Thursday, March 13th 2014, Blankenberge, Belgium How to Get Published Author Workshop Powered by Antiviral Research Presented by: Alina Helsloot, Executive Publisher Immunology & Microbiology, Elsevier B.V. E-mail: a.helsloot@elsevier.com Contents 1. Why do scientists publish? 2. Why is it important to submit a good manuscript? 3. What is a good manuscript? 4. How to write a good manuscript - Preparations before starting - Construction of an article - Language 5. Revision and response to reviewers 6. Ethical Issues 7. Summary: what leads to ACCEPTANCE 8. Accepted! What’s Next? Questions 2 1. Why do scientists publish? … to share with the science community something that advances knowledge in a certain field. A research study is meaningful only if… It is clear/ understood/ reproducible it is used Your paper is your passport to your community 3 2. Why is it important to submit a good manuscript? Before submitting an article make sure it is as good as you can make it. Because: it makes YOUR life easier Your chances of acceptance will be increased.  … but also the life of the Editors and Reviewers Editors and Reviewers are often overloaded. Incomplete manuscripts can create great frustration.  4 3. What is a good manuscript? A good manuscript makes readers grasp the scientific significance EASILY Important are both …the CONTENT – useful and exciting …and the PRESENTATION – clear, logical E  mc2 5 4. How to write a good manuscript Preparations before Starting Ask yourself WHY you want to publish your work 6  Have you made a contribution/solved a problem in your field?  Put your work into perspective with existing data  Know the latest results Ask yourself in What FORM you want to submit your work  Full articles / Original articles  the most important papers; often substantial completed pieces of research that are of significance.  Letters / Rapid Communications / Short Communications  usually published for the quick and early communication of significant and original advances; much shorter than full articles (usually strictly limited).  Review papers / Perspectives  summarize recent developments on a specific topic; highlight important points that have been previously reported and introduce no new information; often submitted on invitation. 7 Ask yourself to Which AUDIENCE you want to submit your work  Identify the sector of readership/community for which a paper is meant. Identify the interest of your audience Which journals are read by this community?  Choose the right journal!     8 Aims and scope Accepted types of articles Readership/Community Current hot topics (go through the abstracts of recent publications) TIP: Articles in your references will likely lead you to the right journal. Does the Journal offer Open Access options? What is the Author Processing Charge ($500- $5000)? Is there Green OA via funding body agreements? What about the copyright and user licenses? Antiviral Research supports Open Access Direct link to all OA-articles 9 The Impact Factor (IF)  In addition the IF can give guidance but should NOT be the sole reason to submit to a journal.  The IF indicates the cites to recent items divided by the number of recent items (published in a 2 year period) in a journal: Citations in 2010 to items published in 2009 & 2008 _________________________________________= 2010 impact factor (published in 2011) Total # of items published in 2009 & 2008 10 What influences the IF?   The turnover of research in a certain field influences the IF as more recent citations will be made in a very “fast” area like genetics (bare in mind the IF window of two years). The article type influences the IF, reviews are generally better cited. See graph below. Journals publishing only review articles have a very high IF. 11 Construction of an Article Apply the Guide for Authors to your manuscript, even to the first draft. Is there a Manuscript Checklist ? 12 The general structure of a full article      Title Make them easy for indexing and Authors searching! (informative, attractive, Abstract effective) Keywords Main text (IMRAD)         13 Journal space is precious. Make your Introduction article as brief as possible. If clarity can Methods be achieved in n words, never use n+1. Results And Discussion (Conclusions) Acknowledgements References Supplementary material The process of writing – building the article This is a very individual process, and you should do it in the way that suits you best. Many find it easiest to start spinning the story starting with figures/tables, the actual data. 4. 3. 2. 1. 14 Title & Abstract Conclusion Introduction Methods Results Discussion Figures/tables (your data) The final article GENERAL SPECIFIC GENERAL 15 Introduction Methods, Results Discussion, Conclusion The title “Virus-like particles as a highly efficient vaccine platform: Diversity of targets and production systems and advances in clinical development” Is this a good title? What do you expect from this article? Is it specific enough to tell you what the article is about? Is it concise enough to generate your interest? The title is your opportunity to attract the reader’s attention. Keep it informative and concise. Avoid technical jargon and abbreviations if possible. 16 Abstract 17  This is the advertisement of your article. Make it catchy, and easy to be understood without reading the whole article.  