how to get published in scientific journals - louise morris
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
1/23
How to Get Published InHow to Get Published In
Scientific JournalsScientific Journals
Louise Morris, Publisher
24th July 2008
2
ObjectivesObjectives
What steps do I need to take before I write my paper?
What are my responsibil ities as an author?
How can I ensure I am using proper scientific
language?
How do I build up my article properly?
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
2/23
What steps do I need to take before IWhat steps do I need to take before I
write my paper?write my paper?
4
Determine if you are ready to publishDetermine if you are ready to publish
This could be in the form of:
Presenting new, original results or methods
Rationalizing, refining, or reinterpreting published results
Reviewing or summarizing a particular subject or field
If you are ready to publish, a strong manuscript is what isneeded next
You should consider publishing if you have informationthat advances understanding in a certain scientific field
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
3/23
5
What is a strong manuscript?What is a strong manuscript?
Has a clear, useful, and exciting message
Presented and constructed in a logical manner
Reviewers and editors can grasp the scientificsignificance easily
Editors and reviewers are all busy scientists
make things easy to save their time
6
Decide which type of manuscript ismost appropriate
Decide which type of manuscript isDecide which type of manuscript is
most appropriatemost appropriate
Conference papers Excellent for disseminating early or in-progress research find ings Typicall y 5-10 pages, 3 figures, 15 references
Good way to start a scientific research career
Full articles/Original articles Standard for disseminating completed research findings Typicall y 8-10 pages, 5 figures, 25 references Good way to build a scientific research career
Review papers/perspectives Critical synthesis of a specific research topic Typicall y 10+ pages, 5+ figures, 80 references
Typically solicited by journal editors Good way to consolidate a scientific research career
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
4/23
7
Citation impact varies by publicationCitation impact varies by publication
typetype
0
1
2
3
4
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Averagecitesperitem
Article Review Conference Paper Source:
8
Choose the target journalChoose the target journalChoose the target journal
Choose one journal
Your references can provide candidate journals Read recent publications in your field
Find out specific journal details
Beware of Phishing: Publishers and editorsrarely solicit papers from authors, and usually
only as an invitation for review articles.
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
5/23
9
Use the journalUse the journalssGuide for AuthorsGuide for Authors
Guide for Authors includes:
Types of papers accepted Editorial team contact information
Graphics specifications
Acceptable language
Paper length
Other details
10
SummarySummaryWhat steps do I need to takeWhat steps do I need to take
before I write my paper?before I write my paper?
Determine if you are ready to publish
Decide on the type of manuscript
Choose the target journal
Check the Guide for Authors
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
6/23
What are my responsibilities as anWhat are my responsibilities as an
author?author?
12
NoteNote
While the following slides offer guidance and general
principles of responsibilities that authors should
consider, different aspects of publishing ethics canvary greatly by discipline and journal.
It is recommended that all authors consul t their peers,
advisors, and journal editors to learn the specific
author responsibili ties in their discipline.
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
7/23
13
Potential Author ResponsibilitiesPotential Author Responsibilities
Originality
Citations and context
Conflicts of Interest
Authorship
Submission
14
OriginalityOriginality
A researcher notices a paragraph in a previously publ ishedarticle that would be very suitable as the conclusion in hisarticle. The researcher decides to copy that paragraph into his
paper without quotes or attribution.
In almost all cases, this is considered plagiarism
Research work should represent original and meaningful work that
is objectively researched and accurately reflected in well-wri tten
reports and papers
Has the researcher violated any ethical boundaries?
Q
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
8/23
15
Issues with OriginalityIssues with Originality
Fabrication Making up research data
Falsification Manipulation of existing research data
Plagiarism Plagiarism takes many forms, from passing off anothers paper
as the authors own paper, to copying or paraphrasing substantial
parts of anothers paper (without attribution), to claiming results
from research conducted by others
These three are the most common forms of ethical misconduct
that the scientific community is challenged with
16
Citations & ContextCitations & Context
A researcher, in writing his research paper, mentions a concept
that is reported in an article written by h is advisor.
Does he need to cite his advisors work and list the advisorsarticle in the bibliography?
