How to get a paper published Derek Eamus Department of Environmental Sciences

There are several important steps to getting a paper published (I won’t be dealing with the issue of making sure the paper itself is worth publishing or making sure the paper is written well enough)

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

The Process at the Journal Referee’s comments sent to corresponding Editor Editor decides whether referee’s comments are acceptable/sufficiently in agreement not to require additional referees If additional referees required, another report is sought. If not, Editor sends referee’s comments and his SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS to the author, stating what action is required

The Process at the Journal Action required might be –Reject outright - don’t 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

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

Steps to getting a paper published (con) Submit the paper according the Guidelines Deal with the referee’s comments and Editors comments properly and politely Return the Ms quickly with a letter detailing your responses to the Editor and Referees

Let us now go through these steps in more detail

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 the Editor asking whether your proposed paper is in an area covered by the journal)

Reading the Guidelines for Authors Common errors in papers submitted that don’t 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

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?

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 won’t be published and Editors won’t correct it for you

Dealing with referee’s comments Read the referee’s 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.

Dealing with referee’s comments Deal with each referee in turn - don’t jump from referee to referee. Agree, wherever possible, that the referee’s 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 referee’s point, explain how you disagree and why you disagree.

Dealing with referee’s comments Where you disagree with a referee’s 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.

Dealing with referee’s comments Sometimes referee’s miss a point or don’t understand a point you have made. If they don’t understand a point you have made - you’ve 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.

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

What to do if the Editor rejects a paper outright. Read the reports, including the Editor’s 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.

The golden rules for getting a paper published 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

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