(PDF) Writing for publication

Running head: Writing in publication
Writing in Publication
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1Writing in publication
Introduction:
Publication is an important aspect in any academic journal which helps in the
development and progression of any professional domain like healthcare and nursing
(Jaensch, 2018). Through the process of publication, the professionals are able to share the
results of their studies as well as the best professional practice with other professionals and
the wider research communities (Hudson & Collins, 2015). This also allows the development
of a repository of vital knowledge and information which can help professionals and students
in the particular domain. Academic journals are therefore highly valued in academic and
scientific communities for the validation of any scientific data. Because of such dependency
it is important for academic journals to provide reliable, accurate and verifiable information.
It is therefore important that any academic article before being published is rigorously
checked in order to ascertain their quality and utility as well as their strengths in methodology
(cscanada.org, 2018; Pyrczak, 2016; Beall, 2015).
The Process of Publication of an academic journal:
Publication is a collective set of steps/actions that spans across several organizational
levels. The process begins after the manuscript has been submitted by the author or authors to
a publication journal. The manuscript passes through several steps, at the end of which it gets
published (Björk & Hedlund 2004; Wood, 2016). A typical process of publication of
academic journals is discussed below:
Step 1:
After the manuscript is submitted by the author, it goes through an editorial review in
which the quality and strengths of the manuscript is analysed. The review is generally done
by the editor (or sometimes the editor in chief) of the journal. In this step, it is verified if the

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manuscript has relevance and can sustain the rigorous process of peer-reviews. Similarity
checks are also done by editor’s assistants wherein the similarity of the manuscript is
compared with other sources. High similarity index leads to the rejection or return of the
manuscript to the respective author. The readability, word count as well as adherence to
international standards of reporting are checked by the managing editor. These checks allow
the publishers to evaluate whether the manuscript is eligible for the subsequent steps of
publication. Once a manuscript passes through step 1 successfully, it moves on to step 2 of
publication (Ali & Watson, 2016).
Step 2:
In this step, reviewers (with relevant subject matter expertise) are assigned by the
editor. The reviewers then analyse the manuscript for its quality, rigor and publish ability.
This step is called the peer-review process, and it helps to determine if the manuscript
requires any additional modification before being published. Once the manuscript is peer-
reviewed and found to be valid and publishable, it moves on to step 3 of the publication
process. Different types of peer review can be done like: open/closed peer review;
single/double blind peer review and post publication review (Ali & Watson, 2016).
Step 3:
This is the production stage, where the readability, comprehensibility, presentation
style and spellings in the manuscript are checked. This helps to ensure that the manuscript is
readable, free for spelling errors and adheres to a standardized presentation format, which
further improves the readability of the article. After any changes are made, the manuscript is
sent to the author for approval. Once approved, the manuscript then goes to the fourth and
final step of publication (Ali & Watson, 2016).

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Step 4:
This step is the administrative process, in which the manuscript is ready for
publication in digital and print media. The manuscript is given unique identifiers called the
digital object identifier which can be used to locate the article in the digital platform (Ali &
Watson, 2016).
Why is quality assurance important in publication process?
Quality Assurance helps to establish the validity and reliability of the information in
an academic article. This process helps to make decisions related the funding of the research,
recruitment of professionals and the promotion of the study (since studies that are well
established and validated have more probability of being published and funded). Over the
years the process of quality assurance have evolved to cope up with several challenges like an
increase in the volume of research, an increased focus on the reduction of expenses, a
competitive stance between researchers and new research types, and helped to ensure that the
published studies passes the required quality parameters and adapt to new research output
(Rin.ac.uk, 2018; Murphy, 2018).
Proper mechanisms are required to ensure the selection of the best literary sources
because of an inherent shortage of academic literature. Additionally, strategies are also
required to make sure that the studies being properly done with sufficient focus on quality,
effectiveness as well as its efficacy. Also, after the completion of the studies, it must be
ensured that the results of the study are expressed in a format that is comprehensible as well
as presentable and able to maintain a high standard in literary and academic quality. Such
aspects can help to foster accuracy as well as gain trust in the academic community. The
process of Quality Assurance helps to address such aspects and needs for high quality,
accuracy and present ability. This process can be of significant help to researchers, scholars,