This is always a good idea
Crediting the work of others (even your advisors or your
own previous work) and noting permissioned materials is
important to place your work in the context of theadvancement of the field and to acknowledge the findings of
others on which you build your research
Q
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
9/23
17
Conflicts of InterestConflicts of Interest
Conflic ts of interest can take many forms:
Direct financial
Employment, stock ownership, grants, patents
Indirect financial
Honoraria, consultancies, mutual fund ownership, expert testimony
Career & intellectual
Promotion, direct rival
Institutional
Personal belief
The proper way to handle potential conf licts of interest is th rough transparency
and disclosure
At the journal level, this means disclosure of the potential confl ict in your cover
letter to thejournal editor
18
AuthorshipAuthorship
A researchercompletes her work and has written the paper.
Along the way, she consulted heradvisorfor guidance on the
experiment, the data analysis, and wr iting and revising the
final article. A professor in India assisted her in analyzing the
data only. A lab assistant had helped her in preparing the
experimental design and maintaining and operating the
equipment. Two fellow grad students read her paper and
edited it though they had no hand in the experiment.
Who is listed as an author? Who is listed first?
Q
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
10/23
19
AuthorshipAuthorship
Policies to address authorship can vary
One example, the International Committee of Medical JournalEditors (aka Vancouver Group) declared that an author must:
1. substantial ly contr ibute to conception and design, or acquisition of data, oranalysis and interpretation of data;
2. draft the article orrevise it critically for important intellectual content; and
3. give their approval of the final version to be published.
4. ALL 3 conditions must be fulfilled to be an author!
Applying this set of policies to our example, only the researcher and
her advisor would qualify as authors
All others would qualify as Acknowledged Individuals
20
Authorship: Order & AbusesAuthorship: Order & Abuses
General principles for who is l isted first First Author:
Conducts and/or supervises the data analysis and the properpresentation and interpretation of the results
Puts paper together and submi ts the paper to journal
Co-Author(s): Makes intellectual contributions to the data analysis and contributes
to data interpretation Reviews each paper draft Must be able to present the results, defend the impl ications and
discuss study limitations
Abuses to be avoided Ghost Authors: leaving out authors who should be included
Gift Authors: including authors when they did not contribute significantly
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
11/23
21
SubmissionsSubmissions
Scenario #1:A researcher is ready to submit her paper and decides to giveher best shot by submitting to Science, Nature, and Cellall at the
same time.
Scenario #2:A researcher has had his paper rejected by Scienceand decidesto submit it to Nature. Failing that, he plans to submit it to Cell.
And failing that, he plans to submit it to each journal in hisdiscipline until it is accepted.
Are either of these scenarios unethical?
The first scenarios is strongly discouraged by most research
communities and present potential ethical issues
The second scenario is acceptable but authors should heed the
advice of referees and editors concerning improvements
Q
22
SubmissionsSubmissions
Multiple, redundant, or concurrent publication issues
Ideally, the situation should be avoided wheremanuscripts that describe essentially the same
research are publ ished in more than onejournal orprimary publication
An author should avoid submitting a previouslypublished paperfor consideration in another journal
Duplication of the same paper in multiple journals ofdifferent languages should be avoided
Salami slicing , or creating several publications fromthe same research, is manipulative and discouraged
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
12/23
How can I ensure I am using properHow can I ensure I am using proper
scientific language?scientific language?
24
Why Is Language Important?Why Is Language Important?
Save your editor and reviewers the trouble of guessingwhat you mean
Complaint from an editor:
[This] paper fell well below my threshold. I refuse to spend time
trying to understand what the author is trying to say. Besides, I
really want to send a message that they can't submit garbage to us
and expect us to fix it. My rule of thumb is that if there are more
than 6 grammatical errors in the abstract, then I don't waste my
time carefully reading the rest.
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
13/23
25
Scientific LanguageScientific Language--OverviewOverview
It is the authors responsibi lity to use proper
language
Be alert to common errors: Sentence construction
Incorrect tenses
Inaccurate grammar
Check the Guide for Authors of the target journal
for any language specifications
Write with clarity, objectivity, accuracy, and brevity.
26
Scientific LanguageScientific Language--TensesTenses
Present tense for known facts and hypotheses:The average life of a honey bee is 6 weeks
Past tense for experiments you have conducted:
All the honey bees were maintained in an environment with aconsistent temperature of 23 degrees centigrade
Past tense when you describe the results of anexperiment:
The average life span of bees in our contained environment was 8
weeks
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
14/23
27
Scientific LanguageScientific LanguageSentencesSentences
Write direct and short sentences
One idea or piece of information per sentence is sufficient Avoid multiple statements in one sentence
An example of what NOT to do:
If it is the case, intravenous administration should result in that emulsion hashigher intravenous administration retention concentration, but which is not in
accordance with the result, and therefore the more rational interpretation should
be that SLN with mean diameter of 46nm is greatly different from emulsion with
mean diameter of 65 nm in entering tumor, namely, it is probably difficult for
emulsion to enter and exit from tumor blood vessel as freely as SLN, which may
be caused by the fact that the tumor blood vessel aperture is smaller.
