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Dr. Khalid Rehman Hakeem

Associate ProfessorDepartment of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Science

King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA

RESEARCH TO PUBLICATION: A JOURNEY

Lecture Outline

• Introduction

• Biological research- Current Challenges and avenues

• Student and Supervisor Relationship

• Publication

Why to Publish

How to Publish

Publication ethics

• Conclusion

• “Research is an Endeavour to discover, develop and verify knowledge –Rumnell

• Scientific research is asystematic and objectiveeffort to offer solutionsto problems

-Wernher von Braun-l

The world is changing

• Population growth

• Resource consumption

• Climate change

• Pollution

• Rapid decline of biodiversity

• Habitat loss and fragmentation

• Invasive pests

• New Diseases

• Drug Resistance

Biology is changing

• Collaborative

• Multi-disciplinary

• New technology

• Next generation DNA sequencing

• Massive amounts of data

• New analytical methods

• Reproductive technologies

• Genetic manipulation

• Synthetic biology

Keys to success in modern biology

• Shift from specific knowledge to generic skills

• Shift from specialisation to multi-disciplinary collaboration and synthesis of ideas

• Shift from particular technological approaches to strategies for learning and adapting new techniques

• Ability to integrate knowledge from different areas

• Research skills, philosophy of science, how to make and record observations, ask questions, construct testable hypotheses, design experiments, analyse results, make inferences, communicate findings, etc.

• Information literacy, finding and assessing the quality of information, critical thinking, critical literacy

What should a student consider before He/She start?

Do I want to spend the next 3-4 years of my life on this

research??

Am I motivated enough to last such a long research?

My family and friends. Do I have their

support??

How about the financial support??

Are you ready to join the research ?

Whatever you do, do it with all your heart!

“Great works are performed not by

strength, but by Perservance”

Student/Supervisor Nature of Relationship “Junior colleague in research“

The relationship between the student and the supervisor is unequal and hierarchical.

Both professionals in the same discipline with one being mentored by the other.

Both have expectations and responsibilities from the relationship

Both benefit in different ways.

The supervisor plays many roles as"boss", "teacher", "advisor", “father”,"friend", "principal investigator”,etc.

This multiplicity of roles may lead to conflict.

Conflict between student & supervisor

• Although such cases are mercifully rare, serious tensions occasionally develop between postgraduates and their supervisors/promoters.

• Conflict of whatever nature is best handled diplomatically as the relationship with your supervisor is an important one.

• If you are experiencing such problems, it is often worth mentioning them to your supervisor/promoter in the first instance;

• It might well be that supervisor is unaware of the problem, and is quite willing to cooperate fully in sorting it out.

• To assist the student in identifying a suitable research topic and (where appropriate) setting up a program of study.

• Monitor student progress time to time

• Guide students on what to do and explain the reason behind it

• To assist the student in the interpretation of research finding/output.

• Make students aware of their responsibilities and supervisor’s expectations

• Consult and advise when student have a personal problem

• Promising a MSc and PhD for student

Role of Supervisor Role of Student• Research topic must be choose with

the help of supervisor, which the supervisor considers to be suitable and which he/she is competent to supervise.

• To work systematically and within agreed deadlines, as far as possible, in order to meet the program deadlines

• To be well prepared for meetings with the supervisor.

• To give serious attention to the advice and direction of the supervisor

• To realize that the supervisor has duties and commitments

• To perform the research as per the supervisor’s directions

Managing a Good Student-Supervisor Relationship

Begin by laying out all milestones in your program

Attach dates and expectations for both

Revise as needed but do so together

Keep track of all discussions and decisions

Retain all emails, notes, etc

Send and save email summaries to supervisor

What are the stresses on student ?

