130515-MidEast-GettingResearchPublished
-
Upload
edanz-group -
Category
Technology
-
view
770 -
download
4
description
Transcript of 130515-MidEast-GettingResearchPublished
Warren Raye, PhD
Senior Editor
Edanz Group
Author Academy—getting your research published
قالتكم نشرلكيفيةاتدارشأ
Customer ServiceIntroductionToday’s presentation
• Academic publishing
• Before you start …
• Manuscript structure
• Reader expectations
• Peer review
Academic publishing Adopt a winning strategy
Publication recordWin games
Footballer Researcher
Preparation
Communication
Knowledge
Tactics
Physical fitness
Team members
Rules of the game
Opposition
Understanding
Manuscript
Submission process
Published literature
Results
Academic publishing You must publish in English
• The international language of research
• Other researchers want to hear from you!
• Become a more effective communicator
• Funding
• International reputation
• Career advancement
الدوليةالعلملغةھيا�نكليزيةان
نشرهتمقديكونعندمامكتم!ً بحثكيكون
Academic publishing
Results novel?
Topic relevant?
The process
Accepted—
publication!
EditorManuscript +
cover letter
Peer review
Revision
Reject
New experiments
Improve readability
Add information
Academic publishing
• 3–12 months …
• Depends on
– Manuscript type
– Availability of peer reviewers
– Fast tracking
– Number of revisions
• How well you address reviewer comments
Publishing timeline
Academic publishing
What do
journal editors want?
What do
journal editors want?
High quality research
Good design
Well executed
High quality research
Good design
Well executed
Original and novelOriginal and novel
Interesting to
journal’s readership
Interesting to
journal’s readership
Clear and concise
English
Clear and concise
English
Ask yourself
Academic publishing
What do
journal editors want?
What do
journal editors want?
High quality research
Good design
Well executed
High quality research
Good design
Well executed
Original and novelOriginal and novel
Interesting to
journal’s readership
Interesting to
journal’s readership
Clear and concise
English
Clear and concise
English
Ask yourself
قيمةعلميةمادةدائماً يريدونالدوريات محرريإن
Academic publishingPublication ethics
• Multiple submissions
• Plagiarism
• Author list
– Who?
– First & last authors
– Corresponding author
• Data fabrication and falsification
• Conflicts of interest
– Financial
– Personal
– Intellectual
أمرهسينكشفالمھنةآدابعنبعيداً يتصرفَمنْ
Before you start … Reading improves your writing
How?
What to do
Argument
structure
Structure & style
Get new ideas
Journal quality
What not to do
جيداً كاتباً لتكونيساعدكجيداً قارئاً تكونأن
Before you start …Make time to read
• At least …
– 20–30 min each day
– 60 min, once a week
• Discuss with colleagues
– Journal club
Read often
Before you start …How to read an article
• Start to finish?
• Section by section?
• Where is the relevant information?
• Be efficient
Before you start …
Self-assess knowledge of topic
Title and Abstract first
Strategies for reading
Have you read similar papers?
Familiar with the terminology?
Do you understand the relevance
of the hypothesis?
Before you start …
Last paragraph of Introduction for aims
Self-assess knowledge of topic
Title and Abstract first
Strategies for reading
Before you start …
Last paragraph of Introduction for aims
Figures & Tables, then Results
Self-assess knowledge of topic
Title and Abstract first
Strategies for reading
Before you start …
Last paragraph of Introduction for aims
Figures & Tables, then Results
Discussion for interpretation
Self-assess knowledge of topic
Title and Abstract first
Strategies for reading
Before you start …
Last paragraph of Introduction for aims
Figures & Tables, then Results
Discussion for interpretation
Self-assess knowledge of topic
Title and Abstract first
Refer to Introduction and
Methods if necessary
Strategies for reading
Before you start …Factors to consider
• Aims & scope
• Prestige
• Impact factor
• Target audience
• Open access
• Publishing frequency
• Indexing status
• Publication type
Which factor is most important to you?
What is your publication goal?
Before you start …Timing
• Choose your target journal:
– After you have decided you have enough results
for a publication
– After a decision has been made on how high to
aim—high, medium or low impact
– Before writing the Title, Abstract, Introduction
or Discussion sections
Before you start …
New findings
Evaluating significance: novelty
• How new are my results compared with
those already published?
Medium to high
impact
Low to medium
impact
Incremental
advances
Conceptual
advances
Before you start … Evaluating significance: relevance
• How relevant is my work?
Applications for a
specific field?
Applications for a
specific field?
Applications across
many fields?
Applications across
many fields?