A possible modification:
It was expected that the intravenous administration via emulsion would have ahigher retention concentration. However, the experimental results suggest
otherwise. The SLN entered the tumor blood vessel more easily than the
emulsion. This may be due to the smaller aperture of the SLN (46 nm) compared
with the aperture of the emulsion (65 nm).
28
Scientific LanguageScientific Language--GrammarGrammar
Use active voice to shorten sentences Passive voice: It has been found that there had been
Active voice: We found that Passive voice: carbon dioxide was consumed by the plant
Active voice: the plant consumed carbon dioxide..
Avoid abbreviations: its , werent , hasnt Never use them in scientific writing
Only use abbreviations for units of measure or establishedscientific abbreviations, e.g. DNA
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
15/23
29
Scientific LanguageScientific Language--GrammarGrammar
Minimize use of adverbs: However , In addition , Moreover
Eliminate redundant phrases
Double-check unfamiliar words or phrases Never say and references therein - as in [1] and [25]. Any intelligent
reader knows to look at the references in a paper in order to get even
more information. - Editor
Delete In present report. It is impossible for it to be in a different report!
You start the conclusions " In this report, we have prepared....." This is
nonsense. The samples were prepared in the laboratory! -Editor
30
SummarySummaryHow can I ensure I am usingHow can I ensure I am using
proper scientific language?proper scientific language?
Proper scientific language is important so that editors and
reviewers can easily understand your messages
Refer to the journals Guide for Authors for specifications
Check that your paper has short sentences, correct tenses,correct grammar, and is all in English (including figures!)
Have a native Engl ish speaker check your manuscript
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
16/23
How do I build up my article properly?How do I build up my article properly?
32
GeneralGeneralSStructure of a Full Articletructure of a Full Article
Title
Abstract
Keywords
Main text (IMRAD)
Introduction
Methods
Results
And
Discussions
Conclusion Acknowledgement
References
Supporting Materials
Journal space is precious. Make your article as brief
as possible.
Make them easy for indexing and searching!
(informative, attractive, effective)
Each section of a paper has a definite purpose
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
17/23
33
TitleTitle
Attract the readers attention
Be specific
Keep it informative and concise
Avoid jargon and abbreviations
Tell readers what your paper is all about
34
English needs help. The title is nonsense. All
materials have properties of all varieties. You
could examine my hair for i ts electrical and
optical properties! You MUST be specific. I
havent read the paper but I suspect there is
something special about these properties,
otherwise why would you be reporting them?
the Editor-in-chief
Electrospinning of
carbon/CdS coaxial
nanofibers with
optical and electrical
properties
Fabrication o f
carbon/CdS coaxial
nanofibers displaying
optical and electrical
properties via
electrospinning
carbon
Titles should be specific.
Think to yourself: How will I search for this
piece of information? when you design the
title.
Inhibition of growth
of mycobacterium
tuberculosis by
streptomycin
Action of antibiotics
on bacteria
Long title distracts readers.
Remove all redundancies such as
observations on , the nature of , etc.
Effect of Zn on
anticorrosion of zinc
plating layer
Preliminary
observations on the
effect of Zn element
on anticorrosion of
zinc plating layer
RemarksRevisedOriginal Title
Title: ExamplesTitle: ExamplesTitle: Examples
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
18/23
35
AbstractAbstract
Tell readers what you did and the important findings
One paragraph (between 50-300 words)
Advertisement for your article
A clear abstract will s trongly influence if your work is considered
further
We tackle the general linear instantaneous model (possibly underdeterminedand noisy) where we model the source prior with a Student tdistribution. Theconjugate-exponential characterisation of the tdistribution as an infinitemixture of scaled Gaussians enables us to do efficient inference. We studytwo well-known inference methods, Gibbs sampler and variational Bayes forBayesian source separation. We derive both techniques as local message
passing algorithms to highlight their algorithmic similarities and to contrasttheir different convergence characteristics and computational requirements.Our simulation results suggest that typical posterior distributions in sourceseparation have multiple local maxima. Therefore we propose a hybridapproach where we explore the state space with a Gibbs sampler and thenswitch to a deterministic algori thm. This approach seems to be able tocombine the speed of the variational approach with the robustness of theGibbs sampler.
