Following on from last month’s theme of looking at a range of different tools rather than a specific resource, this month we focused on tools to help with writing for publication.

In the first week we looked at resources to help with the actual writing. How do you overcome the fear of the blank page?

This month our resources of the month will be focusing on tools which will aid you in your writing for publication

— Cambridge Medical Library (@cam_med_lib) February 2, 2017

Written? Kitten gives you the incentive of seeing a kitten, puppy or rabbit after you’ve written a certain number of words (the exact number is set by you). Another useful tip to overcome the blank page is to insert all your headings and then begin to write.

Struggle to start writing? Written Kitten will give the incentive of seeing a kitten after the specified no of words https://t.co/0LHw3x0Iaz

— Cambridge Medical Library (@cam_med_lib) February 2, 2017

The Pomodoro technique is a time management technique. It can help by forcing you to write for a certain period of time with no distractions.

Once you have written your article, how do you decide where to submit it?

This weeks resources are focused on helping you decide which journal is most suitable for publishing your article.

— Cambridge Medical Library (@cam_med_lib) February 8, 2017

Here is a BMJ article with useful hints and tips on why articles can be rejected. These are some things to consider when writing:

• Pay close attention to spelling and grammar, and avoid sloppy referencing
• Read journal’s submission guidelines and make sure you follow them to the letter (citation style, preferred typeface, spacing, alignment, document type)
• Make sure you include a cover letter if required (ask a more senior colleague for help if you don’t know what to include in this)

This still does not guarantee acceptance.

Think, Check, Submit is a website which allows you to check that your journal is a trusted one for your article. There is a checklist of questions to ask about the journal. They suggest only submitting an article if you can answer yes to all their questions.

Think, Check, Submit is a useful tool to ensure you choose a trusted journal for your article https://t.co/JODlQs5022 @thinkchecksub

— Cambridge Medical Library (@cam_med_lib) February 8, 2017

Ensuring you have the correct title is key to your article being discovered and used by others. Here is an article with some advice on selecting a title:

There is some helpful advice about selecting a title on the LSE Impact Blog https://t.co/aKdCIalTnA @LSEImpactBlog

— Cambridge Medical Library (@cam_med_lib) February 15, 2017

In the final week we asked if there were any resources that you’ve found useful in your writing. Here are some that we have found useful:

The University of Cambridge Open Access teamare very helpful when submitting an article for publication. They can give advice on ensuring that you meet funder and REF requirements.

The Equator Network provides guidance about different types of study design, including what to include in the write-up of research using different study design. You may also find the CASP checklists useful guidance about what sorts of information to include, as this will be used by others when critically appraising your own work.

The Write For Research Twitter account is a great source of all sorts of writing tools, support and tips. Do be sure to follow them, as well as the Medical Library on Twitter for more resources and help.