How to get your work published Tracy I. George and Szu-Hee Lee Co-Editors-in-Chief International Journal of Laboratory Hematology
Objectives Journal perspective Author perspective The manuscript Problems Authorship Conflicts of interest
What do journals want?
What do journals want? The journals want what their readers want.
What do readers want?
What do readers want? Important information with impact Novel information (new insights, cutting edge) Quality work Readers of different journals will want different things
What is the process for the journals?
What is the process for the journals? Expert Review Peers assess the value and quality of the manuscript Editorial teams assess the priority
Peer Review Public accountability and validity
What are the key elements of a paper?
What are the key elements of a paper? Raise awareness of interest in an article Background information Study approach and analysis Extract and distill the essentials for the readers
Author s Perspective: Key issues
Author s Perspective: Key issues Fast turnaround (competition) Appropriate format (article types) Wide dissemination (apps, website, open access)
Author s perspective 1. Prepare paper 2. Choose journal 3. Submission
The Manuscript Title Formal abstract Concise English used accurately Avoid jargon, slang, and too many abbreviations
Abstract More broadly published than the manuscript Tell the story with the minimum number of words Attract the reader Don t use a meeting abstract in the final paper without updating it
Introduction Summarize the current literature without being repetitive No plagiarism
Materials & Methods Enough detail so that any knowledgeable person in the field could repeat the experiments
Results Provide enough detail to highlight main findings of the manuscript Support with appropriate graphs, images, etc
Discussion Start with main findings Discuss importance of findings and how they relate to the state-of-the art information that you discussed in the introduction Conclude with a section on the significance of your work
Plagiarism the appropriation of ideas, data, or methods from others without adequate permission or acknowledgment Self plagiarization Scott-Lichter D and the Editorial Policy Committee, Council of Science Editors White Paper on Promoting Integrity in Scientific Journal Publications 2009 Update. Reston (VA) 2009.
Plagiarism Most journals use software to assess similarity scores Plagiarism is unethical Avoid inadvertent plagiarism Paraphrase
Image manipulation No specific feature may be enhanced Enhancements must be applied across the image
How to Avoid Trouble Keep original files, not PPT or compressed JPEG formats
Choosing a journal
Choosing a journal Be realistic! What is the significance of your work? Novel? Descriptive or mechanistic findings? Does it fit with the scope of the journal? General or speciality journal? Consider pre-submission inquiries Impact factor is not the only facor
Planning & executing scientific work Anticipate criticisms Test alternatives Plan adequate controls
Manuscript submission Coverletter Concise Explain why you did this work and why it s important Authorship Negotiate ahead of time For many journals, authors are notified at the time of submission
Recommendations of Authorship Substantial contributions Conception or design of work Acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data Drafting work or revising it critically Approve final version of published article Accountable for all aspects of the work
Transparent Handle conflicts during the planning, implementation, writing, peer review, editing and publication of scientific work
After submission Rejection Accept if justified by reviewers comments Accept if based on editorial priorities Consider a rebuttal if the reviewers misunderstood Appeals Polite Unemotional Wait at least a week
After submission Invited Revision Respond to each comment Polite Point by point response May still get rejection after an invited revision
Acceptance! Carefully review galley proofs