What are the
main findings
What has been
done
36
KeywordsKeywords
Used by indexing and abstracting services
They are the labels of your manuscript.
Use only established abbreviations (e.g. DNA)
Check the Guide for Authors
Article Title Keywords
Silo music and silo quake: granularflow-induced vibration
Silo music, Silo quake, stick-slip flow,resonance, creep, granular discharge
An experimental study on evacuatedtube solar collector using supercriticalCO2
Solar collector; Supercritical CO2;Solar energy; Solar thermal utilization
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
19/23
37
IntroductionIntroduction
Provide context to convince readers that you clearly knowwhy your work is useful
Be brief
Clearly address the following: What is the problem?
Are there any existing solut ions?
Which solution is the best?
What is its main limitation? What do you hope to achieve?
Try to be consistent with the nature of the journal
38
Describe how the problem was studied
Include detailed information
Do not describe previously published procedures
Identify the equipment and describe materials used
MethodsMethods
Zhang, XR; Yamaguchi, H. An experimental study on evacuated tube solarcollector using supercritical CO2 Applied Thermal Engineering Elsevier
Sample 1st paragraph of an Experimental Set-Up section
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
20/23
39
ResultsResults
What have you found?
Present essential/primary results
Use sub-headings
Use figures/illustrations Graphs
Tables
PhotosType of attack Classical (%) Pop (%) Jazz (%)
Echo addition 0 0.10 0.27
Noise addition 1.20 1.42 1.60
Band equalization 2.31 2.50 2.73
Type of attack Classical (%) Pop (%) Jazz (%)
Echo addition 0 0.10 0.27
Noise addition 1.20 1.42 1.60
Band equalization 2.31 2.50 2.73
Zhang, XR; Yamaguchi, H. An experimental study on evacuated tube solarcollector using supercritical CO2 Applied Thermal Engineering Elsevier
Ikeda, S., Tabata, Y., Suzuki, H., Miyoshi, T., Katsumura, Y. Formation of crosslinked PTFE by radiation-inducedsolid-state polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene at low temperatures Radiation Physics and Chemistry Elsevier
40
DiscussionDiscussion
What the results mean
Most important section
Make the Discussion correspond to the Results
You need to compare the publ ished results with yours
Sample 1st paragraph of an Discussion section
Muite, B.K., Quinn, S.F., Sundaresan, S., Rao, K.K.. Silo music and siloquake: granular flow-induced vibration Powder Technology. Elsevier
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
21/23
41
ConclusionConclusion
How the work advances the field from the present state
of knowledge
Should be clear
Justify your work in the scientific field
Suggest future experiments
Sample Conclusion
Muite, B.K., Quinn, S.F., Sundaresan, S., Rao, K.K.. Silo music and siloquake: granular flow-induced vibration Powder Technology. Elsevier
42
AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgments
Ensures those who helped in the research are recognised
Include individuals who have assisted with your study, including:
Advisors
Financial supporters
Proofreaders
Typists
Suppliers who may have given materials
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
22/23
43
ReferencesReferences
Do not use too many references
Avoid excessive self-citations
Avoid excessive citations of publications from the sameregion
Conform str ictly to the style given in the Guide forAuthors
Cite the main scientific publ ications on which your work
is based
44
Cover LetterCover Letter
Your chance to speak to the editor directly
Submitted along with your manuscript
Mention what would make your manuscript special to the journal
Note special requirements (reviewers, conf licts of interest)
Final approval from all
authors
Explanation of
importance of research
Suggested reviewers
-
8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris
23/23
45
Summary:Summary:
How do I build up my article properly?How do I build up my article properly?
Title
Abstract
Keywords
Main text (IMRAD)
Introduction
Methods
Results
And
Discussions
Conclusion Acknowledgement
References
Supporting Materials
Structure your article properly
Make sure each section of thepaper fulfills its purpose clearly
and concisely
Thanks for your attentionThanks for your attention
What steps do I need to take before I write my paper
What are my responsibilities as an author
How can I ensure I am using proper scientific language
How do I build up my article properly
Any questions?