Writing Academic Papers for International Journals

Geared towards professors, lecturers, and university students in Indonesia

By Ryan Anthony Founder of CIACI VIP ENGLISH

Writing articles especially those academic in nature can be quite daunting at times especially if you intend to
write a good one. Whether it is problems with constructing sentences that are grammatically correct in English
or simply making your academic paper have the flow you desire, you must understand that if you have good
guidelines and a solid method, your writing can be much more efficient and enjoyable. So, let’s dig deep into this
matter and have a look at what it takes to ensure that your papers get published by trusted and well indexed
international journals. In this article I will discuss various aspects pertaining to good writing such as preparing a
checklist, revising, and seeking professional proofreaders.

Sticking to a Checklist someone reads your work. As it is required for

First thing is first when it comes to anything that we
set out to do. Just about every accomplishment
starts out with successful planning and the same is
so with good writing. Before you embark on this
journey of writing, you should ensure that you
make a checklist that you can stick to in order to
make sure that you do not leave things out that
could mean the difference between having your
writing accepted or not, and I know that I need not
tell you that time can cost you money. When I write
academic papers, I usually adhere to this checklist.
The items in the checklist that follows are not in any
particular order and should not be taken as a step
by step guide but more of as a reminder of areas to
consider.
1. Purpose: Always consider why you are writing.
I know that this may seem obvious, but your
motivations for writing will be very clear when
lecturers to be published in journals to earn
points for promotion, never have your article
allude to writing just for the sake of getting
promoted. Your purpose for writing should be
to inform, educate, inspire, explain and such.
Make sure your writing style is in line with this
true purpose.
2. Vocabulary: Vocabulary consistency is
absolutely vital as to clearly define your
keywords and industry specific terminology.
Remember that you are not writing a novel that
will be read by just about anyone, but that you
are writing a paper that will be read and
criticized by your peers and fellow experts of
your field of research. So, generally speaking
you do not have to tell a medical doctor what a
stethoscope is. Also, please stick to one kind of
spelling. If you are using British English then
stick to that and do not mix in American type
 spelling because as you know there are some
differences. If you were speaking instead of
writing, you would not switch between
different accents right, well such is the case in
writing academic papers.
3. Cohesion: Another aspect that some fail to
consider is cohesion. In your paper as you
explain various steps and methods and such,
you must keep your readers on the same page
by ensuring that your ideas are connected and
understood. Make sure that you use solid
connectors when developing thought on paper.
If your peers cannot determine the
relationships of ideas then your paper ceases to
be effective and if that is such, then your paper
has little purpose if any at all.
4. Syntax: Please be aware of the fact that writing
in your own language if English is not your
native language is much different from writing
in English. A comma is not a period and a period
is not a comma if you know what I mean. Please
make sure that you review and understand
proper English syntax as to make sure that your
ideas are conveyed accurately. Usually there are
four that I like to keep in mind and use which
are the comma, period, semi-colon, and colon.
5. Grammar: It goes without saying, but I will say
it anyway that good grammar is paramount
here. When I say grammar, I would really like to
highlight tenses. Please always keep in mind
when something happened, is happening, and
will happen. Some languages like Indonesian do
not have verb tenses and this can be a
challenge sometimes for non-native English
speakers to form sentences in correct tenses. I
strongly recommend that you download
Longman’s guide for the TOEFL paper based test
by Deborah Phillips as it has a very easy to learn
grammar section that takes you step by step
through English grammar.
6. Translating: Although Google translate is an
awesome tool and resource, you must keep in
mind that the results are almost always not
grammatically correct and that words are often
out of place or inappropriate to your field.
Remember that when it comes to translating,
that you have to transfer meaning and thought
not just random words and it must be conveyed
as how native speakers of that language would
convey it.
Revising your Paper
In addition to following a checklist, it is always a
very good idea to have a look back at your paper
and look for some opportunities for meaningful
revision. No one writes perfectly the first time
around and upon second or third glance you might
very well see some room for improvement. If you
feel as though some areas can be better, then
chances are that others would feel the exact same
way. Make sure that you have the ideal
organization for your material and that it is
presented exactly how you desire it to be. It is also
always a good idea to look at the requirements and
format for international journals to make sure that
your paper is in line with them. Editing and revising
are natural parts of the writing process, so please
do not be discouraged if the journal that you wish
to submit your paper to has some changes in mind
and or areas that you must improve. It is all about
ensuring that your paper is the best that it can be.
Hiring a Proofreader
Lastly, it can be necessary to hire a professional
proofreader. Sometimes non-native English
speakers may just have certain limits when it comes
to accurately conveying thought in the English
language. If this is the case or even if you just want
to have another set of eyes have a look at your
paper and check for vocabulary, spelling, grammar,
and such, it is always the best idea to have a
professional proofreader who is a native English
speaker. Native speakers of any language should
have a better command of his or her language than
he or she would have of a foreign language or even
a second language. Although hiring a native English
speaker is essential to proofread your writing,
ensure that he or she has enough experience,
references, and positive feedback when it comes to
proofreading. Also, make sure that you disclose all
important information to the proofreader like
deadline, your expectations, and feedback from the
journal if you have any. Not giving a proofreader a
realistic amount of time to check your work can
lead to poor proofreading and a waste of money.
Also, as long as the fee requested by the
proofreader is not overly priced; it is a good idea to
not ask for a discount. Remember that after all, you
do get what you pay for. If in fact you are in need of
a native English speaker who is a professional
English proofreader, please add me on Facebook at
Ryan Anthony and Instagram at englishwithryan. I
would be glad to help you achieve your goal of
getting published in an international journal.
Happy Writing!