Author Workshop: Effectively Communicating Your Research

Transcription

1 Download at: edanzediting.com/turkey2014 Author Workshop: Effectively Communicating Your Research Izmir Institute of Technology September 2014 Bas Straub Institutional Education Manager

2 Effective writing Agenda Turkey Academic Publishing Journal Selection Ethics Manuscript Structure Effective Writing Titles and abstract Cover letter Review

3 Publication output in Turkey Number of articles

4 Publication output in Turkey #1 in the Middle East!

5 Publication output in Turkey S

6 A closer look at Turkey Country Submissions 1 Total rejections Before peer review United States 492,000 49% 31% Spain 140,000 55% 37% Iran 132,000 85% 59% United Kingdom 128,000 53% 34% Turkey 92,000 S 81% 56% Australia 68,000 55% 31% Netherlands 48,000 54% 31% Egypt 44,000 84% 58% Saudi Arabia 16,000 77% 55% 2 Jordan 4,000 84% 59% estimates

7 Be an effective communicator Your goal is not only to be published, but also to be widely read/cited Choose the best journal to reach your target audience Convey the significance of your work to journal editors Logically present your research in your manuscript Write effectively Properly revise your manuscript after peer review Promote your research after publication S

8 Download at: edanzediting.com/turkey2014 Section 1 Academic publishing

9 Customer Academic Service publishing 1. Registration 2. Validation 3. Dissemination 4. Archiving

10 Customer Academic Service publishing The submission process Peer review Results novel? Topic relevant? Author Editor Reject Revision New experiments Improve readability Add information Accepted publication!

11 Customer Academic Service publishing What do journal editors want? Original and novel research Real world applications High quality research Increase impact Interesting to journal s readership Clear and concise English

12 Customer Academic Service publishing Qualities of a highly cited article Relevant topic Significant results Logical presentation High readability Addresses an important problem researchers are facing Findings that advance the knowledge in the field Information and results clearly presented in a logical manner Ideas are easily understood

13 Download at: edanzediting.com/turkey2014 Section 2 Journal selection

14 Journal selection Factors to consider when choosing a journal Aims & scope Speed Open access Impact factor Varies by field Which factor is most important to you?

15 Journal selection Evaluating significance: Novelty How new are my results compared with those already published? New findings Incremental advances Conceptual advances Low to medium impact Medium to high impact

16 Journal selection Evaluating significance: Relevance How broadly relevant is your work? Medical Psychology Engineering Population specific? Restricted to geographical location? How common is the disease? Relevant to business or marketing? Have impact on government policy? How broadly applicable is the design? Is it cost effective? International or regional journal? Broad or narrowfocused journal?

17 Journal selection Evaluating significance: Importance Area of popular appeal Stem cells, tissue engineering, global warming, artificial intelligence Important realworld applications Rice resistant to high salt conditions, shrimp resistant to viral infections

18 Journal selection Journal Selector Insert your proposed abstract

19 Journal selection Journal Selector Recommended journals Filter by: Impact factor Publishing frequency Open access

20 Journal selection Journal Selector Semantic matching terms Journal s aims and scope, IF, and frequency Similar published articles Have they published similar articles recently? Have you cited some of these articles?

21 Journal selection Tips to identify the most suitable journal Identify the interests of the journal editor Identify the interests of the readers S Editorials Review articles Special issues Most viewed Most cited

22 Section 3 Publication ethics

23 Effective writing Ethical treatment of animals Housing Experiments Kept in humane conditions Not over crowded Enough food and water Climate controlled Avoid unnecessary suffering Given anesthesia when possible Not subjected to unnecessary pain

24 Effective writing Ethical treatment of humans Informed consent Participants in a study need to be informed of the: Study objectives Potential benefits or risks involved Confidentiality This is usually written informed consent Templates:

25 Effective writing Data manipulation Fabricate data Move data on a graph Never Manipulate images Hide bad results

26 Effective writing Altering images What kind of changes can be made to images? Overall brightness and contrast, as long as it does not obscure or remove information from the original image Rossner and Yamada. J Cell Biol. 2004; 166: You cannot: Enhance brightness/contrast of only part of an image Cannot crop out/remove unwanted artefacts

27 Effective writing Reusing images You can use a published image in another article Copyright You have to request permission from publisher Cite the original source CC BY Cite the original source

28 Effective writing Salami publishing You should not divide one larger paper into two or more smaller ones If it makes readers think that these are two independent studies Relevant information from one paper not available to reader of other paper Interferes with the critical evaluation of the study One larger paper will have more impact for the field (and more citations!)

