How to get a paper published

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How to get a paper published

• Derek Eamus
• Department of Environmental Sciences

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There are several important steps to getting a
paper published

• (I wont be dealing with the issue of making sure
  the paper itself is worth publishing or making
  sure the paper is written well enough)

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The Process at the Journal

• Chief Editor looks at the title and decides
  whether it is broadly within the remit of the
  journal
• Assigns the corresponding Editor (someone most
  closely aligned with the subject of the paper and
  who is an Appointed Editor of the Journal
• The corresponding Editor assigns 2 or three
  referees

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The Process at the Journal

• Referees comments sent to corresponding Editor
• Editor decides whether referees comments are
  acceptable/sufficiently in agreement not to
  require additional referees
• If additional referees required, another report
  is sought. If not, Editor sends referees
  comments and his SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS to the
  author, stating what action is required

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The Process at the Journal

• Action required might be
• Reject outright - dont bother re-submitting
• Minor corrections as outlined by referee
• Major corrections/re-write, but not requiring
  referees to see it again
• Major corrections and re-submission as a new
  paper
• New data/analyses suggested - come back in 6
  months when these are done

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Steps to getting a paper published

• Choose the journal
• Read the Rules for Authors - twice
• Write the paper according to the rules
• Proof read the paper prior to submission
• Have someone else experienced in your field read
  the paper and provide feedback

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Steps to getting a paper published (con)

• Submit the paper according the Guidelines
• Deal with the referees comments and Editors
  comments properly and politely
• Return the Ms quickly with a letter detailing
  your responses to the Editor and Referees

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Let us now go through these steps in more detail
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Choosing the Journal

• Check that the journal has recently published a
  paper in the same topic as yours
• Use International journals of repute
• Seek advice from your peers/supervisors
• (You can email the Editor asking whether your
  proposed paper is in an area covered by the
  journal)

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Reading the Guidelines for Authors

• Common errors in papers submitted that dont
  conform to Guidelines for the journal
• Citation style and References in wrong format
  (reference formats differ substantially between
  journals)
• Headings of sections not correct (Abstract vs
  Summary, for example)
• Too long (word limit)
• Figures not formatted correctly

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Writing in the required format

• Look at
• Citation style in the text and reference list
  format
• Use of bold/italics for headings
• Line spacing
• Rules governing figures and tables
• No of copies to be sent
• Electronic and paper copies required?
• Number the lines of the text?

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Proof reading

• Do it!
• Get a mate to do it too!
• The professional way is to read each page
  backwards
• Do not rely on spell check and grammar cheque to
  do it for you
• If your knowledge and ability to write well is
  poor learn sloppy writing wont be published
  and Editors wont correct it for you

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Dealing with referees comments

• Read the referees comments, get angry, and then
  put the comments away for two days
• Re-read the comments
• Respond to each and every comment specifically
• BE HUMBLE, admit errors and acknowledge where you
  could have written something better.

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Dealing with referees comments

• Deal with each referee in turn - dont jump from
  referee to referee.
• Agree, wherever possible, that the referees
  comments are valid and make the adjustments
  requested. Keep a list of your changes,
  page-by-page, line-by-line.
• Where you disagree with a referees point,
  explain how you disagree and why you disagree.

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Dealing with referees comments

• Where you disagree with a referees point, give
  a rationale for your disagreement, including
  citing the work of others to justify your
  position.
• Do not call the referee a complete wa(. This
  merely pisses off your Editor.

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Dealing with referees comments

• Sometimes referees miss a point or dont
  understand a point you have made.
• If they dont understand a point you have made -
  youve written it poorly so re-write it and
  explain to the Editor what you have done.
• If the referee missed a point, gently explain
  where you made it in the text.

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Dealing with referees comments

• Write a detailed explanatory letter to the Editor
  listing what changes you have made in response to
  each referees comments. Justify where you have
  disagree with the referee.

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What to do if the Editor rejects a paper
outright.

• Read the reports, including the Editors letter,
  then put them away for 1 week.
• Re-read the letter/comments and make amendments
  to the paper as suggested.
• Determine whether more data/analyses are
  required. If yes, collect/reanalyse. If no, send
  to another Journal after making the corrections
  suggested. Use these referees to improve the
  paper for a second attempt.

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The golden rules for getting a paper published

• The paper must be written well
• The paper must be written well
• The paper must be written well
• The paper must make a significant contribution to
  the field
• The paper must be sent to an appropriate Journal
  and conform to the guidelines

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Getting a paper published

• Do not get upset if it takes a few attempts to
  get the process right - it is a steep learning
  curve, but the buzz from being published is GREAT
• BYE
• The END