• Deadlines

• Poor direction

• Finding something novel

• Trying to understand the problem

• Feeling not getting anywhere

• Alone in the dark

• Insecurity

• Fear of failure

• Too many directions at once

• Supervisors

• Guidelines keep changing

• Want the experience to be positive

• Being unappreciated

Here comes the role of Supervisor to be the friend and mentor to detentionize the stress among students

Supervisor Classification

• Professor Never There• Dr Slave Labour No Research• Dr No New Ideas Since1995• Professor Changes Direction• Dr Lone Worker• Dr Over bearing Interferer• Dr Test till you Break• Dr Never Satisfied• Dr Happy to be Mediocre• Prof Different planet• Prof Perfect Supervisor

Supervisors are humans too….

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What are your personal reasons for publishing?

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Trends in publishing

•Rapid conversion from “print” to “electronic”

1997: print only 2009: 55% e-only (mostly e-collections) 25% print only 20% print-

plus-electronic 2012: 95-98% electronic access (dependent on subject area)

•Changing role of “journals” due to e-access

•Increased usage of articles at lower cost per article

•Electronic submission Increased manuscript inflow

•Experimentation with new publishing models E.g. “author pays” models, “delayed open access”, etc.

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RESEARCH IMPACT

King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah

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RESEARCH IMPACT

King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah

What to publish ?

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What to publish:

•New and original results or methods that advance the knowledge and understanding ina certain scientific field

•Reviews or summaries of particular subject or field

Do NOT consider to publish:

•Results with lack of scientific interest•Outdated work•Duplication of work already published•Incorrect data or conclusions not supported by data

You need a STRONG manuscript to present your contributions to thescientific community

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Choose the right journal

Do not just “descend the stairs”

Top journals

Nature, Science, Lancet, NEJM, ......

Field-specific top journals

Other field-specific journals

National journals

The process of writing – building the article

Title & Abstract

Conclusion Introduction

Methods Results Discussion

Figures/tables (your data)

General Structure of a Research Article

Title

Abstract

Keywords

Main text (IMRAD)

Introduction

Methods

Results

And

Discussions

Conclusion

Acknowledgement

References

Supplementary Data

Make them easy for indexing and

searching! (informative, attractive,

effective)

Journal space is not unlimited,

more importantly, your reader’s

time is scarce.

Make your article as concise as

possible.

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Authorship

Policies regarding authorship can vary

One example: the International Committee of Medical Journal

Editors (“Vancouver Group”) declared that an author must:

1.substantially contribute to conception and design, or acquisition of

data, or analysis and interpretation of data;

2.draft the article or revise it critically for important intellectual

content; and

3.give their approval of the final full version to be published.

ALL three conditions must be fulfilled to be an author!

All others would qualify as “Acknowledged Individuals”

Authorship

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All authors need to approve the final version and agree to its submission for publication

All co-authors sign on to take responsibility and credit for the entire manuscript

Changes to authorship after submission are strongly discouraged

Corresponding Author Co-authors Acknowledgment

• Often a senior author

• The contact person for the

publisher, and future readers

• Ensures that all appropriate co-

authors and no inappropriate co-

authors are included on the paper

• Ensures that all co-authors

have agreed to the manuscript

and its publication

All those that have made a

significant contribution to

the conception, design,

execution ,or

interpretation of the

reported study

)International Committee of

Medical Journal Editors –

EJMCI)

Others who have

participated in certain

substantive aspects of

the research project.

Include individuals who have assisted you in your study:

Advisors

Financial supporters

Proofreaders

Typists

Suppliers who may have given materials

Abuses to be avoided • Ghost Authorship: leaving out authors who should be included • Gift Authorship: including authors who did not contribute significantly

Typical length of a full article

• Not the same for all journals, even in the same field

• “…25- 30 pages is the ideal length for a submitted manuscript, including ESSENTIAL data only.”