29 Effective writing Multiple submissions You can only submit your manuscript to one journal at a time Never submit to multiple journals hoping your manuscript is accepted somewhere

30 Effective writing Submitting to a new journal You can only submit to another journal if: You have been rejected from the first journal All authors agree to formally withdraw the submission from the first journal

31 Effective writing Why is authorship important? Gives credit to those who deserve it! But also determines who is responsible/ accountable for the work being published

32 Effective writing Four criteria for authorship 1. Significantly involved in study design, data collection/analysis 2. Writing and revising the manuscript 3. Approval of final version 4. Is willing to be held accountable for the whole content (accuracy and integrity) andresponsibilities/defining the role of authors and contributors.html

33 Effective writing Who can be an author? During your study, have had help from 4 people: Supervisor Study design, data analysis, writing paper Collaborator Provided materials, reviewed paper Technician Data collection, reviewed paper Post doc Study design, data collection/analysis, writing paper

34 Effective writing Who can be an author? During your study, have had help from 4 people: Supervisor Study design, data analysis, writing paper Collaborator Provided materials, reviewed paper Technician Data collection, reviewed paper Post doc Study design, data collection/analysis, writing paper

35 Effective writing Who cannot be an author? Those who only: provided materials helped with data collection revised/edited the paper Collaborators* Technicians Colleagues *Collaborators who actively participated in the study (the design, data collection/analysis, and writing of the paper) do qualify as an author

36 Effective writing Acknowledgements Thank those who have made positive contributions Funding agencies Nugraha et al. Biomaterials. 2011; 32:

37 Effective writing Gift/ghost authorship Gift authorship Making someone an author when they do not deserve it (friends, colleagues, etc.) Try to make paper more prestigious by adding a big name Adding the department head to every paper from their department Thanking someone for a contributed material Ghost authorship Not making someone an author when they do deserve it Hide conflict of interest (e.g., company employee) If someone did not conduct the study, but wrote the paper (e.g., ghost writer )

38 Effective writing Authorship contributions Some journals require you to state what each author contributed to the study in your manuscript journal.xhtml First and senior authors contributed at every stage Vedula et al. PNAS. 2012; 109:

39 Effective writing Authorship order First author Did most of the work Wrote most of the paper Co authors Did some of the work Wrote some of the paper Senior author Did some of the work Wrote some of the paper (approved final)

40 Effective writing Conflicts of interest Professional, financial, or personal relationships that may bias your research Declare any conflicts of interest to the journal Disclose all sources of funding Disclose personal beliefs Disclose all personal andfinancial relationships Declaration of the role of the study sponsor: study design collection, analysis, and interpretation of data writing of the manuscript

41 Effective writing Example You are doing research on a new drug and Your brother works at the drug company The drug company funded the research You own stock in the drug company You own stock in a competing drug company

42 Effective writing Plagiarism Makes readers think others words or ideas are your own Copying published text Stating ideas of someone else without citing the source

43 Effective writing Self-plagiarism Copying text into your manuscript that you have written and published before Could violate copyright Makes readers think you are presenting something new

44 Download at: edanzediting.com/turkey2014 Section 4 Manuscript structure

45 Coverage Manuscript and Staffing structure Plan Use your figures to structure your manuscript Where to start? Your findings are why you want to publish your work Form the basis of your manuscript First step, is to logically organize your findings Figure 1 Table 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Logical presentation New data

46 Coverage Manuscript and Staffing structure Plan Prepare an outline I. Introduction A. General background B. Related studies C. Problems in the field D. Aims II. Methods A. Subjects/Samples/Materials B. General methods C. Specific methods D. Statistical analyses III. Results A. Key points about Figure 1 B. Key points about Table 1 C. Key points about Figure 2 D. Key points about Figure 3 E. Key points about Figure 4 IV. Discussion A. Major conclusion B. Key findings that support conclusion C. Relevance to published studies D. Unexpected/negative findings E. Limitations F. Implications G. Future directions Introduction What background information you will introduce Methods What analyses you will describe Results What findings you will present Discussion What interpretations, limitations, and implications you will discuss

47 Coverage Manuscript and Staffing structure Plan Introduction General introduction Current state of the field Problem in the field Aims Specific aims

48 Coverage Manuscript and Staffing structure Plan Methods Study design Who/what was used How it was done How it was analyzed Samples or participants Materials General methods Specific techniques (discuss controls) Quantification methods Statistical tests Consult a statistician

49 Coverage Manuscript and Staffing structure Plan Results Logical presentation 1. Initial observation 2. Characterization 3. Application Example: 1. Observe a correlation between depression and Internet use 2. Characterize the severity of depression, time spent online, websites visited 3. Demonstrate decreased Internet use improves severity of depression

50 Coverage Manuscript and Staffing structure Plan Discussion Summary of findings Relevance of findings Implications for the field Similarities/differences Unexpected results Limitations

51 Coverage Manuscript and Staffing structure Plan Discussion the end Why your work is important to your readers The Spanish version of AIDA showed good psychometric properties in Mexico and can be used to assess the construct pathology related identity integration vs. diffusion with reliability, validity, and content equivalence in comparison with the original AIDA questionnaire. This finding supports the cross cultural generalizability of the underlying concept and confirms the importance of culture specific test adaption in addition to literal translation of the questionnaire. Nevertheless, some items should be improved. Therefore, the test version of AIDA Spanish Mexico should be further adapted and should be tested in a more heterogeneous population. Conclusion Implications Future directions Kassin et al. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2013; 7: 25.