Before you start … Evaluating significance: relevance
• Are your findings specific to a geographical
region or ethnic population?
Global?
Regional?
Before you start … Evaluating significance: appeal
• Is my work in an area of ‘popular appeal’?
• Examples:
– OLEDs
– Cloud computing
– Food irradiation
– Medical devices
– Higgs boson
– Green aviation
– Stem cells
– Global warming
Before you start …Edanz Journal Selector
edanzediting.com/journal_selectoredanzediting.com/journal_selector
Before you start …Make a decision
Semantic
matching terms
Journal
information
Similar
published
articles
Manuscript structureYou need to tell a story
Beginning ���� Middle ���� End
• Must be easy to read and easy to understand
Manuscript structureIMRaD
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• and
• Discussion
Assertion
Evidence
Affirmation
المدونةفيبھاتظھرالتيالرتابةبنفسمقالكتكتب�
Manuscript structure
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Discussion
Methods
Results
The ‘write’ order
• For maximum clarity and consistency:
After selecting target journal
During your research
Write last
Manuscript structureFirst impressions count
Your abstract
Importance of
your results
Validity of
conclusions
Relevance of
your aims
Judge your
writing style
Likely the only part
that will be read
قدمةالم العورقةأجزاءأھمھي a تطرحھاالتيمل
Manuscript structureAbstract
• Concise
– Less than the specified word count
• Problem(s) addressed (10%)
• Objectives/hypotheses (20%)
• Techniques (10%)
• Your most important results (40%)
• Concluding statement (20%)
افيھتتوفرأنيجبقدمةالم لتاليهاشروطال
Manuscript structureSample abstract
Seo et al. Biomaterials 2012, 34:1764‒1771.
Securing robust cell adhesion between cells and biomaterials is one of key considerations
for tissue engineering. However, the cell adhesion investigation by the biophysical effects
such as topography or rigidity of substrates has only been recently reported. In this study,
we examined the spatial property of focal adhesions by changing the height of
micropatterns in two kinds of microtopography (grid and post) and the stiffness of the
substrates. We found that the focal adhesion localization is highly regulated by
topographical variation (height) of gird micropattens but not the rigidity of substrates or
the function of actin cytoskeleton, although the latters strongly influence the focal adhesion
size or area. In detail, the change of the height of the grid micropatterns results in the
switching of focal adhesion sites; as the height increases, the localization of focal adhesion
is switched from top to bottom areas. This study demonstrates that the localization of focal
adhesion on well-defined micropatterned substrates is critically determined by the
topographical variation in the micropatterns.
The switching of focal adhesion maturation sites and actin filament activation
for MSCs by topography of well-defined micropatterned surfaces
Manuscript structureSample abstract
In this study, we examined the spatial property of focal adhesions by changing the height of
micropatterns in two kinds of microtopography (grid and post) and the stiffness of the
substrates.
We found that the focal adhesion localization is highly regulated by topographical variation
(height) of gird micropattens but not the rigidity of substrates or the function of actin
cytoskeleton, although the latters strongly influence the focal adhesion size or area. In
detail, the change of the height of the grid micropatterns results in the switching of focal
adhesion sites; as the height increases, the localization of focal adhesion is switched from
top to bottom areas.
Securing robust cell adhesion between cells and biomaterials is one of key considerations
for tissue engineering. However, the cell adhesion investigation by the biophysical effects
such as topography or rigidity of substrates has only been recently reported.
This study demonstrates that the localization of focal adhesion on well-defined
micropatterned substrates is critically determined by the topographical variation in the
micropatterns.
BackgroundBackground
Aims/MethodsAims/Methods
Important
results
Important
results
ConclusionConclusion
Seo et al. Biomaterials 2012, 34:1764‒1771.
Manuscript structureIntroduction
What problem was studied?
The answer to this question should be in
your Introduction
Beginning ���� Middle ���� End
ما نوعية الحالة التي تمت دراستھا ؟
Manuscript structureIntroduction Beginning
• Sufficient background information
• Comprehensive literature review
• Cite previous publications
– Review articles
– Original articles
• What is the problem?
Manuscript structureIntroduction Middle
• Rationale
– The reason(s) for doing this work?
– Why is it important the problem is addressed?
