The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing

Citation

Anne Resendez, E. and Collins, J.C. (2012), "The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing", Journal of Chinese Human Resource Management, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 160-163. https://doi.org/10.1108/20408001211279256

The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing by Rocco and Hatcher intends to provide useful information, guidelines, and tips for scholarly writing and publication for a wide range of audience in social sciences. While types of scholarly writing and the many nuances associated with the process vary by discipline, it is the experience of undergraduate and graduate students, and often for junior and sometimes even for senior faculty members, to feel perplexed about and lost in the process, regardless of their field of association. This is because scholarly writing can take many forms – both in terms of types of writing (e.g. journal articles, conference papers, editorials, books, book chapters, and book reviews.) and what is “expected” of a scholarly publication (e.g. research gap identification, sound review of literature, meaningful purpose statement, thorough method description, implications for research and/or practice, etc.). Many of us have had the experience of stumbling through scholarly writing – trial by fire. We may have been given poor or inadequate advice at some point along the road. We may also have developed a certain pattern of writing habit undesirable for scholarly writing. We thought the only solution was to persevere and keep practicing, finding along the way that practice does not always make perfect sense if you have not been equipped with the right tools and strategies for success. Rocco and Hatcher aim to address these issues in The Handbook and were purposeful in their content selections in order to provide readers of different levels and backgrounds a solid foundation for developing or polishing writing skills. By collecting tips and tricks from individuals with experience, as well as aspiring scholars, the book speaks to the writing process in a holistic fashion – from start to finish, and everything in between.

The Handbook includes four major parts. The first, “Becoming a published scholar,” discusses why people choose to write, what inspires them, and offers insights about the publishing process that are applicable to scholars at various career stages. This part further provides information intended to help advanced graduate or doctoral students in the process of taking a thesis or dissertation and turning it into a manuscript for a journal. Part 2, “Improving writing techniques,” affords tangible and practical tips and tools for emerging scholars who wish to write succinctly and purposefully, and wish to be taken seriously by readers and other scholars. Part 3, “Preparing scholarly manuscripts,” outlines the processes involved with several types of scholarly writing and speaks, in clear and easy‐to‐understand language, about some of aspects of publication that writers find to be most challenging such as the literature review, making a case for why your research is important, and developing conceptual and theoretical papers. Finally, Part 4, “Reflecting on the writing and publishing process,” serves to strengthen the other three parts of the book by providing information on successful co‐authorship, the process of becoming a manuscript reviewer, how to take constructive criticism and use it to make work better, and international and cross‐cultural perspectives on scholarly writing.

The Editors, Rocco and Hatcher, formatted the book with the novice writer in mind and assumed no prior writing experience while taking readers through the processes of publication and collaboration. In doing this, The Handbook allows for both seasoned writers and beginners to locate the information most useful to them. The language throughout each of the chapters, though written or contributed by more than 30 authors, seems to be consistent and familiar to a wide variety of readers. As doctoral students, we found the book useful as guide we can use throughout the rest of our program of studies. Using this book as a resource, we believe that we can become better writers, better collaborators, better critical thinkers, and, hopefully, scholars capable of making meaningful contributions both within and across discipline.

The Handbook begins by imparting a motivational and encouraging voice. All readers and potential writers recognize the qualities of a good book and good writing, thus beginning with the first sentence, readers feel comfortable they are reading a book written just for them:

The sign of a good book, whether it is a book of poetry, a novella, or an academic text is that it draws readers in and causes them to reflect on their own experiences (Creswell, xi).

Continuing into the preface, readers are able to identify the areas applicable to their level of writing experience. Seasoned writers will find a section applicable to them in addressing feedback from reviewers whereas new writers may begin by an earlier chapter on finding voice. The careful organization of the chapters is evident. Part 1 includes Chapters 1‐6, “Becoming a published scholar” that establishes the tone by confirming the many approaches the authors have taken in developing their writings. In Chapter 1, Rocco sets a tone for the book as a companion in beginning the process of scholarly writing. Junior scholars may feel particular comfort in learning the process having many approaches to structure or process associated with writing. Collaboration and group work is highlighted as a preferred method in the writing process at all levels of writing experience. Though proper credit should be given for individual contributions, the importance of receiving feedback from colleagues throughout the writing process is also emphasized. From a publishing perspective, experienced writers will understand the importance of identifying the right journal according to their institutional requirements or career goals. Terms beginning writers should know such as “peer‐reviewed” are explained along with an understanding of tiers of journals. Persistence and positivity is encouraged for all writers as they read feedback from reviewers. The next chapter is on “Learning to write” that includes advice on taking constructive feedback from colleagues with a positive outlook. Written by emerging writers, this chapter maintains its credibility because it is written by emerging scholars as writers. Wallace and Wray in Chapter 4 continue to emphasize the importance of being a constructively critical reader and a self‐critical writer. Lee and Aitchison then further delineate the changing purpose of doctoral writing from a consulting career to an academician. As “Becoming a published scholar” comes to a close, the final emphasis on publishing remains on consistent writing as a regular habit leading to a successful publishing career.