52 Coverage Manuscript and Staffing structure Plan Linking your ideas Introduction Methods Results General background Current state of the field Problems in the field Objectives Methodology Results and figures Summary of findings Discussion Relevance of findings Implications for the field Logically link your ideas throughout your manuscript

53 Coverage Manuscript and Staffing structure Plan Linking your ideas Introduction New ways to treat or prevent lung cancer are therefore needed. This study explored the hypothesis that inhibition of TNKS would inhibit lung cancer growth Problem Objectives Discussion Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of TNKS1 and TNKS2 reduces lung cancer proliferation... Conclusion Busch et al. BMC Cancer. 2012;13:211.

54 Download at: edanzediting.com/turkey2014 Section 5 Effective writing

55 Effective writing Reader expectations Information is easier to understand when it is placed where readers expect to find it Good writers are aware of these expectations

56 Effective writing Subject-verb placement Readers expect verbs to closely follow the subject Subject Verb

57 Effective writing Subject-verb placement The viral infection that the patient caught on her recent trip to the outbreak prone areas in Africa spread quickly. The patient caught a viral infection on her recent trip to the outbreak prone areas in Africa, and this infection spread quickly.

58 Effective writing 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 Goals to aim for: One idea per sentence words

59 Effective writing Short sentences The largest company, a British corporation founded in 1916 outside of London by James Pack, was considered to be a model in the development of modern employee conditions by economists. 30 words

60 Effective writing Short sentences 16 words Economists considered the largest company to be a model in the development of modern employee conditions. This company was a British corporation founded in 1916 outside of London by James Pack. One idea per sentence 15 words

61 Effective writing Active voice Sentences written in the active voice are: simple direct clear easy to read Passive The theories evaluating economic growth were investigated. Active We investigated the theories evaluating economic growth.

62 Effective writing Active voice is preferred ACS Style Guide APA Style Chicago Style Guide AMA Manual of Style Use the active voice when it is less wordy and more direct than the passive. (3 rd ed., pg. 42) Use the active voice rather than the passive voice. verb use.aspx As a matter of style, passive voice is typically, but not always, inferior to active voice. (15 th ed., pg. 177) In general, authors should use the active voice. (10 th ed., pg. 320)

63 Effective writing Stress position Which sentence suggests that you will get a raise? 1. You deserve a raise, but the budget is tight. 2. The budget is tight, but you deserve a raise. Readers focus at the end of the sentence to determine what is important.

64 Effective writing Stress position The stress position also introduces the topic of the next sentence The budget is tight, but you deserve a raise. Your salary Stress position will increase at the beginning of next year. Topic position The topic position introduces the idea of the current sentence

65 Effective writing Topic position sentence idea idea idea idea Topic link The patient went to the hospital to see a gastroenterologist. The doctor then performed a series of diagnostic tests. The results showed the patient suffered from a bacterial infection. Antibiotics were prescribed to treat the infection before the patient developed an ulcer.

66 Effective writing Linking your ideas in your manuscript Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for men and women. Despite Topic sentence smoking prevention and cessation programs and advances in early detection, the 5 year survival rate for lung cancer is only 16% with current therapies. Although lung cancer incidence rates have recently declined in the United States, more lung cancer is now diagnosed when considered together in former and never smokers than in current smokers. Thus, even if all of the national anti smoking campaign goals are met, lung cancer will remain a major public health problem for decades. New ways to treat or prevent lung cancer are therefore needed. Stress sentence One potential therapeutic target for lung cancer is the Wnt signaling pathway. The Topic canonical sentence Wnt signaling pathway in mammals consists of a family of secreted lipid modified Wnt protein ligands that bind to a family of 7 pass transmembrane Frizzled (Fzd) receptors, as reviewed Busch et al. BMC Cancer. 2012; 13: 211.

67 Effective writing Simple language Nature s guide to authors: Nature is an international journal covering all the sciences. Contributions should therefore be written clearly and simply so that they are accessible to readers in other disciplines and to readers for whom English is not their first language.

68 Effective writing Simple language To ascertain the efficaciousness of the program, we interrogated the participants upon completion. To determine the success of the program, we questioned the participants upon completion.

