Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Writing Research Articles for Publication in Early Childhood Education

  • Published:
Early Childhood Education Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Criticism and testing are of the essence of our work. This means that science is a fundamentally social activity, which implies that it depends on good communication. In the practice of science we are aware of this, and that is why it is right for our journals to insist on clarity and intelligibility.

—Hermann Bondi

Abstract

Published research results in early childhood education contribute to the field’s knowledge, theory, and practice. They also guide future early childhood education research studies. The publication of research articles is an essential requirement for academics. For some researchers, however, writing may be a difficult activity, particularly the process of getting the study published. This article discusses basic issues in scholarly writing and offers guidelines on ways to organize and write scientific research manuscripts that are appropriate for early childhood education and other disciplines. It explains the importance of publishing, defines the meaning of a scientific research publication, and explains the process in manuscript preparation to guide emerging researchers to write research manuscripts that are comprehensible and will have a high probability of being accepted for publication. Finally, it describes the publication process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albers, C. A., Floyd, R. G., Fuhrmann, M. J., & Martínez, R. S. (2011). Publication criteria and recommended areas of improvement within school psychology journals as reported by editors, journal board members, and manuscript authors. Journal of School Psychology, 49(6), 669–689.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Educational Research Association. (2006). Standards for reporting on empirical social science research in AERA publications. Educational Researcher, 35(6), 33–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin, C., & Chandler, G. E. (2002). Improving faculty publication output: The role of a writing coach. Journal of Professional Nursing, 18(1), 8–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Council of Biology Editors. (1968). Proposed definition of a primary publication. Council of Biology Editors Newsletter, 1–2.

  • Cunningham, S. J. (2004). How to write a paper. Journal of Orthodontics, 31(1), 47–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day, R., & Sakaduski, N. (2011). How to write and publish a scientific paper. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

  • Derntl, M. (2011). Basics of research paper writing and publishing. Estoril, Portugal: RWTH (unpublished manuscript).

  • Dies, R. R. (1993). Writing for publication: Overcoming common obstacles. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 43(2), 243–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, N. (2011). Writing for publication for the first time—Try the hunter style. International Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, 1(2), 38–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, N. (in press). Writing for publication on research with young children. In O. N. Saracho (Ed.), Handbook of research methods in early childhood education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

  • Floyd, R. G., Cooley, K. M., Arnett, J. E., Fagan, T. K., Mercer, S. H., & Hingle, C. (2011). An overview and analysis of journal operations, journal publication patterns, and journal impact in school psychology and related fields. Journal of School Psychology, 49(6), 617–647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, B., & Knowles, S. (2000). Flights of imagination: Academic women be(com)ing writers. International Journal for Academic Development, 5(1), 6–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, A., & Boud, D. (2003). Writing groups, change and academic identity: Research development as local practice. Studies in Higher Education, 28(2), 187–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maloy, S. (2001). Guidelines for writing a scientific paper. University of California, Irvine. Retrieved from http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/proxy/mcrf-admin-oswp-rm-guidelines_for_writing_a_scientific_manuscript.1.pdf.

  • Martínez, R. S., Floyd, R. G., & Erichsen, L. (2011). Strategies and attributes of highly productive scholars and contributors to the school psychology literature: Recommendations for increasing scholarly productivity. Journal of School Psychology, 49, 691–720.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGrail, M. R., Rickard, C. M., & Jones, R. (2006). Publish or perish: A systematic review of interventions to increase academic publication rates. Higher Education Research & Development, 25(1), 19–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morss, K., & Murray, R. (2001). Researching academic writing within a structured programme: Insights and outcomes. Studies in Higher Education, 26(1), 35–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, R., & Newton, M. (2008). Facilitating writing for publication. Physiotherapy, 94(1), 29–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nihalani, P. K., & Mayrath, M. C. (2008). Publishing in educational psychology journals: Comments from editors. Educational Psychology Review, 20, 29–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peat, J., Elliott, E., Baur, L., & Keena, V. (2002). Scientific writing—Easy when you know how. London: British Medical Journal(BMJ) Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saracho, O. N. (1983). Relationship between cognitive style and teachers’ perceptions of young children’s academic competence. Journal of Experimental Education, 51(4), 184–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saracho, O. N. (1988). Preschool reading attitudes scale. Early Child Development and Care, 37, 93–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saracho, O. N. (1995). Relationship between the cognitive styles and play behaviors of preschool children. Educational Psychology, 15(4), 405–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saracho, O. N. (1997). Using the home environment for emergent literacy. Early Child Development and Care, 127–128(1), 201–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saracho, O. N. (1998). Socialization factors in the cognitive style and play of young children. International Journal of Educational Research, 29(3), 263–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saracho, O. N., & Spodek, B. (2010). Families’ selection of children’s literature books. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37(5), 401–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saracho, O. N., & Spodek, B. (2012). Introduction: A contemporary researcher’s vade mecum (redux). In O. N. Saracho & B. Spodek (Eds.), Handbook of research on the education of young children/3rd (pp. 1–15). New York, NY: Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Selvanathan, S. K., Udani, R. D., Udani, S. D., & Haylett, K. R. (2006). The art of the abstract. Student: British Medical Journal, 14, 70–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharp, D. (2002). Kipling’s guide to writing a scientific paper. Croatian Medical Journal, 43(3), 262–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stegemann, S., & Gastel, B. (2009). Council classics: What constitutes primary publication? Science Editor, 32(2), 57–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Todorovic, L. (2003). Original (scientific) paper: The IMRaD layout. Archive of Oncology, 11(3), 203–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Udani, R. D., Selvanathan, S. K., Udani, S. D., & Haylett, K. R. (2007). Writing up your research. Student: British Medical Journal, 15, 406–408.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olivia N. Saracho.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Saracho, O.N. Writing Research Articles for Publication in Early Childhood Education. Early Childhood Educ J 41, 45–54 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0564-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0564-3

Keywords

Navigation