paper written! now for the harder part: getting it published! sue silver, phd editor in chief...

Paper written! Now for the harder part: getting it published!

Sue Silver, PhDEditor in ChiefFrontiers in Ecology and the EnvironmentEcological Society of America

Washington DC, September 2009

Getting published © S Silver September 2009

2Getting published © S Silver September 2009

Three secrets to success

Choose the right journal

Find and follow the Instructions to

Authors

Don’t get rejected without review

Other topics to cover

How to write a cover letter

Submission do’s and don’ts

Top reasons articles get rejected

Responding to reviewers’ comments

Rejection – what now?!

4

What kind of information do I have? What kind(s) of paper(s) should it go in Who needs to know? Does the journal publish this type of paper? How quickly does the journal publish papers?

Choosing the right journal


5

Time to publication

Journals with high rejection rates are not necessarily quicker at making decisions

Decision times are sometimes quicker for short papers

Some journals publish online before the paper appears in print

Choosing the right journal


6

Three vital steps to successful manuscript publication:

FIND the Instructions to Authors

READ the Instructions to Authors

FOLLOW the Instructions to Authors

Instructions to Authors


Options regarding cover letters

No cover letter A brief note A short letter A long letter


Basic information

Title

Names of all authors

Contact information for corresponding author

The correct journal name!

What goes in a cover letter?


Source information (workshop, interdisciplinary collaboration)

Explanation of scientific content (short) What is new Why it is important Why this journal? Why now? Conflict of interest statement

What goes in a cover letter?


“In this manuscript we attempt to explain why, although the ecological processes that create treeline patterns across western North America are mechanistically similar, and are linked to climate, actual patterns differ greatly. We discuss what this means in terms of treeline response to climate change.”

Scientific content


Charcoal is generated in all biomass burning events and is one

of the only legacies of forest fire. However, to date, it has

received very little scientific attention. In this manuscript, we

summarize the existing literature on charcoal deposition,

ecological function, and storage in forest ecosystems. We also

provide an analysis of how forest management influences

charcoal formation and discuss the implications for long-term

carbon storage in forest ecosystems of the Rocky Mountain

region.

Statement of what is new


“Our findings (on dramatic increases in

nitrogen and phosphorus in freshwater

ecosystems) have direct implications for

stream management and restoration…..”

Why findings are important


These findings should be of great interest to both

applied scientists and policy makers. We therefore

believe Frontiers would be the ideal forum to

highlight these new insights.

Why this journal is appropriate


“ We think this is timely because of the recent

discovery of quagga mussels in Lake Mead,

MV, which has lead to a lot of management-

related initiatives.”

Why publish NOW


Before submission (text), DO

Check that all references appear in both the text and the reference section

Check that all references are correct

Check that any internet links are still live

Abide by the upper word limit and requested number of references

Submitting your manuscript


Before submission (figures), DO

Provide low res figures for peer review/ high res versions for publication

Provide all figures and tables mentioned in the text

Get permission from the publisher before reproducing a previously printed figure

Acknowledge the source of each photo/graph that is not yours




When resubmitting to a new journal following rejection, DON’T

Send the same ms – follow the Instructions to Authors of new journal

Leave the references in the style for the previous journal


Wrong journal Science is flawed/incomplete/not new Journal doesn’t accept that type of article Article too long/short Article written at wrong level for this readership High submission rate/rejection rate High impact factor journal Journal has a backlog of papers



Right journal Science flawed

Science incomplete Science not well

explained

Science not new

Article too long

Article too short

Article written at wrong level

Article poorly written

Conflict of interest



Reject Major revision Minor revision Provisional accept Accept

The decision letter


Rejection Read the decision letter carefully Consider whether the paper is more appropriate for

another journal Consider whether the work involved in submitting

elsewhere is worthwhile Choose the next journal carefully and reformat the

paper accordingly Use reviewers’ comments to strengthen your

submission To appeal or not to appeal?

Responding to reviewer comments


Major revision Study the reviews carefully (don’t take offense) Use the comments to improve your paper Include a detailed response with the new draft Divide comments into groups and prioritize All comments/criticisms must be addressed but not

all have to be accepted




Be positive Be polite Be concise Start with a paragraph outlining the major changes Deal with points one by one Refer to text where changes have been made

(page/line numbers) List suggestions you rejected and explain why


[email protected]

paper written! now for the harder part: getting it published! sue silver, phd editor in chief...

Documents

published s silver

review slide

sue silver

authors instructions

right journal

short letter

correct journal

forest ecosystems