Publishing for young researchers: Dealing with the submission process

Dr Fragkiskos FilippaiosReader in International Business

Director of Graduate Studies & AccreditationsKent Business School

The original idea

• Publishing for young researchers: Dealing with rejections

• We all have to deal with them• Some of the most influential papers and

authors in different field were originally rejected by editors

Publishing is a processDecide where you want to publish

Preparing for the submission

Disseminate your results and get feedback

Working papers

Submission process

Dealing with referees

Selecting a Journal• Journal’s prestige in the field• Readership of the journal• Previous publications on topic• Acceptance rates• Manuscript turnaround• Composition of editorial board• Useful reviews• Previous publications• Colleagues recommendations

Frank, E (1994)

What editors value?

• Factors leading to rejections– Poor construction of the paper– Poor research design

• Factors leading to acceptances– Scientific novelty and timeliness of the topic

• Most problematic factors– Poor use of English and careless preparation– Attention to guide lines for authors

Radford, D.R. et al. (1999)

Preparing for submission

• Present papers at conferences, seminars and workshops

• Talk to your peers and ask for feedback• Ask the editor and potential reviewers to

comment on drafts of the paper• Use the University’s repository service (KAR)

and get your work in the public domain as working papers

Submitting the paper

• Draft a covering letter and include:– How the paper fits the journal’s scope– Title of manuscript and names of authors– The originality of research– Key contributions to the field

• Wait for the outcome of submission process

What the reviewers look for...

• Introduction– Clear positioning of the paper– Emphasis on motivation and contributions

• Reference list– Add references to potential reviewers and

appreciate their contributions– Add references from the journal to justify your

selection– Make sure that your references are up to date

The decision...• Types of referees comments

– Comments that you agree with– Comments that you disagree but you could incorporate in the paper– Comments that you feel show that the referee did not understand

your paper• Read all comments carefully and decide a revision strategy (re-

organisation or re-writing of the paper)• Search for common patterns among the reviewers’ comments• Decide whether revisions are primarily conceptual/theoretical

or empirical

Rejection

• Everybody has at least one...• Talk to a senior colleague and get reassurance

on the quality of your work• Read carefully the reviewers comments and in

your revision try to incorporate as many as possible

• The next submission, in another journal, might actually go to the same reviewers...

Conditional Acceptance or Revise and Resubmit

• Their difference depends on the type of commitment the editor wishes to make

• Draft a revision strategy by addressing the reviewers’ comments

• Start from the minor corrections and note details of each one

• Address the major corrections and write a letter to the editor clearly demonstrating how and where you addressed each one

• Respond quickly – Give priority

Letter to the editor

• Thank the reviewers for their time and comments

• List all major changes• Defend your work if you strongly disagree with

a reviewer’s points• Attach a detailed list of reviewers’ comments

and show how and where in the paper each comment has been addressed

How not to do it...

Further Reading• Frank, E. 1994. Author’s criteria for selecting journals, The

Journal of the American Medical Association, 272: 163-164• Radford, D.R., Smillie, L., Wilson, R.F. and Grace, A.M.

1999. The criteria used by editors of scientific dental journals in the assessment of manuscripts submitted for publication. British Dental Journal 187: 376-379

• Day, R.A. and Gastell, B. 2006. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, Greenwood Press

• Cargill, M. and O’Connor, P. 2009. Writing Scientific Research Articles: Strategy and Steps Wiley Blackwell