Be accurate and specific  Keep it as brief as possible  A strong abstract encourages the reader to further consider your article. Spend some time on it, and seek advice from your peers Introduction – to convince readers that you clearly know why your work is useful Give overall picture – keep it brief (no history lesson) Current state of knowledge What is the problem? Are there any existing solutions? What are their main limitations? And what do you hope to achieve? 18 Methods – how was the problem studied 19  Include detailed information, so that a knowledgeable reader can reproduce the experiment.  However, use references and Supplementary Materials to indicate the previously published procedures. Results – What have you found? 20 Results 21  Tell a clear and easy-to-understand story, highlighting your main findings  RED THREAD  Be structured (sub-headings)  Only representative results – but do not hide results…  Only results of primary importance (essential to the Discussion) -add Supplementary Materials for data of secondary importance. Discussion – What the results mean  This is your opportunity to SELL your data  Discussion should correspond with the results, not repeat them  Put your results into perspective with previously published data DON’T ignore work in disagreement with yours – confront it and convince the reader that you are correct 22 Discussion: Watch out for the following  Don’t exaggerate  Be specific (say “48 degrees” instead of “higher temperature”)  Avoid sudden introduction of new terms or ideas  Speculations on possible interpretations are allowed, but use caution  Check logic and justifications 23 Conclusions – How the work advances the field from the present state of knowledge Provide a clear scientific justification for your work ATTENTION: DON’T repeat the abstract What have you shown? 24 Indicate possible applications and extensions, if appropriate What does it mean for the field? References  Cite the main scientific publications on which your work is based  Do not inflate the manuscript with too many references  Avoid excessive self-citations  Avoid excessive citations of publications from the same region 30-40 references are appropriate for a full text article 25 Cover letter  View it as a job application letter; it is your chance to speak to the Editor directly  WHY did you submit the manuscript to THIS journal?   26 Do not summarize your manuscript, or repeat the abstract Mention special requirements, e.g. if you do not wish your manuscript to be reviewed by certain reviewers. Language 27  1. Grammar  UK or US spelling? Be consistent!  2. Style "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler” (Einstein)  Be clear  Be objective  Avoid imprecise language (nowadays - currently)  Be brief Suggest potential reviewers  Usually 3-6  Authors in your subject area (see your references)  International NOT collaborators or friends  28 The Peer Review Process technical support Associate editor Assesses scientific quality on the basis of referee reports Reviewer 1 Reviewer 2 Submission workflow for AVR 29 29 Journal manager Final acceptance of Manuscript Oversees the production process Accept OK Checks for basic manuscript requirements Editor in Chief Reviewer 3 5. Revision and response to reviewers  Prepare a detailed letter of response   State specifically what changes you have made to the manuscript.   Give page and line number. A typical problem – Discussion is provided but it is not clear what changes have been made.  Provide a scientific response to the comment you accept; or a convincing, solid and polite rebuttal to the point you think the reviewer is wrong.  Revise the whole manuscript   not just the parts the reviewers point out Minor revision does NOT guarantee acceptance after revision.  30 Copy-paste reviewer comments and address one by one. Don’t miss any point. Do not count on acceptance, but address all comments carefully … and if the paper has been rejected • Remember: it happens to everybody • Try to understand WHY, consider reviewers advice • Be self-critical • If you want to submit to another journal, begin as if you are going to write a new article. • Read the Guide for Authors of the new journal 31 6. Ethics Issues in Publishing Scientific misconduct  Falsification of results Publication misconduct  Plagiarism        32 Different forms / severities The paper must be original to the authors Duplicate submission Duplicate publication No appropriate acknowledgement of prior research and researchers No appropriate identification of all co-authors Conflict of interest 33 The article of which the authors committed plagiarism: it won’t be removed. Everybody who downloads it will see the reason of retraction… 7. Conclusion: What leads to acceptance ?           34 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 research Critically evaluate your own manuscript Ethical rules must be obeyed Accepted! What’s Next? Cite Alert & Usage Alert Author Feedback Programme Highlighting Your Paper Tell Your Research Story! Example of Article Usage Dashboard for Authors 35 Antiviral Research: Key Facts For further information please visit: www.elsevier.com/authors The pre-eminent journal for research on the prevention and treatment of viral diseases Impact Factor: 3.925 Free webcast tutorials on getting published: www.elsevier.com/training webcasts 36 Editor-in-Chief: Mike Bray (USA) Associate Editors: Dale Barnard (USA) David Durantel (France) Jose Este (Spain) Johan Neyts (Belgium) Mark Prichard (USA) Subhash Vasudevan (Singapore) Hui-Ling Yen (Hong Kong) Questions? 37