The Copyeditor's Desk

The jargony use of the noun impact and the verb to impact is almost as commonplace as the loathsome perversion of multiple. Careless use of this word sets my editorial teeth on edge.

Impact has become another mush-word: a sloppy term so overused it has pretty well lost its meaning. This kind of lazy word usage is to be avoided. Decide what you really mean, for hevvinsake, and say it! Here are some real words to choose from:

For the noun impact:

aftereffect
consequence
effect
fruit
importance
impression
influence
manifestation
legacy
outcome
outgrowth
payoff
persuasion
product
reaction
repercussion
result
sequel
significance
spin-off

For the verb to impact:

to affect
to bear on
to cause
to determine
to dominate
to force
to govern
to have the effect of
to imbue
to impress
to induce
to influence
to manifest
to militate
to mitigate
to operate on
to persuade
to seize
to sway
to touch
Garrrrrr! Take the marbles out of your mouth and say what you mean!

Academics the world over flinch in terror at the phrase “publish or perish!” Graduate students must publish to have any chance at finding a suitable position,and once said position is secured, promotion or tenure is awarded only if publishing of one’s work continues. Although there are no simple ways to get your work published, here are a matters to consider when submitting your work to a journal or scholarly press.

1. Is your work right for the journal or publisher you are submitting to?

All journals have mission statements. To get your work published, you must target your work to fit this mission statement. Seems simple. One of the journals I am familiar with,Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering (MBE), notes that

Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering (MBE) is a quarterly international journal focusing on new developments in the fast-growing fields of mathematical biosciences and bioengineering. Areas covered include general mathematical methods and their applications in biology, medical and biomedical sciences and bioengineering with an emphasis on work related to mathematical modeling, nonlinear, and stochastic dynamics. The editorial board of MBE is strongly committed to promoting cutting-edge, integrative and interdisciplinary research bridging mathematics, life sciences and bioengineering.

Authors seeking to publish their work in MBE must ensure that it fits within these parameters. Most of the editor’s rejections happen when authors submit articles that have nothing to do with the biological sciences.

2. Does your work fit the submission guidelines?

In the case of scholarly journals, submission guidelines give authors information on acceptable word counts, formatting, and even the best means of ensuring that submitted material is reached by the editors. Go to the journal’s web site to find submission guidelines. If they don’t appear there, then you should obtain a hard copy of an issue and examine it for an author’s guidelines statement.

3. Do you have the patience for peer review?

Scholarly works are always sent out to be reviewed by two or three experts in the subject matter. This process, although seemingly simple, takes time. Reviewers are seldom compensated for their work and thus fit reviewing in with a number of other duties. It is in an author’s best interest to be persistent, yet patient, when asking for the status of a submission. This does not mean that a publisher should keep your work for years with no reply. It does, however, mean that a decision will not be made in a few weeks.

The bottom line is that editors reviewing submissions will not look at your work unless it fits within a basic framework. The content and format matter: even if your article is brilliant, if it contains too many words, it will be rejected.

-TM

The woods are full of how-to books for would-be writers. Most of them rehash the same old same-old advice (how many different ways can you say “read the publication before you submit a query; write a query letter before you send a submission”?). A rare few, though, contain some genuinely valuable advice. Here are the ones I find worth reading.

William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style

Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers and Screenwriters. Revised in 2002 as The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition, by Christopher Vogler and Michele Montez.

Benton Rain Patterson, Write to Be Read

Beth Luey, Handbook for Academic Authors

Clay Schoenfeld, Effective Feature Writing

And BTW, I believe my own book, The Essential Feature, is one of the best guides to magazine and newspaper writing on the market.