Writing to publish: An experience with university researcher writing groups

Abstract

Scientific publications, as the means through which the academy generates and communicates knowledge, are commonly used both to evaluate the individual production of university research professors as well as that of higher-level institutions. In this context, writing-for-publication practices gain importance and deserve greater attention for their development. However, in Latin America, there are few initiatives that support this situation. Writing groups constitute anadequate professional-academic development tool to face these deficiencies. Within them participants share drafts for their peers to comment on and, throughcollaboration and exchange with others, authors gradually adjust their writing to the demands of an audience, a key aspect in academic-scientific writing. This case study investigated participants’ perspectives to explore how writing groups support the progress of writing for publication. The analysis of 10 semi-structured interviews with participants indicated that these groups benefit their participants in three main areas. First, learning how to give and receive feedback in a safe and low-risk space helped members to lose the fear connected to this activity inherent in these literacy practices. At the same time, the possibility of receiving reading impressions from a real and varied audience allowed them to improve their drafts for better comprehensibility. Finally, sustained meetings over time motivated participants to mark a space in their agendas and establish a rhythm to their writing; in turn, making room to write highlighted the lack of time faced by research professors.