Hey guys,

I would like to ask you guys if a book chapter is regarded as highly as a journal article? Is a book chapter more easily accepted for publication than a journal article, relatively speaking? How can I write a book chapter for publication? thx!

You need two things: an idea, and ability. Then you're laughing. Good luck!

I'm not sure whether they are regarded as the same, probably depends on field. I think you often get invited to write book chapters based on your previous contributions to things.

Book chapters are nice extras, but journal articles are of greater value in almost all if not all fields. If you are hoping for an academic job, then I'd always favour putting your efforts into getting articles out over book chapters. My own employer for example has told us that book chapters won't count towards a REF submission, so if you are in the UK, I'd think very hard about it.
How do you get to write a book chapter? It's by invitation from the book's editor(s). Sometimes they come out of participation in a small workshop where an edited volume is planned as an output. Sometimes you get asked because you're regarded as the expert on something (or the most likely person to deliver a respectable chapter on time). Edited book projects can be a long time in the making, so it's often not a very quick or reliable way to get published.

Thanks for your replies, TreeofLife and bewildered.

Yes, I'd steer clear of book chapters until you're established. I wrote a chapter a few years ago and the book still hasn't been published - probably never will!