How to write a great paper in agricultural development and get it publishedResearch in agriculture, agricultural economics and rural development is essential if we are to
find ways to feed the increasing population and reduce poverty. Yet much of this research
goes unpublished. This paper proposes an effective way to increase publication productivity,
based on regularly scheduled writing and a systematic method. It first explains how to
schedule 25% of your working time for writing. It then describes the method, breaking down
the writing task into five practical steps: develop a story line to describe new and important
research; mold the story into a short outline, according to the basic structure of a scientific
paper; assemble the evidence for a convincing case in relevant and well-organized tables and
figures; write the first draft of the story; and, finally, rewrite and edit the draft for style and
language. With careful targeting of good journals, and some luck in the reviewing process,
the proposed method should lead to several publications each year.
