Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success

Don’t fall into the trap of letting your data organize your article rather than your argument.

Posusta’s Instant Thesis Maker (page 89)

State why you embarked on the project—often some reference to a gap or debate in the literature or a persistent social problem. • State what your project/study was about, the topic of the article. • State how you did the project, your methodology. • State what you found through the project, your findings. • State what conclusions you draw from the

Don’t give a barrage of data without an argument or a conclusion; an abstract should tell (or at least hint at) a story.

A lawyer’s brief states that John Doe committed the murder because item x was found at the crime scene and eyewitness y saw him do it. The report is data-driven, the brief is argument-driven.

is that they are driven by the data and not the argument.

Finally, include nothing in the abstract that you need the article to understand.

Ask colleagues what they think is new about your article if you can’t remember.

Indeed, a willingness to acknowledge arguments against your position shows confidence and scholarly rigor.