Part 2 “Improving writing techniques” consists of Chapters 7‐10. It begins with advice on writing with authority by avoiding “verbosity, ambiguity, and insubstantiality” in Chapter 7 (Epstein, p. 92). Explaining the three concepts above in terms of how writers can create layers of nuance within their writing without confusing the reader provides a valuable writing tenet. Chapter 7 transitions neatly into Chapter 8, which addresses author voice and writing with “clarity, simplicity, and appropriateness” (Lee, p. 105). This chapter is perhaps most helpful, bringing what is usually an “ivory tower” conversation back to basics as a primer for emerging and developing scholars. Here, Lee encourages new or aspiring academics to think past traditional ways of writing “academically” and to simply concentrate on creating a personal style of writing meeting the standards of the field while still conveying the message in a simpler manner. Chapter 9 elaborates upon the qualities of good writing. The authors outline and address common problems of current manuscript submissions: knowing the role of a conceptual framework, addressing a problem, writing a solid literature review, writing up the methodology, presenting findings, and providing meaningful conclusions and implications (Ellinger and Yang). New writers may find this chapter especially useful in preparing their first submission for a conference or journal, as it briefly yet eloquently discusses each of the major sections and provides tips for how to write effectively for each section. Chapter 10 “Improving writing techniques” concludes with a brief discussion distinguishing the research problem from the purpose statement (Jacobs). It is not only helpful but also crucial to any scholar looking to get published.

Part 3, “Preparing scholarly manuscripts” is composed of Chapters 11‐16. It may be seen as a literal “how to” for piecing together a well‐developed manuscript. It accomplishes this without being overly prescriptive in nature. Used as a guide, Chapter 11 aims to help new writers conceptualize and write strong and meaningful literature reviews (Imel). Chapters 12‐16 focus on tips and formatting techniques from leading scholars on how to increase the odds of publishing the many different types of manuscripts: qualitative (Rocco and Plakhotnik, Chapter 12), quantitative (Newman and Newman, Chapter 13), mixed methods (Newman, Newman, and Newman, Chapter 14), theory, conceptual and position articles (McLean, Chapter 15), and editorials and book reviews (Hatcher and McDonald, Chapter 16). To our knowledge as reviewers and readers of this handbook, never before has a book been compiled that provided such detailed and accurate information for how to approach and develop each type of the different scholarly manuscripts. For that reason, we believe Part 3 stands out above the other parts of the book as among the most helpful and useful for emerging scholars with varying levels of exposure to the world of academic writing.

Part 4 begins with Donmoyer's advice on readers as reviewers. Intended for more experienced authors, Donmoyer encourages constructive use of critical feedback in a positive manner. “At the very least, reviewing the work of others from the middle ground perspective should teach us that no writer's work is either perfect or completely hopeless.” (Donmoyer, p. 245). Next, addressing feedback from reviewers and editors by Brookfield is another strong chapter for emerging and experienced writers as it clearly delineates how to respond to editor feedback in a way to maximize the chance for publication. We consider this chapter a must‐read for all current scholars responding to critiques for publications. From an international perspective, Osman‐Gani's and Poell's chapter on “International and cross cultural issues in scholarly publishing” provides a perspective on the differences between Western Hemisphere writing and that produced in the rest of the world. Particular consideration is given for flexibility in working with writers from other cultures (such as teaming with native writers) with regard to research design and methodology. The subsequent chapter by Nevin, Thousand and Villa on working with coauthors emphasizes the importance of maintaining writing relationships and accountability to coauthors such as keeping deadlines, giving accurate feedback, and negotiating responsibilities throughout the writing process. Concluding with mentoring, the authors define a mentor and their responsibilities. Because mentoring and collaborating are so important to new and experienced writers, Courtenay, Cervero and Dirkx outline the roles of both the mentor and mentee well. The chapter is a great read for active mentors.

The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing is a solid primer for new writers/scholars and may serve as a reference for more experienced writers/scholars. The plain language, clear style and practical information all contribute to the attractiveness and applicability of the book to all scholarly writers worldwide. Because The Handbook is a compilation of many writers, some overall editorial updates may further improve the style of The Handbook. Expanding the content overview section to include a quick guide section for scholarly writers looking for specific information such as following established writing conventions or responding to feedback from editors facilitates finding information on an as needed basis. Additionally, use of bulleting and formatting facilitates the readability of The Handbook in general.

We believe The Handbook is important for scholars engaging in Chinese HRM research, particularly for those established Chinese scholars who are not used to write for conferences or journals in English language but desired to do so, and for doctoral students in Chinese universities who are required to publish in international journals in English language as part of the programs of studies. At a minimum, The Handbook has outlined all important aspects of “writing for publishing” that has been the norm in the western scholarly community. Understanding and adapting to the scholarly norms highlighted in the book will certainly be helpful in improving the chances for Chinese scholars manuscripts to be accepted in international journals. In short, The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing should be a staple in the personal libraries of any new scholarly writer and a reference in the libraries of all other scholarly writers.