• Explain how you addressed the problem
• Do not state results from your work
Manuscript structureMethods
• Logical order
• New methods must be described in sufficient detail that they can be reproduced
• Established methods can be referenced
– Save yourself time and effort
موضوع البحثتناولتكيف ؟بدراستهقمتالذي
Manuscript structureResults
• Past tense to describe your results
• Do not explain the results
• Avoid duplicating data among figures,
tables and text
؟إليھاتوصلتالتيالنتائجھيما
Manuscript structureDisplay items
• Present data quickly and efficiently
• Keep it simple—use separate panels
– Related data in panels
• Label all parts of figures
• Legends must be able to ‘stand alone’
اCراءتبادلعندجداً مؤثرةوسائلھيوا�رقاماللوائحانوالمعلوماتوا�فكار
Manuscript structure
What do your findings mean?
The answer to this question should be in
your Discussion
Beginning ���� Middle ���� End
Discussion
؟لھاتوصلتالتيالنتائجلكتعنيماذا
Manuscript structureDiscussion Beginning
• Avoid just restating results
• Answer the research question(s) posed
• Emphasize your major finding(s) first
• State your major conclusion
– Based on results presented
Manuscript structureDiscussion Middle
• Interpret your results
– Compare with other studies
• Same or different?
• Explain unexpected results
• Describe limitations
– How could the study be improved?
Manuscript structureDiscussion End
• Restate major conclusion(s)
– In summary … or In conclusion …
• Possible applications and implications
• Suggest future work
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations Reader expectations
• Information is easier to
understand when placed
where most readers
expect to find it
• Good writers are aware of
these expectations
Gopen and Swan, American Scientist 1990, 78:550‒558.
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations Your reader should …
Understand your logic
immediately
Understand your logic
immediately
Not have to read slowlyNot have to read slowly
Only have to read onceOnly have to read once
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations
Subject
Verb
1. Verb placement
• Readers expect verbs to closely follow subjects
Sentence
.
Subject and verb far apart = poor readability
Subject
Gopen and Swan, American Scientist 1990, 78:550‒558.
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations
Subject
Help your reader
• Readers want verbs to closely follow subjects
Sentence
.
Subject
Verb
Gopen and Swan, American Scientist 1990, 78:550‒558.
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations Avoid reader confusion
• Readers become confused if subject and verb
are separated by too much content
The smallest ORF, a 105-nucleotide reading frame found
in the third intron of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
β2 subunit gene, was found to be expressed in response
to long-term treatment with 1 µM cytochalasin D.
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations
The smallest ORF, a 105-nucleotide reading frame found in the third intron of
the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor β2 subunit gene, was found to be expressed
in response to long-term treatment with 1 µM cytochalasin D.
The smallest ORF was found to be expressed in response to long-
term treatment with 1 μM cytochalasin D. This ORF is a 105-
nucleotide reading frame found in the third intron of the nicotinic
acetylcholine receptor β2 subunit gene.
We found the smallest ORF was expressed in response to long-
term treatment with 1 μM cytochalasin D. This ORF …
Avoid reader confusion
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations Which voice?
• Active or passive?
– Blood samples were collected from 256 patients.
– We collected blood from 256 patients.
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations 2. Active voice
• Sentences written in the active voice are:
simple
direct
clear
easy to read
Subject
Verb
Active
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations Active voice is preferred
“Use the active voice when it is less wordy and more
direct than the passive”. (3rd ed., pg. 42)
“Use the active voice when it is less wordy and more
direct than the passive”. (3rd ed., pg. 42)
“Use the active voice rather than the passive voice…”. www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/effective-verb-use.aspx
“Use the active voice rather than the passive voice…”. www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/effective-verb-use.aspx
“As a matter of style, passive voice is typically, but not
always, inferior to active voice”. (15th ed., pg. 177)
“As a matter of style, passive voice is typically, but not
always, inferior to active voice”. (15th ed., pg. 177)
“In general, authors should use the active voice…”. (10th ed., pg. 320)
“In general, authors should use the active voice…”. (10th ed., pg. 320)
“Nature journals prefer authors to
write in the active voice…”. www.nature.com/authors/author_resources/how_write.html
“Nature journals prefer authors to
write in the active voice…”. www.nature.com/authors/author_resources/how_write.html
ACS Style GuideACS Style Guide
APA Style APA Style
Chicago Style
Guide
Chicago Style
Guide
AMA Manual of
Style
AMA Manual of
Style
NatureNature
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations
• Readers focus on information at the end of a
sentence.
.
take-home information
SubjectVerb
3. Stress position
Gopen and Swan, American Scientist 1990, 78:550‒558.
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations Stress position
The dog sat when her mistress offered a treat.
The dog sat when a treat was offered by her mistress.
When the mistress offered her a treat, the dog sat.
• Readers, without thinking, concentrate on the
end of a sentence.
