Read, Read!
The first thing to do, of course is research and read. Read a lot. Make notes on the reading. Make sure your research is current and complete. As you’re reading, think about the way you will explain to the reader how your essay relates to work that has already been published. It’s not necessary to mention every previous publication on your topic, but situating your essay in the context of previous work in the field is necessary to demonstrating your specific contribution. In addition, as you’re reading and doing research, think about how to formulate the question your essay will answer. As you’re considering various formulations, remember the elements of a good question as we discussed earlier. It is not uncommon to begin with an overly broad question and, as you read more, narrow the question down until finally it is narrow enough to be answerable within the space of an article‐length essay.
Decide on a Journal
First, submit your essay to only ONE journal at a time. Often, authors write the essay first and then decide on a journal. The process will probably be faster and easier, however, if you decide on the journal first. The problem of writing the article first and then deciding on the journal latter is that the guidelines of each journal varies significantly. Hours can be wasted as you change the citation system and delete pages of text that exceed their word limit.
Know the audience and the most common topics of the journal. The best way to do this, in addition to reading the description on their web site, is to read several articles from the journal to get a sense of the kinds of discussions they publish. If your preferred journal is published in the UK and has primarily British readers, you should not assume, for example, that they all know the American system (and similarly for British writers publishing in the US). You can ask your advisor to recommend a couple of journals. Look at the journal’s web site for submission guidelines (citation style, word limit, etc.), and follow them carefully as you’re writing. This will not only save you time but will also avoid irritating the editors right out of the box.
In addition, note that journals have a specific identity. Religious Studies, for example, focuses on philosophy of religion; submitting an essay to that journal discussing the relationship between Canaanite and Israelite religion would be pointless. Theology Today, while it publishes scholarly articles, also publishes essays pitched to a broader readership than practicing scholars. So it’s helpful to decide on the audience to which you wish to speak and pick your journal accordingly. This may seem obvious, but we hear from editors that it is surprising how many essays are submitted to journals whose focus has almost nothing to do with the essay.
Finally, think about how quickly you want your work to be published. Some journals are more prestigious than others and have a higher rate of rejection. In addition, some journals are known for their lengthy wait before publication. We have had articles accepted as is, but it took two years after acceptance until the articles appeared in print. Some journals with lengthy wait times will publish your essay online while it is waiting; listing the “doi” number on your cv will show prospective employers that your work is publishable.
Formulate a Good Question
Remember the elements of a good question we discussed earlier. Your essay will be an answer to the question you have formulated. Confine your paper to answering that question. The strongest papers answer one question convincingly, provide plenty of evidence and arguments to support the answer, and position the argument within the overall conversation in the field. This will often mean that you cannot publish a whole dissertation chapter in a journal article. Instead, you may need to take one argument or sub‐argument from the chapter and resituate it into a contemporary conversation in the literature.
Outline
The structure of your paper is as important as the content. Structure your outline so that it’s as easy as possible for a reader to follow your argument from beginning to end. Every good essay follows a strong narrative arc, and this should be displayed in your outline. This narrative arc can be a logical or historical progression, and it will constitute the structure of your argument. We like to have an outline in mind before we start writing. Others like to start writing and get inspiration and ideas before they start writing. However you begin, a good essay will follow a well‐structured outline.
Write
Make sure to explain clearly how your work is an original contribution. Even if your essay is an interpretation of an aspect of another scholar’s work, or a reinterpretation of a theological concept, you must still have something original to say in order for the piece to be publishable. This contextualization is crucial and is a common reason for rejection of articles after peer review. Don’t be bashful when you write. Make sure your paper demonstrates a strong authorial voice that is neither unduly modest nor overconfident. Above all, seek clarity. Writing that is clear and easy to read is also easier to understand and more persuasive. Keep in mind that clarity does not equate to superficiality, and clear writing does not necessarily involve overgeneralizations. Generally speaking, language that is more specific is clearer and less conducive to misunderstanding.
Always keep your audience in mind as you’re writing. Write your essay in such a way that it answers questions that they are asking and is appropriate for their level of expertise. Scholars and other experts in the field can be expected to be familiar with technical language, while lay readers may need technical concepts explained.
The structure of your paragraphs should follow the roadmap in your introduction. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that states the overall point of the paragraph. And at the beginning and end of each section (remember that each section is a step in the overall argument) you should include a “signpost” that references the roadmap in the introduction and indicates where the overall paper is going. If the argument is especially complex, your signposts can include summary reminders of the points in the argument that you have already established can be helpful. Topic sentences and signposts keep your reader oriented to the overall direction of the paper and how far along in the argument they are.
Revise
Once you have finished a draft and completed your first revision, ask a colleague to read it. This may become less necessary after you have become more experienced in publishing articles. Still, even experienced writers sometimes find it helpful to have a colleague read their essays. As the author, you know and have been living with your argument for some time. It’s therefore difficult for most authors to know how clear the essay’s argument is to someone reading it for the first time. It’s common in graduate school, however, to form dissertation groups of three or four students who read and discuss each other’s work before submitting it. This is especially helpful if you’re writing in a language other than your first language. Even if you don’t have a colleague read it, it’s a good idea to let it sit for a couple of days and then do a significant revision.
Proofread
It’s very important, after your essay is finished, to proofread it carefully for typographical and grammatical errors, misspellings, etc. (including errors introduced by autocorrect!). Don’t rely on spellcheck! You may want to have a friend proofread your piece – after having gone over it repeatedly, it can be very difficult to see small errors. Some schools still offer proofreading services, though these are becoming rarer.
Submit!
When you’re submitting your work, many journals ask for a cover letter. Don’t repeat the abstract in the cover letter or go through your argument in any detail. Instead, focus on the bigger picture, explaining what you think is most significant about your essay and why it is a good fit for the journal. This is a chance to emphasize your original contribution, but keep it brief.
Revise and Resubmit!
After submitting an essay to a journal, unless the editor