• Title page

• Abstract 1 paragraph

• Introduction 1.5-2 manuscript pages (double-spaced, 12pt)

• Methods 2-4 manuscript pages

• Results & Discussion 10-12 manuscript pages

• Conclusions 1-2 manuscript pages

• Figures 6-8

• Tables 1-3

• References 20-50

Letters or short communications usually have a stricter size limitation, e.g. 3,000 words and no more than 5 figures/tables.

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PublishersChoose the Good ones

• Science direct, Springer, wily, Cambridge, Taylor &Francis

• Avoid the black listed/Lesser know journals

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The Peer Review Process – not a black hole!

First Decision: “Accepted” or “Rejected”

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Accepted

•Very rare, but it happens

•Congratulations!

•Cake for the department

•Now wait for page proofs and

then for your article to be online

and in print

Rejected

•Probability 40-90% ...

•Do not despair

It happens to everybody

•Try to understand WHY

Consider reviewers’ advice

Be self-critical

•If you submit to another journal, begin

as if it were a new manuscript

•Take advantage of the reviewers’

comments

•They may review your manuscript for

the other journal too!

•Read the Guide for Authors of the new

journal, again and again.

Ethics Issues in Publishing

• Scientific misconduct Falsification of results Data fabrication

• Publication misconduct (Self-)Plagiarism

Different forms/ severities The paper must be original to the authors

Inappropriate identification of co-authors Duplicate submission Duplicate publication Inappropriate acknowledgement of prior research and researchers Conflict of interest

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Avoid plagiarism• What is Plagiarism ? (play-juh-rih-zem)

Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongfulappropriation,“ "close imitation," or "purloining andpublication" of another author’s "language, thoughts, ideas, orexpressions," and the representation of them as one's ownoriginal work.

• No Cut and paste

• Software like viper, Turnetin, IThenticate etc

• Problems associated

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Plagiarism Detection Tools

• Most of the publishers are participating in 2 plagiarism detection schemes:

TurnItIn (aimed at universities)

IThenticate (aimed at publishers and corporations)

• Manuscripts are checked against a database of 20 million peer reviewed articles which have been donated by 50+ publishers, including Elsevier.

• All post-1994 Elsevier journal content is now included, and the pre-1995 is being steadily added week-by-week

• Editors and reviewers

• Your colleagues

• "Other“ whistleblowers

• “The walls have ears", it seems ...

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Publication ethics – How it can end .....

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Academic Scandal Shakes JapanTHE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION JULY 6, 2014

Haruko Obokata, a researcher at the Riken Center forDevelopmental Biology, at a news conference in Osaka,Japan, in April. After having two articles published inthe journal Nature, she was accused by an investigativepanel at Riken of fabricating data (on stem cellresearch) and of plagiarism.

She Claimed to develop a radical and remarkably easyway to make cells that can grow into any tissue in thebody called STAP (Stimulus-Triggered Acquisition ofPluripotency) cells.

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Her co researcher in stem cell research scandal commits suicide

Former Delhi University, India’s Vice Chancellor Accused of Plagiarism.

Mr Pental, 63, a professor of genetics and a noted researcher, was the vice chancellor of Delhi University in 2005-2010. He is described as an expert in the field of transgenics and has reportedly published more than 60 research papers. He has also received many awards, including one from France.

He was put under the bars

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What leads to acceptance ?

• Attention to details

• Check and double check your work

• Consider the reviewers’ comments

• English must be as good as possible

• Presentation is important

• Take your time with revision

• Acknowledge those who have helped you

• New, original and previously unpublished

• Critically evaluate your own manuscript

• Ethical rules must be obey.

– Nigel John Cook

Editor-in-Chief, Ore Geology Reviews

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The most important way to emerge yourself as a RISING STAR is by completing your MSc or PhD SUCCESSFULLY & make people BELIEVE IN YOU, YOUR RESEARCH ,YOUR POTENTIALYOUR FUTURE CARRIER !! PhD as a passport….. But full life is to LEARN and PUBLISH.

CONCLUSION

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QUESTIONS ARE

WELCOME