Gopen and Swan, American Scientist 1990, 78:550‒558.
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations
Topic position
.
Stress position
SubjectVerb
• Readers expect a sentence/phrase to be a story
about whoever shows up first
4. Topic position
Gopen and Swan, American Scientist 1990, 78:550‒558.
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations Topic position
• Linkage and context
The family went into the courtyard to see the new
puppy. The dog sat when her owner offered a treat.
Everyone was so excited they broke into applause.
However, as the courtyard was situated right next to
my bedroom, the sound woke me from my sleep.
idea ideaideaidea
Topic link
sentence
Gopen and Swan, American Scientist 1990, 78:550‒558.
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations 5. Short sentences
Reading once…
4% of readers can understand a 27-word sentence
75% of readers can understand a 17-word sentence
Pinner and Pinner (1998) Communication Skills
Reading once…
4% of readers can understand a 27-word sentence
75% of readers can understand a 17-word sentence
Pinner and Pinner (1998) Communication Skills
Goals to aim for:
One idea per sentence
Maximum 25 words per sentence
Less than four 30-word sentences in the manuscript
Goals to aim for:
One idea per sentence
Maximum 25 words per sentence
Less than four 30-word sentences in the manuscript
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations Simple is best
• Simple language is best
• Makes your work more relevant
• Minimizes confusion—maximizes
understanding
• More people will understand your work
– More citations!
Coverage and
Staffing PlanReader
expectations
Help your readers understand
“If you can’t explain something simply,
you don’t understand it well.”
– Albert Einstein
• Write to express not impress
• Consider your audience – their
native language may not be
English
Coverage and
Staffing Plan
Cover letters
First impression for
journal editors
First impression for
journal editors
Significance
Relevance
Significance
Relevance
Level of
English
Level of
English
Why your work
is important
Why your work
is important
Cover letters
Coverage and
Staffing Plan
Cover letters The purpose of cover letters
• Introduces manuscript to journal editor
• A guide for the editor
• ‘Sells’ your work
Coverage and
Staffing Plan
Cover letters
Dear Editor-in-Chief,
I am sending you our manuscript entitled “Techniques to detect
circoviruses in Australian bird species” by Raye et al. We would like to
have the manuscript considered for publication in Virology Methods
Online.
Please let me know of your decision at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely yours,
Warren Raye, PhD
Bad example
Not personalNot personal
Too shortToo short
No information about
the manuscript
No information about
the manuscript
العموميةتجنب
Coverage and
Staffing Plan
Cover lettersProvide details
General
guidelines
General
guidelines
Manuscript title/
publication type
Manuscript title/
publication type
Corresponding
author details
Corresponding
author details
Background,
rationale, results
Background,
rationale, results
Address editor
personally
Address editor
personally
Why are your
findings important?
Why are your
findings important?
Reviewer
recommendations
Reviewer
recommendations
Coverage and
Staffing Plan
Cover lettersAlways include
“Must-have”
statements
“Must-have”
statements
Not currently under
consideration by
other journals
Not currently under
consideration by
other journals
Source of
funding
Source of
funding
Authors agree on
manuscript/journal
Authors agree on
manuscript/journal
Original and
unpublished
Original and
unpublished
No conflicts of
interest
No conflicts of
interest
Authorship
contributions
Authorship
contributions
Coverage and
Staffing Plan
Cover letters
Dear Dr Graeber,
Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled “Amyloid-like inclusions in the brains of Huntington’s disease patients”, by
McGowan et al., which we would like to submit for publication as a Research Paper in Neurogenetics.
Recent immunohistochemical studies have revealed the presence of neuronal inclusions containing an N-terminal portion of
the mutant huntingtin protein and ubiquitin in the brain tissues of Huntington’s disease (HD) patients; however, the role of
these inclusions in the disease process has remained unclear. One suspected disease-causing mechanism in Huntington’s
disease and other polyglutamine disorders is the potential for the mutant protein to undergo a conformational change to a
more stable anti-parallel β-sheet structure…
To confirm if the immunohistochemically observed huntingtin- and ubiquitin-containing inclusions display amyloid features, we
performed Congo red staining and both polarizing and confocal microscopy on post-mortem human brain tissues obtained
from five HD patients, two AD patients, and two normal controls. Congo red staining revealed a small number of amyloid-like
inclusions showing green birefringence by polarized microscopy, in a variety of cortical regions.... ….detected inclusions
observed in parallel sections, suggesting that only a relatively small proportion of inclusions in HD adopt an amyloid-like
structure.
