To find success in academic writing, whether you are an old hand or are just starting out, there are several obstacles that need to be overcome: the difficulty of developing a clean writing style, the inability to make a point clearly, or simply the fear of putting your ideas and beliefs on paper for others to read and discuss. The Writers’ Peer Support Group is a team of writers and reviewers who collaboratively assist writers to develop their manuscripts to a (hopefully) publishable level. We are associated with JALT, but we are here to help writers looking to publish with any publication.
What We Do – Reading for Content, Clarity and Organization
Writing is a process and any one paper may need several rewrites and reviews before it is ready to be submitted for publication. The PSG team is here to help writers manage that process. We realize that writing is hard and will work with you to develop your overall writing skills. We will help you organize your writing and provide feedback on areas that can use more development, more research or possibly less information. We will probably not just check your grammar and comma usage; in fact, we feel that kind of work, once the paper is to that stage in the process, is better done one-on-one with a trusted friend or colleague.
Submitting a Paper for Review
Please use the form on the contact page to send an email to the PSG coordinator. In the message box, write a short self-introduction along with your publishing goals. Include any questions or areas of your writing you would like a reviewer to work with you on. Finally, write or paste the title of your paper (if it has one) and a short abstract to the bottom of the message. The coordinator will then find one or two reviewers to work with you and reply to you with information on how to proceed.
Check out our new Writers’ Workshop Column in The Language Teacher
Starting in the May/June 2015 Language Teacher, volunteers with the PSG have been writing a column that gives advice on writing for publication and walks readers through the various parts of a paper. So far, the column has covered: Creating a Working Outline, Writing Thesis Statements and Writing Abstracts. Keep your eyes open for more useful writing topics every month! You can access all past columns in The TLT archives.
Publications by PSG
Beaufait, P., Edwards, L., and Muller, T. (2014). Writing for Academic Publishing: Participation and Collaboration. The 2013 PanSIG Conference Proceedings, 339-346. http://www.pansig.org/2013/2013PanSIGProceedings.pdf
Resources for Writers
The OWL at Purdue University is a great online source for APA style and usage:
A good APA handbook is also a great addition to your library. We recommend:
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition ISBN: 10-1433805596
- The World’s Easiest Guide to using the APA, 4th Edition by Carol J. Amato. ISBN: 978-1-933277-07-3
Looking for Reviewers!
If you are interested in joining our review team or have other questions about the PSG, contact the coordinator using the contact page.
For more information about current and past PSG activities, please click here: https://jalt.org/groups/specialty-groups/writers-peer-support-group-psg