Abstract
Remember the old adage: practice makes perfect? Well, here’s our new twist on it: “Publications about practice perfects the profession” . . . meaning, if we want to be effective, the health education and promotion profession needs the input of practitioners—in writing!
No matter who you are or in what setting you work, you, the frontline practitioner, have something to say that your colleagues and related medical, health, and human and social service professionals, among others, need to hear. We need practitioners—particularly those of you on the frontlines—to write about what you’ve done and what you’ve learned. There are knowledge gaps to be filled and issues to be raised that only practitioners, with their day in and day out field experience, can provide.
The importance of writing is summed up in one phrase interpreted differently in “the tower” (academia) and “the trenches” (frontlines): publish or perish. Academics who do not publish risk not getting tenure. Practitioners who do not publish increase the likelihood that their work—their accomplishments—“perishes.”
Some employers try to protect and promote their accomplishments by producing monographs about their programs and projects. But unless they also pay outrageous printing, publicity, and postage costs, only the board of directors and donors end up reading about the work . . . maybe. When information about a practitioner’s work is published in a professional journal, it becomes part of an extensive electronic data base and is available at no cost—except, ok, your original blood, sweat, and tears—all over the world to almost anyone with access to a computer.
Get into this system—leave a legacy. Whether you write alone or as part of a team, your voice can and must be heard!
To help you get started, we recommend that you read two Tools columns: One, an earlier Tool, is called “Getting Published: Responding to the Printing Press” (Butterfoss, 2011). The other is this Tool—a writing checklist that addresses the common complaint, “But I’m not a great writer! How can I make sure my writing—separate and apart from my content—is good enough, before I submit it to a journal for publication?”
Be not afraid. Your profession is not arbitrary in its evaluation of manuscripts. Every journal requires adherence to specific writing style guidelines, such as those published by the American Psychological Association or the Modern Language Association. And the odds are that, if you write well, regardless of the journal and its preferred style manual format, your manuscript will get the attention your work deserves! This second tool for would-be practitioner-writers, is taken from the third edition of her book on how to integrate basic writing skills with scholarly writing requirements (Lunney, 2007). It is intended to serve as a basic writing checklist or job aid that you can take out and consult every time you prepare to write up your work. It lists criteria most reviewers look for in terms of the quality of basic writing skills. Together, these two Tools, and a supportive supervisor and perhaps an academic partner, can start you and your work down the road to professional immortality!
Finally, to help you anticipate and deal with your fears, consider forming a writing support group. Meet regularly and have deadlines. Include at least one experienced scholarly writer. You will become indispensable to each other. And as they help you, you will be helping them, as well.
Practitioners of the health promotion world, rise up and write . . . you have nothing to lose but your and your project’s anonymity! Consider it your eighth CHES/MCHES health education specialist responsibility (National Center for Health Education Credentialing, 2010).
Format (Lunney, 2007)
Title
Tell reader what to expect
Introduction
Emphasize topic meaning, relevance of topic Make reader want to know more End with clear statement of purpose
Prepare reader Define article’s scope
Structure of paper
Be clear, logical Follow journal’s author guidelines (vary)
Title Abstract Introduction
End with statement of purpose
Method Instruments Method of Data Analysis Findings Discussion Conclusion/Implications
Body of Article
Demonstrate command of subject
Clarify terms/concepts for readers unfamiliar with topic
Define jargon/acronyms
Take reader by the hand; lead reader where you want reader to go
Get reader on same wavelength as writer
Create logical flow from section to section
Use headers that support intended flow of article
Break down complex ideas
Introduce topic elements in early paragraph Separate each element/idea/description into different paragraphs
Paragraphs
Explain one idea at a time/per paragraph Lead with strong topic sentences
Clarify content of paragraph Alert reader to what to expect Reflect clear interrelations among sentences
Make smooth, logical connections between sentences in paragraph Avoid sense of disconnect/jumping from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph Move from general to specific
Open with general statement Follow with details, examples Make effective transitions
Between sentences in paragraphs Between paragraphs Between sections
Closing
Restate major points reader might have forgotten
Style
Some journals accept first person pronouns—check Never use first person plural—reference unclear Eliminate any hint of any type of bias (i.e., gender, race) Avoid broad generalizations Establish own credibility and authoritativeness Support all claims with references Cite credible sources Provide research support for all theoretical claims Explain, cite ideas not universally known or accepted Use primary not secondary sources Use precise language to clearly communicate meaning Make pronoun references to earlier nouns clear Adhere consistently to journal’s designated style manual standards Integrate feedback from readers in support group