69 Effective writing Simple language Avoid Adequate Apparent Endeavor Exceedingly Magnitude Requested Retain Subsequently Sufficient Terminate Utilization Preferred Enough Clear Try Very Size Asked Keep Later Enough End Use

70 Effective writing Unnecessary words Avoid At a concentration of 2 g/l At a temperature of 37 C At a wavelength of 340 nm In order to In the first place Four in number Green color Subsequent to Prior to Preferred At 2 g/l At 37 C At 340 nm To First Four Green After Before

71 Effective writing Unnecessary words 28 words In the first place, in order to determine the critical point of the material, we incubated it at a temperature of 95 C until it became black in color. 18 words First, to determine the critical point of the material, we incubated it at 95 C until it became black.

72 Download at: edanzediting.com/turkey2014 Section 6 Titles and abstracts

73 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Effective titles Important points Summarize key finding Contains keywords Less than 20 words Avoid Questions Describing methods Abbreviations New or novel Your title should be a concise summary of your most important finding

74 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Abstract Relevance of your aims Importance of your results Validity of your conclusions First impression of your paper Judge your writing style Probably only part that will be read

75 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Sections of an abstract Concise summary of your research Background Aims Methods Results Conclusion Why the study was done Your hypothesis Techniques Most important findings Conclusion/implications

76 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Unstructured abstract Our understanding of the mechanisms by which ducts and lobules develop is derived from model organisms and three dimensional (3D) cell culture models wherein mammalian epithelial cells undergo morphogenesis to form multicellular spheres with a hollow central lumen. However, the mechanophysical properties associated with epithelial morphogenesis are poorly understood. We performed multidimensional live cell imaging analysis to track the morphogenetic process starting from a single cell to the development of a multicellular, spherical structure composed of polarized epithelial cells surrounding a hollow lumen. We report that in addition to actively maintaining apicobasal polarity, the structures underwent rotational motions at rates of μm/h and the structures rotated 360 every 4 h during the early phase of morphogenesis. Rotational motion was independent of the cell cycle, but was blocked by loss of the epithelial polarity proteins Scribble or Pard3, or by inhibition of dynein based microtubule motors. Interestingly, none of the structures derived from human cancer underwent rotational motion. We found a direct relationship between rotational motion and assembly of endogenous basement membrane matrix around the 3D structures, and that structures that failed to rotate were defective in weaving exogenous laminin matrix. Dissolution of basement membrane around mature, nonrotating acini restored rotational movement and the ability to assemble exogenous laminin. Thus, coordinated rotational movement is a unique mechanophysical process observed during normal 3D morphogenesis that regulates laminin matrix assembly and is lost in cancer derived epithelial cells. Wang et al. PNAS. 2013; 110:

77 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Unstructured abstract Our understanding of the mechanisms by which ducts and lobules develop is derived from model organisms and three dimensional (3D) cell culture models wherein mammalian epithelial cells undergo morphogenesis to form multicellular spheres with a hollow central lumen. However, the mechanophysical properties associated with epithelial morphogenesis are poorly understood. We performed multidimensional live cell imaging analysis to track the morphogenetic process starting from a single cell to the development of a multicellular, spherical structure composed of polarized epithelial cells surrounding a hollow lumen. We report that in addition to actively maintaining apicobasal polarity, the structures underwent rotational motions at rates of μm/h and the structures rotated 360 every 4 h during the early phase of morphogenesis. Rotational motion was independent of the cell cycle, but was blocked by loss of the epithelial polarity proteins Scribble or Pard3, or by inhibition of dynein based microtubule motors. Interestingly, none of the structures derived from human cancer underwent rotational motion. We found a direct relationship between rotational motion and assembly of endogenous basement membrane matrix around the 3D structures, and that structures that failed to rotate were defective in weaving exogenous laminin matrix. Dissolution of basement membrane around mature, nonrotating acini restored rotational movement and the ability to assemble exogenous laminin. Thus, coordinated rotational movement is a unique mechanophysical process observed during normal 3D morphogenesis that regulates laminin matrix assembly and is lost in cancer derived epithelial cells. Background Methods Results Conclusion Wang et al. PNAS. 2013; 110:

78 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Writing your abstract Write the results section first Key findings that directly support your aims Will be interesting to the readers We report that in addition to actively maintaining apicobasal polarity, the structures underwent rotational motions at rates of μm/h and the structures rotated 360 every 4 h during the early phase of morphogenesis. Rotational motion was independent of the cell cycle, but was blocked by loss of the epithelial polarity proteins Scribble or Pard3, or by inhibition of dynein based microtubule motors. Interestingly, none of the structures derived from human cancer underwent rotational motion. We found a direct relationship between rotational motion and assembly of endogenous basement membrane matrix around the 3D structures, and that structures that failed to rotate were defective in weaving exogenous laminin matrix. Dissolution of basement membrane around mature, nonrotating acini restored rotational movement and the ability to assemble exogenous laminin. Wang et al. PNAS. 2013; 110:

79 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Writing your abstract Write the background section second Explain why this study needed to be done Our understanding of the mechanisms by which ducts and lobules develop is derived from model organisms and three dimensional (3D) cell culture models wherein mammalian epithelial cells undergo morphogenesis to form multicellular spheres with a hollow central lumen. However, the mechanophysical properties associated with epithelial morphogenesis are poorly understood. Problem Wang et al. PNAS. 2013; 110:

80 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Writing your abstract Write the methods section third General techniques used to obtain the presented results We performed multidimensional live cell imaging analysis to track the morphogenetic process starting from a single cell to the development of a multicellular, spherical structure composed of polarized epithelial cells surrounding a hollow lumen. Wang et al. PNAS. 2013; 110:

81 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Writing your abstract Write the conclusion section last Major conclusion that answers the problem Implications for the readers However, the mechanophysical properties associated with epithelial morphogenesis are poorly understood. Conclusion Thus, coordinated rotational movement is a unique mechanophysical process observed during normal 3D morphogenesis that regulates laminin matrix assembly and is lost in cancer derived epithelial cells. Implications Wang et al. PNAS. 2013; 110:

82 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Writing your abstract Our understanding of the mechanisms by which ducts and lobules develop is derived from model organisms and three dimensional (3D) cell culture models wherein mammalian epithelial cells undergo morphogenesis to form multicellular spheres with a hollow central lumen. However, the mechanophysical properties associated with epithelial morphogenesis are poorly understood. We performed multidimensional live cell imaging analysis to track the morphogenetic process starting from a single cell to the development of a multicellular, spherical structure composed of polarized epithelial cells surrounding a hollow lumen. We report that in addition to actively maintaining apicobasal polarity, the structures underwent rotational motions at rates of μm/h and the structures rotated 360 every 4 h during the early phase of morphogenesis. Rotational motion was independent of the cell cycle, but was blocked by loss of the epithelial polarity proteins Scribble or Pard3, or by inhibition of dynein based microtubule motors. Interestingly, none of the structures derived from human cancer underwent rotational motion. We found a direct relationship between rotational motion and assembly of endogenous basement membrane matrix around the 3D structures, and that structures that failed to rotate were defective in weaving exogenous laminin matrix. Dissolution of basement membrane around mature, nonrotating acini restored rotational movement and the ability to assemble exogenous laminin. Thus, coordinated rotational movement is a unique mechanophysical process observed during normal 3D morphogenesis that regulates laminin matrix assembly and is lost in cancer derived epithelial cells. Wang et al. PNAS. 2013; 110:

83 Customer Service Titles and abstracts Writing your abstract Our understanding of the mechanisms by which ducts and lobules develop is derived from model organisms and three dimensional (3D) cell culture models wherein mammalian epithelial cells Background undergo morphogenesis to form multicellular spheres with a hollow central lumen. However, the mechanophysical properties associated with epithelial morphogenesis are poorly understood. We performed multidimensional live cell imaging analysis to track the morphogenetic process starting from a single cell to the development of Methods a multicellular, spherical structure composed of polarized epithelial cells surrounding a hollow lumen. We report that in addition to actively maintaining apicobasal polarity, the structures underwent rotational motions at rates of μm/h and the structures rotated 360 every 4 h during the early phase of morphogenesis. Rotational motion was independent of the cell cycle, but was blocked by loss of the epithelial polarity proteins Scribble or Pard3, or by inhibition of dynein based microtubule motors. Interestingly, none of the structures derived from human cancer underwent rotational Results motion. We found a direct relationship between rotational motion and assembly of endogenous basement membrane matrix around the 3D structures, and that structures that failed to rotate were defective in weaving exogenous laminin matrix. Dissolution of basement membrane around mature, nonrotating acini restored rotational movement and the ability to assemble exogenous laminin. Thus, coordinated rotational movement is a unique mechanophysical process observed during normal 3D morphogenesis that regulates laminin matrix assembly and is lost in cancer derived Conclusions epithelial cells. Wang et al. PNAS. 2013; 110:

84 Download at: edanzediting.com/turkey2014 Section 7 Cover letters

85 Cover letters Significance Relevance Is your work important? Abstract: First impression for readers Cover letters are the first impression for the journal editor Interesting to their readers? Writing style

86 Cover letters Bad example Dear Editor in Chief, No information about the manuscript I am sending you our manuscript entitled Techniques to detect entanglement in cats by Schrodinger et al. We would like to have the manuscript considered for publication in Quantum Theory Frontiers. Please let me know of your decision at your earliest convenience. Too short Sincerely yours, Albert Einstein, PhD

