Linus U. OparaOffice of the Assistant Dean for Postgraduate Studies & Research

College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences

Sultan Qaboos University

Beyond Writing :

Dealing with Editors and Reviewers

16Nov2008

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

Outline

1. Introduction

2. Attributes of exemplary manuscripts

3. Selecting a journal

4. Submitting a manuscript

5. Responding to 1st Review Reports

6. Responding to nth Review Reports

7. Dealing with paper rejection & resubmission

8. End note

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

1. Introduction

Why so much research data remain unpublished:

Too much emphasis on data collection Publication strategy not sorted Doubtful theory & analysis Lack of time commitment Motivation

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

Writing a Paper (1st draft) is Not Sufficient!

Quality of science and the writing are influenced by the following processes:

Writing skills

EditingPeer reviewRevising (& revising….)

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

2. Attributes of Exemplary Manuscripts

a) Good grammar

b) Grounded in appropriate literature

c) Based on sound theory

d) Attentive to measurement issues

e) Report complete results of statistical analysis

f) Distinguish between statistical and practical significance of findings

g) Have important implications for future research, current practice and policy

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

3. Selecting a Journal

1) Journal scope (subject area)

2) Popularity/prestige

3) Professional society journal

4) Publishing company journal

5) Special Issues of journals

6) Page charges vs none

[a]

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

3. Selecting a Journal

7) Indexing

8) Impact factor

9) Frequency of publication

10) Duration of peer review process

11) Time from acceptance to publication

12) Other criteria (e.g., journal format)

[b]

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

Medium of submission

• Surface mail

• E-mail

• Online

4. Manuscript Submission

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

Mail submission system

• Cover letter• Manuscript text

• Tables• Figures

• List of potential referees

• Conflict of interest declaration (e.g., funding source)

4. Manuscript Submission

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

4. Manuscript Submission: On-line submission system

AcknowledgementConflict of interest declaration List of potential referees

Name, affiliation and contact details of each author Corresponding author Cover letter Title, Abstract, Keywords

TextTables (one file per table)Figures (one file per figure)List of captions

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

5. Handling 1st Review Reports

• Role of each co-author

• Mark and adhere to the editor’s deadline

• Respond to editor’s comments and queries

• Respond to individual Reviewer Reports: A, B, C, D, …

General comments and queriesSpecific comments and queries

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

5. Handling 1st Review Reports

• Agreeing with a reviewer/editor

• Disagreeing with reviewer/editor

• When reviewers disagree

• Possible revisions– rewriting text– further analysis and interpretation of data– changing presentation format (figure vs table)

• Writing a reply to the editor

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

6. Handling nth Review Reports

• Check for inconsistencies with comments and queries in the 1st Report

• Note ‘new’ comments and queries (not contained in the 1st Report)

• What happens when the reviewer and/or editor do not accept an answer to a query?

• Writing a reply to the editor

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

7. Dealing with Paper Rejection

Appealing to the Editor/Editor-in-ChiefIf handled by a sub/associate editor

Revising and resubmitting to a different journal

‘Dumping’ or filing away the paper!

They say “Pride goes before a fall”

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

End note

Paper writing is a learning process.

The more we write, the more we learn, the better we get.

We are all learners!

Beyond Paper Writing by LUO

THANK YOU