how to get published in scientific journals - louise morris

8/3/2019 How to Get Published in Scientific Journals - Louise Morris

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How to Get Published InHow to Get Published In

Scientific JournalsScientific Journals

Louise Morris, Publisher

24th July 2008

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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?


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What steps do I need to take before IWhat steps do I need to take before I

write my paper?write my paper?

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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


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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

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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


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Citation impact varies by publicationCitation impact varies by publication

typetype

0

1

2

3

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1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Averagecitesperitem

Article Review Conference Paper Source:

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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.


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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

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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


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What are my responsibilities as anWhat are my responsibilities as an

author?author?

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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.


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Potential Author ResponsibilitiesPotential Author Responsibilities

Originality

Citations and context

Conflicts of Interest

Authorship

Submission

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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


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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

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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


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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

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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


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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

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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


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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

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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


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How can I ensure I am using properHow can I ensure I am using proper

scientific language?scientific language?

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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.


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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.

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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


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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).

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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


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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

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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


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How do I build up my article properly?How do I build up my article properly?

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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


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TitleTitle

Attract the readers attention

Be specific

Keep it informative and concise

Avoid jargon and abbreviations

Tell readers what your paper is all about

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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


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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

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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


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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

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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


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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

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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


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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

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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


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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

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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


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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?

how to get published in scientific journals - louise morris

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