The principles advocated in the widely acclaimed keynote texts on reflection have nominally been followed for over 30 years in educational programmes and schemes for professional development. This article was prompted by the impression that practice and theorising reported in publications about journal writing does not consistently endorse the advice in the seminal literature, and is potentially confusing for those who seek advice and direction. In particular, some writers tolerate or encourage narrative reporting without significant reflection thereon; many articles only feature aspects of the reflective cycle, and metacognitive forward planning that aims to validate the emerging generalisation is often neglected. Noteworthy matters are identified for attention and suggestions made for an approach that today's journal writers and their mentors may find useful to employ, in order to better focus reflections and validate their generalisations.