Writing a journal article in 12 weeks: Week Three

I’m using Wendy Laura Belcher’s book Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success to prepare my paper for publication. This is Week Three

This week is about building and advancing an argument. Belcher insists that the main reason journal articles get rejected is a lack of the argument: “When you center your article on a single persuasive idea, you are a giant leap closer to publication” (p. 82). In Belcher’s view, the word “persuasive” is the key to distinguishing between a topic and an argument. The easiest ways to determine whether the main idea of the article is an argument is “if it consists of a statement to which you can coherently respond ‘I agree’ or ‘I disagree’” (p. 83). If not, then the main idea is a topic, not an argument. Belcher juxtaposes argument-driven and data-driven articles. Unlike data-driven articles, argument-driven ones “don’t have streams of data without any argument” and are more likely to get published (p. 89).   

On the first day of the week, I read the workbook and answered all the questions posted in that section. I learned that my paper is data-driven; it has a topic, but not an argument with which one can agree or disagree. On the second day, I drafted the argument for my article, as I currently understand it. Then, I compiled a list of evidence that supports my argument and revised my abstract. On the third day, I once again reread my paper; this time I concentrated on reviewing my argument. I finished with making a list of revision tasks. 

I didn’t do anything on the fourth or fifth day. At the beginning of the week, I was preparing for my dissertation prospectus defense. Then, the defense aggravated my cough and forced me to pay more attention to my health at expense of other activities. I definitely need to catch up next week.