87 Cover letters Building your cover letter Marc Lippman, MD Editor in Chief Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 3 September 2013 Dear Dr Lippman, Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled Evaluation of the Glasgow prognostic score in patients undergoing curative resection for breast cancer liver metastases, which we would like to submit for publication as a Original Article in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

88 Cover letters Building your cover letter Marc Lippman, MD Editor in Chief Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 3 September 2013 Dear Dr Lippman, Journal editor s name Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled Evaluation of the Glasgow prognostic score in patients undergoing curative resection for breast cancer liver metastases, which we would like to submit for publication as a Original Article in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

89 Cover letters Building your cover letter Marc Lippman, MD Editor in Chief Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 3 September 2013 Journal editor s name Dear Dr Lippman, Manuscript title Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled Evaluation of the Glasgow prognostic score in patients undergoing curative resection forbreastcancerlivermetastases, which we would like to submit for publication as a Original Article in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

90 Cover letters Building your cover letter Marc Lippman, MD Editor in Chief Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 3 September 2013 Journal editor s name Dear Dr Lippman, Manuscript title Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled Evaluation of the Glasgow prognostic score in patients undergoing curative resection forbreastcancerlivermetastases, which we would like to submit for publication as a Original Article in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. Publication type

91 Cover letters Building your cover letter Second paragraph: Current state of the field Problem researchers are facing The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is of value for a variety of tumours. Several studies have investigated the prognostic value of the GPS in patients with metastatic breast cancer, but few studies have performed such an investigation for patients undergoing liver resection for liver metastases. Furthermore, there are currently no studies that have examined the prognostic value of the modified GPS (mgps) in these patients. The present study evaluated the mgps in terms of its prognostic value for postoperative death in patients undergoing liver resection for breast cancer liver metastases.

92 Cover letters Building your cover letter Second paragraph: Current state of the field Problem researchers are facing The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is of value for a variety of tumours. Several studies have Introduction investigated the prognostic value of the GPS in patients with metastatic breast cancer, but few studies have performed such an investigation for patients undergoing liver resection for liver metastases. Furthermore, there are currently no Problem studies that have examined the prognostic value of the modified GPS (mgps) in these patients. The present study evaluated the mgps in terms of its prognostic value for postoperative death in patients Objectives undergoing liver resection for breast cancer liver metastases.

93 Cover letters Building your cover letter Third paragraph: Briefly describe your methodology Summarize your key findings A total of 318 patients with breast cancer liver metastases who underwent hepatectomy over a 15 year period were included in this study. The mgps was calculated based on the levels of C reactive protein and albumin, and the disease free survival and cancerspecific survival rates were evaluated in relation to the mgps. Overall, the results showed a significant association between cancerspecific survival and the mgps and carcinoembryonic antigen level, and a higher mgps was associated with increased aggressiveness of liver recurrence and poorer survival in these patients.

94 Cover letters Building your cover letter Third paragraph: Briefly describe your methodology Summarize your key findings A total of 318 patients with breast cancer liver metastases who underwent hepatectomy over a 15 year period were included in this study. The mgps was calculated Methods based on the levels of C reactive protein and albumin, and the disease free survival and cancerspecific survival rates were evaluated in relation to the mgps. Overall, the results showed a significant association between cancerspecific survival and the mgps and carcinoembryonic antigen level, Key results and a higher mgps was associated with increased aggressiveness of liver recurrence and poorer survival in these patients.

95 Cover letters Building your cover letter Fourth paragraph: Why interesting to the journal s readership This study is the first to demonstrate that the preoperative mgps, a simple clinical tool, is a useful prognostic factor for postoperative survival in breast cancer patients undergoing curative resection for liver metastases. This information is immediately clinically applicable for surgeons and medical oncologists treating such patients. As a premier journal covering breast cancer treatment, we believe that Breast Cancer Research and Treatment is the perfect platform from which to share our results with all those concerned with breast cancer.

96 Cover letters Building your cover letter Fourth paragraph: Why interesting to the journal s readership This study is the first to demonstrate that the preoperative mgps, a simple clinical tool, is a useful Conclusion prognostic factor for postoperative survival in breast cancer patients undergoing curative resection for liver metastases. This information is immediately clinically applicable for surgeons and medical oncologists treating such patients. As a premier journal Relevance covering breast cancer treatment, we believe that Breast Cancer Research and Treatment is the perfect platform from which to share our results with all those concerned with breast cancer.

