Tips on publishing in professional education journals. Read the journal in which you intend to publish. Writing about teaching techniques.

Title: “How to Start Writing for Publication.” RayS. Teaching English, How To…. 2004. Xlibris. pp. 273-278.

Getting Ready
You have to read professional journals if you are going to submit articles for publication in them. Begin by typing “professional education journals” into the Google search engine. The amount of information you will find—links to journals, sample copies, full on-line articles, etc.—will amaze you. Recently, I typed “English education journals” into Google and was returned 57,500,000 hits in a matter of seconds.

Guide for Organizing an Article on Teaching Techniques
A good way to begin writing professionally is by describing teaching techniques that have worked for you. Publications like The Reading Teacher and Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy publish articles on teacher’ successful practices. The Journal Teaching English in the Two-Year College even has a section entitled “What Works for Me.” The NCTE publishes a quarterly called Classroom Notes Plus, which consists of teaching techniques used successfully by secondary teachers.

You should read a sample copy of the journal to learn the format and the requirements for publishing in each journal, together with instructions for submission, including to whom to send the manuscript. Most of that information is also available on the Web sites of professional journals.

In describing your teaching technique, give the purpose for the activity, the materials needed, steps in completing the activity, problems to watch out for, and results of the activity—how you know it is successful. When published, articles on teaching techniques are usually short and grouped with techniques described by other teachers.

Some publications require that you begin by summarizing important ideas on your topic that have already been published. If so, begin with Eric at http://reading.indiana.edu/.

Next Blog: Submitting Your Manuscript. RayS.