Scientific Writing and Scholarly Publishing: Writing process and contacts

Publishing scholarly articles and books is a key step in disseminating the results of your research and practice. It's also an important method for scholars in the health sciences to advance in their careers and get research funding.

Peer-reviewed scholarly publications are considered the gold standard in many disciplines, though other works such as blog posts, policy documents, and white papers might be just as impactful for some researchers.

Use the resources on these pages to help you with the process, and contact us with questions or for a consultation.

Source: Navigating the Research Lifecycle for the Modern Researcher, CC BY-NC 4.0

The Data Science and Open Scholarship Team at the UCSF Library serves as a campus hub for education and support in scholarly communication, data science, and open research. We provide training, consultations, and resources related to study design, data collection and analysis, and publishing and promoting your work.

Learn more about our Scholarly Communication and Data Science offerings, and contact our experts to request a 1:1 meeting or a group presentation.

For feedback or questions about this guide, contact Anneliese Taylor.

Managing the writing process

• Start with an outline, manage your writing time, and other tips from David Mobley at UC Irvine.
• Getting stuck is normal; here's advice on getting unstuck when writing scholarly articles.
• Practice writing accountability through community events. Examples include:
  • 14-day writing challenge and virtual writing sessions through the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) - for UCSF faculty, postdocs, and graduate students
  • Writing retreats for grad students and postdocs organized by Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) and the Postdoctoral Scholars Association (PSA)
  • Writing workshops offered by the Office of Collaborative Research
• See other recommended resources from the UCSF scientific writing online course (UCSF only).

Well-being and community support

Writing grant proposals and writing for publication can be time-consuming and stressful due to the pressures of getting published and funded.

• Meditation and mindfulness can help manage anxiety, increase focus, and get through writing challenges.
• Support your academic well-being through society membership, mentors, and recognizing yourself as a researcher. 
• Check into mentorship programs at UCSF.
• Take advantage of the learning and coaching resources through NCFDD.