97 Cover letters Building your cover letter Fourth paragraph: Why interesting to the journal s readership This study is the first to demonstrate that the preoperative mgps, a simple clinical tool, is a useful prognostic factor for postoperative survival in breast cancer patients undergoing curative resection for liver metastases. This information is immediately clinically applicable for surgeons and medical oncologists treating such patients. As a premier journal covering breast cancer treatment,we believe that Breast Cancer Research and Treatment is the perfect platform from which to share our results with all those concerned with breast cancer. Target your journal keywords from the Aims and Scope

98 Cover letters Building your cover letter Last paragraph: Disclaimers related to publication ethics Source of funding Conflicts of interest We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors have approved the manuscript, including authorship and order of authorship, and agree with submission to the Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. This study was funded by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

99 Cover letters Building your cover letter Last paragraph: Disclaimers related to publication ethics Source of funding Conflicts of interest We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors have approved the manuscript, including Ethics authorship and order of authorship, and agree with submission to the Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. This Funding study was funded by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Conflicts The of authors interesthave no conflicts of interest to declare.

100 Cover letters Building your cover letter Other important information: Recommended reviewers Author s contact information We would like to recommend the following reviewers to evaluate our manuscript: 1. Reviewer 1 and contact information 2. Reviewer 2 and contact information 3. Reviewer 3 and contact information 4. Reviewer 4 and contact information Please address all correspondence to:

101 Cover letters Building your cover letter Other important information: Recommended reviewers Author s contact information We would like to recommend the following reviewers to evaluate our manuscript: 1. Reviewer 1 and contact information 2. Reviewer 2 and contact information 3. Reviewer 3 and contact information 4. Reviewer 4 and contact information Reviewers Contact information Please address all correspondence to:

102 Cover letters A good cover letter Marc Lippman, MD Editor in Chief Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 3 September 2013 Dear Dr Lippman, Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled Evaluation of the Glasgow prognostic score in patients undergoing curative resection for breast cancer liver metastases, which we would like to submit for publication as an Original Article in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.. The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is of value for a variety of tumours. Several studies have investigated the prognostic value of the GPS in patients with metastatic breast cancer, but few studies have performed such an investigation for patients undergoing liver resection for liver metastases. Furthermore, there are currently no studies that have examined the prognostic value of the modified GPS (mgps) in these patients. The present study evaluated the mgps in terms of its prognostic value for postoperative death in patients undergoing liver resection for breast cancer liver metastases. A total of 318 patients with breast cancer liver metastases who underwent hepatectomy over a 15 year period were included in this study. The mgps was calculated based on the levels of C reactive protein and albumin, and the disease free survival and cancer specific survival rates were evaluated in relation to the mgps. Prognostic significance was retrospectively analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. Overall, the results showed a significant association between cancer specific survival and the mgps and carcinoembryonic antigen level, and a higher mgps was associated with increased aggressiveness of liver recurrence and poorer survival in these patients. This study is the first to demonstrate that the preoperative mgps, a simple clinical tool, is a useful prognostic factor for postoperative survival in breast cancer patients undergoing curative resection for liver metastases. This information is immediately clinically applicable for surgeons and medical oncologists treating such patients. As a premier journal covering breast cancer treatment, we believe that Breast Cancer Research and Treatment is the perfect platform from which to share our results with all those concerned with breast cancer. We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors have approved the manuscript, including authorship and order of authorship, and agree with submission to Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. This study was funded by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. We would like to recommend the following reviewers to evaluate our manuscript: Reviewer 1 and contact information Reviewer 2 and contact information Reviewer 3 and contact information Reviewer 4 and contact information Please address all correspondence to: We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Yours sincerely,

103 Cover letters A good cover letter Marc Lippman, MD Editor in Chief Breast Cancer Research and Treatment 3 September 2013 Dear Dr Lippman, Manuscript information Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled Evaluation of the Glasgow prognostic score in patients undergoing curative resection for breast cancer liver metastases, which we would like to submit for publication as an Original Article in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.. The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is of value for a variety of tumours. Several studies have investigated the prognostic value of the GPS in patients with metastatic breast cancer, but few studies have performed such an investigation for patients undergoing liver resection for liver metastases. Furthermore, there are currently no studies that have examined the prognostic value of the modified GPS (mgps) in these patients. The present study evaluated the mgps in terms of its prognostic value for postoperative death in patients undergoing liver resection for breast cancer liver metastases. A total of 318 patients with breast cancer liver metastases who underwent hepatectomy over a 15 year period were included in this study. The mgps was calculated based on the levels of C reactive protein and albumin, and the disease free survival and cancer specific survival rates were evaluated in relation to the mgps. Prognostic significance was retrospectively analyzed by univariate and multivariate analyses. Overall, the results showed a significant association between cancer specific survival and the Key mgps and findings carcinoembryonic antigen level, and a higher mgps was associated with increased aggressiveness of liver recurrence and poorer survival in these patients. This study is the first to demonstrate that the preoperative mgps, a simple clinical tool, is a useful prognostic factor for postoperative survival in breast cancer patients undergoing curative resection for liver metastases. This information is immediately clinically applicable for surgeons and medical oncologists treating such patients. As a premier journal covering breast cancer treatment, we believe that Breast Cancer Research and Treatment is the perfect platform from which to share our results with all those concerned with breast cancer. We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors have approved the manuscript, including authorship and order of authorship, and agree with submission to Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. This study was funded by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. We would like to recommend the following reviewers to evaluate our manuscript: Reviewer 1 and contact information Reviewer 2 and contact information Reviewer 3 and contact information Reviewer 4 and contact information Please address all correspondence to: We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Yours sincerely, Background Relevance Disclaimers Recommended reviewers