We believe our findings will be of particular interest to the readership of Neurogenetics, which includes researchers and
clinicians studying the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, we feel that your
journal provides the most suitable platform for the dissemination of our work to the research community.
Please address all correspondence to….
Give the
background to
the research
What was
done and what
was found
Interest to
journal’s readers
A good cover letter
الفكرةتحديدعليك
Academic publishing
Results novel?
Topic relevant?
The process
Accepted—
publication!
EditorManuscript +
cover letter
Peer review
Revision
Reject
New experiments
Improve readability
Add information
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer reviewPublication path
Find new
journal
Decision
letter
Rejected
Respond to
comments
Revise
manuscript
Resubmit
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer reviewEditor decisions
Findings well
communicated?
Reviewer
commentsDecision letter
Level of revisions
needed?
Reviewers in
agreement?
RejectWill be
considered
Major/minor revisions
Accept
RareSignificant flaws
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer reviewPoint-by-point
RevisionRevision
Respond to every
comment
Respond to every
comment
Refer to line and page numbers
Use a different color font
Highlight the text
Easy to see
changes
Easy to see
changes
Polite &
professional
Polite &
professional
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer reviewRevision
• Conduct additional experiments and
analyses as suggested
– If this is impossible, you must explain why
• You can disagree with reviewers
• Comply with deadlines
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer reviewHow to disagree
The Reviewer has completely misunderstood our paper. This
Reviewer is a poor choice for our manuscript. Please send our
manuscript to another Reviewer.
The Reviewer’s comment is important in time-resolved systems.
However, our model is concerned with steady-state dynamics;
therefore, the fast femtosecond lifetimes are negligible. We have
clarified this misunderstanding by adding two sentences in the
revised manuscript on page 3, lines 2–7.
Poor response
Better response
Impolite
Justification
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer reviewPoint-by-point responses
Reviewer comment: Some additional fluorescence data are
required to determine the intrinsic radiative singlet decays.
Response: In accordance with your suggestion, we have
provided the fluorescence spectra in the Supporting
Information. Our time-resolved measurements obtained the
intrinsic radiative rates in accordance with the Smith model
[Smith et al, 2011]. We have added two sentences (page 3,
lines 5–10) to explain our analysis and Smith’s model (Ref.
15, page 3, line 8).
Changes made
Location of
changes in revised
manuscript
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer reviewRevised manuscript
“…The steady-state fluorescence spectra shown in Figure 4,
show vibronic structure. Re-adsorption effects are
negligible by using solutions with ODs less than 0.1. The
radiative and non-radiative lifetimes are independent of the
initial intensity of the emitted light. The fluorescence time-
resolved spectra are given in the Supporting Information
(Figures S2 and S3). The fluorescence decay rates are
analyzed based on Smith’s model [15]. In this model the
effects of photon scattering from aggregated polymers in
solution are minimized.”
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer review Understanding reviewer comments
“The English needs to be improved”
“Your writing is difficult to understand”
• Grammar & spelling
• Long, complex sentences and paragraphs
• Gaps in the logic
• Poor manuscript organization
• Too much information
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer review
The grammar and spelling is correct in my manuscript’
‘The authors conclude that the quantum yield
increases; however, they do not give the
fluorescence rates for the individual polymers.
That is one of my concerns about this
methodology.’
Unclear comments
What is the Reviewer asking?
What should the author do?
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer review
The grammar and spelling is correct in my manuscript’
‘The authors conclude that the quantum yield
increases; however, they do not give the
fluorescence rates for the individual polymers.
That is one of my concerns about this
methodology.’
Unclear comments
‘Why didn’t the authors provide the fluorescence rates?’
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer review
The grammar and spelling is correct in my manuscript’
‘The authors conclude that the quantum yield
increases; however, they do not give the
fluorescence rates for the individual polymers.
That is one of my concerns about this
methodology.’
Unclear comments
The authors should provide the fluorescence rates
OR
Justify why the rates have not been given
Publisher
Adaptations
Peer review Conflicting reviewer comments
Reviewer 1: Please provide additional absorption spectra for the
individual dendrimers.
Reviewer 2: I do not think that the absorption spectra for the
individual dendrimers are necessary; however, the authors
should provide the transmission curves for the device.
Agree with a
ReviewerJustify reason Contact Editor
• Edanz
edanzediting.com
– Appendix slides
– Journal selector
– Cover letter templates
– Response letter templates
– Past presentations
– Links
Free online resources
Follow us on Twitter
@JournalAdvisor
Downloads and further reading
edanzediting.com
Like us on Facebook
facebook.com/JournalAdvisor