Writing for publication; reconceptualising disengagement

Background: Whilst undertaking her Professional Doctorate the author explored the topic of writing for publication. She uncovered evidence to suggest that barriers to writing exist and competing demands impinge upon the... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Whilst undertaking her Professional Doctorate the author explored the topic of writing for publication. She uncovered evidence to suggest that barriers to writing exist and competing demands impinge upon the writer’s ability to engage with the process.

Educational Philosophy or theory:
It is suggested that in order to successfully publish one requires disengagement from other activities. The competing demands of (academic) work can be an impediment to writing and Dwyer at al (2015) suggest reframing or recontextualising them. This concept is further developed by using Murray’s (2013) components of engagement, challenging the notion that one needs to disengage from other activities in order to write.

Educational approach and evaluation used:
A critical exploration of the literature is presented and the findings are synthesised, along with personal reflections, to support the reconceptualisation of disengagement from competing work, in order to write.

Application to Education and /or practice:
This will be of value to academics as well as practitioners who are studying or hoping to write for publication. It offers both an insight into the potential barriers writers’ can experience and a reconceptualisation of the belief that one needs to disengage with competing work tasks in order to write.

References
DWYER, T., FRIEL, D., MCCALISTER, M., SEARL, K and ROSSI, D., 2015. A proactive approach to increasing academics’ writing skills and outcomes. Nurse Education in Practice. In Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2014.12.004

MURRAY, R, 2013. “It’s not a hobby”: re-conceptualizing the place of writing in academic work. Higher Education. Vol. 66, pp79-91.