104 Cover letters Why recommend reviewers? Reviewers recommended by authors are usually more favorable 1. Scharschimidt et al. J Clin Invest. 1994; 93: Earnshaw & Farndon. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2000; 82: Grimm. Science 2005; 309: Wager et al. BMC Med. 2006; 4: Schroter et al. JAMA 2006; 295: Rivara et al. J Pediatr. 2007; 151: Bornmann & Daniel. Res Eval. 2009; 18: Bornmann & Daniel. PLoS One 2010; 5: e13345.

105 Cover letters Recommending reviewers Where to find them? From your reading/references, networking at conferences How senior? Aim for mid level researchers Who to avoid? Collaborators (past 5 years), researchers from same institution Look for reviewers who have published in your target journal

106 Cover letters Choose internationally 1 or 2 reviewers from Asia 1 or 2 reviewers from Europe 1 or 2 reviewers from North America Journal editors want to see an international list for 2 reasons: 1. Shows that you are familiar with your field worldwide 2. Shows that your research is relevant worldwide Increased readership increased citations increased impact factor

107 Download at: edanzediting.com/turkey2014 Section 8 Peer review

108 Peer review What reviewers are looking for The science Relevant hypothesis Good study design Appropriate methodology Good data analyses Valid conclusions The manuscript Logical flow of information Manuscript structure and formatting Appropriate references High readability

109 Peer review Decision letter 25 March 2014 Dear Dr. Robens, Manuscript ID NRL : Presenteeism among Turkish employees: Personality and job stress Decision Your manuscript has been reviewed, and we regret to inform you that based on our Expert reviewers comments, it is not possible to further consider your manuscript in its current form for publication in Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal. Reason Although the reviews are not entirely negative, it is evident from the extensive comments and concerns that the manuscript, in its current form, does not meet the criteria expected of papers in Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal. The results appear to be too preliminary and incomplete for publication at the present time. Comments The reviewer comments are included at the bottom of this letter. I hope the information provided by the reviewers will be helpful in future. Thank you for your interest in the journal and I regret that the outcome has not been favorable at this time.

110 Peer review Most common revisions Experimental References Writing New experiments New analyses Additional studies Remove self citations Add/remove information Increase readability

111 Peer review Writing response letters Read by the journal editor, not the reviewers Respond to every reviewer comment Easy to see changes Refer to line and page numbers Use a different color font Highlight the text

112 Peer review Writing response letters Dr Mark Ellenbogen Editor in Chief Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal Address editor personally 3 September 2013 Dear Dr Ellenbogen, Re: Resubmission of manuscript reference No.WJS Manuscript ID number Thank reviewers Please find attached a revised version of our manuscript originally entitled Presenteeism among Turkish employees: Personality and job stress, which we would like to resubmit for consideration for publication in the Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal. The reviewer s comments were highly insightful and enabled us to greatly improve the quality of our manuscript. In the following pages are our point by point responses to each of the comments. Revisions in the manuscript are shown as underlined text. Inaccordancewiththefirstcomment,thetitlehasbeen revised and the entire manuscript has undergone substantial English editing. We hope that the revisions in the manuscript and our accompanying responses will be sufficient to make our manuscript suitable for publication in the Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal. Highlight major changes

113 Peer review Agreeing with reviewers Reviewer Comment: In your analysis of the data you have chosen to use a somewhat obscure fitting function (regression). In my opinion, a simple Gaussian function would have sufficed. Moreover, the results would be more instructive and easier to compare to previous results. Agreement Response: We agree with the reviewer s assessment of the analysis. Our tailored function, in its current form, makes it difficult to tell that this measurement constitutes a significant improvement over previously reported values. We describe our new analysis using a Gaussian fitting function in our revised Results section (Page 6, Lines 12 18). Revisions Location

114 Peer review Disagreeing with reviewers Reviewer Comment: In your analysis of the data you have chosen to use a somewhat obscure fitting function (regression). In my opinion, a simple Gaussian function would have sufficed. Moreover, the results would be more instructive and easier to compare to previous results. Response: Although a simple Gaussian fit would facilitate comparison with the results of other Evidence studies, our tailored function allows for the analysis of the data in terms of the Smith model [Smith et al., 1998]. We have now explained the use of this function and the Smith model in Revisions our revised Discussion section (Page 12, Lines 2 6). Location