Publishing in Biomedical Data

ScienceDr Tyrone W A Grandison

Nov 21, 2015

Why Me?• Been publishing since

1998.• Both journals,

conferences, and traditional media.

• Multiple fields.• Served on Program

Committees since 2000.• Served as an editor

since 2004.• Authored books since

2009.

The Actual Steps 1. Know Your Target / Audience

2. Say Something New

3. Edit Extensively

4. Reference Strategically

5. Make It Difficult for Reviewers to Say “No”

Your Target

Journals: “Review Times”, “Policies on multiple submissions”

Conferences: “Program Committee”, “Workshops”

Be strategic in selecting a venue to target and you will greatly increase the chances of

publishing your paper.

Novelty of Your Work

1. Position yourself within existing scholarship.

2. Then build on that existing knowledge.

Say something New without calling your credibility into question

Two Imperatives

Edit Like Your Life Depends On It

1. Fix Confusing Passages

2. Avoid The Passive Voice

Go Beyond The ‘Quick Skim’

Important Hints:

“Brilliant writing is simple writing, a relevant idea delivered clearly and directly.”

Reference Strategically

1.Go to the original source.2.Reference articles that are widely

cited.3.Cite articles from the journal or

conference that you are targeting.

References Are Your Source of Credibility

Important

Help Reviewers OutReviewing is a lot of work.

Reviewers probably have lots of submissions. Most reviewers are looking

for an easy out.Assuming you’ve followed the guidelines,

reviewers will look for clear oversights in your argument.

Acknowledge opposing viewpoints.Don’t present every reference as hard evidence of a

particular pointAvoid making one-dimensional assertions — such as

cause and effect statements — about complex phenomena.

On The Ground “Cheat Sheet”

Writing Phase Submission Phase Feedback Phase

1. Choose your target carefully.

2. Focus on a credible and novel story that progresses logically, rather than chronologically.

3. Don’t bury your argument.

4. Don’t write and edit at the same time; but edit extensively.

5. Reference strategically6. Think about the

reviewer.

1. Double-check the target.

2. Follow the correct submissions procedures.

3. Don’t repeat your abstract in the initial communication.

4. Make sure your context is clear and compelling.

5. Don’t over-state your methodology.

1. Respond directly, calmly and respectfully to reviewer comments.

2. It is acceptable to challenge reviewers, with good justification.

3. Revise and resubmit: don’t give up after getting through all the major hurdles

4. Think about how quickly you want to see your paper published.

For More Information tgrandison@doc.gov @tyrgr

Resources1.The Science of Scientific Writing2.Nature’s Writing Scientific Papers3.Colorado State University’s Writing The Scientific Pap

er4.PSU’s Scientific Writing 5.About’s Scientific Writing6.Data Science at the NIH7.How To Get Published in An Academic Job - Top Tips Fr

om Editors

8.Tips for Publishing Your First Academic Article 9.UNC-Chapel Hill’s Writing Center10.Scientific Writing - Writing To Persuade