Section outline

  • Course Overview

    This course helps you develop the skills to write, structure, and present a journal article for publication. You will strengthen your academic writing, avoid common pitfalls that can lead to rejection, and apply best practices for presenting your research through text, tables, graphs, equations, and statistics. 

    Learning Outcomes

    This course will help you to:

    1. Apply journal guidelines and best practices to structure and format a manuscript for submission and peer review 

    1. Communicate research clearly and effectively using appropriate academic writing techniques and conventions 

    1. Edit and proofread your work to improve clarity, accuracy, and professionalism while avoiding common reasons for manuscript rejection 

    1. Select appropriate methods for presenting research data, including text, tables, graphs, statistics, and equations, according to the needs of the research and intended audience 

    1. Apply best practices for presenting data clearly, accurately, and consistently in line with journal and disciplinary expectations 

    1. Use effective article preparation and presentation strategies to strengthen the overall quality and publishability of your research 

    From time to time, we will refer to SAGE’s own specific publishing practices so that we can give you the most specific and practical guidance possible. However, these processes will likely be applicable to other journal publishers. If in doubt, always check their guidelines.

    • Pre-Course Self Assessment

      Before you dive into this course, spend a few moments reflecting on your familiarity with the topic and your current level of skills confidence. 

      You will then re-visit the same questions in our Post-Course Self Assessment and reflect on how the course has helped you develop in confidence and grow your skills.

      • Video Transcripts

        You can access all video transcripts here. 

      • Module One: Structuring Your Article

        This module will help you to:

        1. Recognize the importance of structuring and formatting your journal article according to your journal's guidelines
        2. Apply these guidelines to ensure your article successfully progresses through the peer review process 
        3. Use these suggestions as an outline to clarify your thinking, articulate your research, and present your article in the best light

      • Module Two: Tips for Writing

        This module will help you to:

        1. Use clear and academic language to convey your message to the editor and reviewers of your chosen journal 
        2. Ensure your work is error free by editing and proofreading your work effectively
        3. Avoid other common mistakes that could lead to your article being rejected 

      • Module Three: Presenting Data: Text and Tables

        This module will help you to:

        1. Explain why clear and transparent data presentation is essential for supporting research conclusions and building reader trust
        2. Select the most appropriate format (text, tables, figures, or statistics) for presenting data based on study type, research question, and audience

        3. Apply best practices for presenting data clearly and consistently in text and tables in line with journal guidelines

      • Module Four: Presenting Data: Graphs, Equations and Statistics

        This module will help you to:

        1. Identify when graphs are the most effective format for presenting research data and select appropriate graph types based on the nature of the data
        2. Apply best practices for constructing and labelling graphs, including titles, legends, and footnotes, to ensure clarity and consistency

        3. Present statistics and equations clearly and accurately, aligning their format and level of detail with journal guidelines and the target audience

      • Post-Course Self Assessment

        Now you’ve completed the course, spend a few moments reflecting on where your familiarity with the topics and your confidence skills le vels are at now. 

        Has the course helped you develop new skills and grow your confidence?

        You'll need to complete the Post-Course Self Assessment in order to download your certificate. If you didn't do the Pre-Course Self Assessment before starting the course, please go to the top of the page and reflect on your familiarity with the topic and your level of skills confidence before you started the course.

        • Completion: Certificate

          Completing all modules (plus the pre and post-course assessments) will unlock the course certificate, which you can then download here. Your course certificate will only be made available once you have completed all these sections.

          If you have difficulty accessing your certificate, please contact the Sage support team at: onlinesupport@sagepub.co.uk. You can also check out this FAQ page which may be helpful.

          • Give Feedback About This Course

            Did you enjoy the course? Please take two minutes to share your feedback. We use learner feedback in future course updates and developments to provide an excellent learning experience.

          • Accessibility

            We have high standards of accessibility on Sage Campus and as of May/June 2024 all activities within this course are keyboard and screen reader compatible. For more details on accessibility standards, please see the Sage Campus Accessibility Guide.

            For those using assistive technology, please note that within this course:

            • Tab components: JAWS and NVDA behave slightly differently. For NVDA to keep reading, it is best to exit focus mode and go back to browse mode. 
            • Matching: JAWS does not read out question label on dropdown focus.