Journal of Physics Special Topics Mervyn Roy (S6) www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/people/mervynroy

Journal of Physics Special Topics Author, referee and edit papers for the department’s physics journal Authors – write original, quantitative, physics articles Referees – critically review other authors’ articles Editors – review referee reports and make final decision on whether articles are published or not Run in exactly the same way as a professional journal

Why? Practise the skills of a professional research physicist Transferable skills (employability) Formulate problems Communicate scientific results Give and take professional criticism Group work Take part in the formal process of running the journal Media exposure (work with University press office) Publications indexed on Google Scholar!

Paper appears in Journal Publish The process Thursday Paper submitted board meeting Friday report submitted Thursday board meeting Friday Authors formulate problem and write article Editors distribute paper to referees Referees review the article Editors consider referee reports Revisions required Authors correct paper Resubmit for review Authors correct paper Decline submission

Average quality of work = X% The marks Primarily assessed by number & quality of publications & referee reports Groups ranked by journal points submission = 1, publication = 2, referee report = 1, press release = 1-3 Each group’s journal points used to generate module mark points group % mark 80 65 50 Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 X % Points scaled to % mark at end of module. Average quality of work = X%

Assessing the average quality of the work Determined by quality of papers (and website use) Mini-REF exercise random selection of papers re-reviewed by staff each group nominates their best 2 papers for re-review ABCD grades modify journal pts & average % (see next slide) Determined by quality of referee reports are these clearly written; do they follow the guidelines; are criticisms constructive and accurate? Determined by quality of editorial board meetings are these well organised/efficient; are decisions correctly recorded in the website and the minutes; do groups have input? Determined by quality of submitted press releases

ABCD grading modifies journal points: +3 points for A-graded papers, -3 points for D-graded papers (and -1 for the reviewers of these papers) ABCD grading modifies perception of average quality (see pst-authors-guide)

Useful information The journal mr6 website physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index.php/pst Past papers Technical information for using the website Links to comprehensive guides on mr6 website mr6 website www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/people/mervynroy Guide for authors Style guide / template Guide for referees Guide for Editors, and example minutes of the editorial board

Authors Writing a paper All papers must follow the PST style guide www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/people/mervynroy/lectures/pst-authors-guide.pdf All papers must follow the PST style guide www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/people/mervynroy/lectures/pststyleguide.pdf Submitting a paper to the journal physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index.php/pst -> ABOUT -> GUIDE FOR AUTHORS LaTeX typesetting language online guides or get help from staff (workshop Monday 2pm) LaTeX template and other files available from mr6 website

Writing a paper 1 Find an ‘original’ idea Physics Challenge style problems Everyday experience Fiction/Media Undergraduate physics I wonder why… how does that work… what would happen if… Published PST papers extensions, errors, suggestions for further work Papers should be accessible to all MPhys students Avoid overly specialised material (i.e. projects) Think about all areas of physics – not just dynamics! (waves, astrophysics, semiconductors, quantum etc. etc.)

Writing a paper 2 Develop a (simple) model and calculate something quantitative Trends, explanations, analysis better than a single number Can you quantify what your model doesn’t include? Write the paper Communicate your results clearly – use a formal writing style, correct grammar, spelling etc. Avoid jargon/acronyms. Keep it simple. Conform to the style guide Proof read! Work as a group – all group members will be authors of each paper, and receive the same module mark

Writing a paper 3 What is an acceptable standard? see previous issues of the journal make sure the content is appropriate! peer review – so, ultimately, it depends on your peers also see PST authors guide Feedback (how to improve your work) peer review – via referee reports also verbally from MR, GW and as end of module percentage mark

Clear writing: active or passive? It was heard by me on the grapevine I heard it on the grapevine Difficulty was experienced in obtaining the product in a high state of purity The product was difficult to purify In this paper, a structure is suggested for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid We suggest a structure for the salt of deoxyribose nucleic acid Most Journals recommend the active voice because it is clearer and more engaging - it is possible (but more difficult) to write well in the passive voice (but never say `This paper calculates’ etc.)

Writing a paper: some things to avoid Unjustified precision We estimate the mass of a human as 70 kg, g=9.81 ms-2 and F=mg. Therefore the force is 686.7 N Writing out arithmetic F = ma = 70 x 9.81 = 686.7 N Using different fonts for symbols in equations when referenced in the text e.g. mass, m = 2 kg, and F = m a Making over-inflated claims & missing key citations We are the first… This approximation can be used in all cases… Assuming readers & referees can read your mind!

Time management Managing your time is an important part of the module 10 credit module = 75 hours per group member Write as many good papers and reviews as you can… Aim for around 8 6 submitted papers since 2007 groups have published between around 5 to 15 papers. Module marks from around 55% to 90% Workload for a typical group Each group member will write ~2 papers (~5 to 10 reviews) 75 hour module ~2 hrs per review ∴~ 15-30 hrs per paper Keep a time management sheet

Before Friday noon Sign up for a group – and nominate ONE group contact Download an example paper from mr6 website physics -> people/mervynroy/lectures/ Groups P1, P2, A1, A2: example paper 1 Groups P3, P4, A3, A4: example paper 2 Groups P5, P6, A5, A6: example paper 3 Imagine you’ve written the paper. Change the author names, and change the title to reflect your group name Submit ‘your’ paper to the Journal – check the website instructions Read the guidelines for referees and for editors - on mr6 website Read all the example papers - how good do you think they are?

Referees Critically appraise the work of your peers make a judgement on whether or not it should be published This is one of the most important roles in science! Refereeing guidelines www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/people/mervynroy/lectures/pst- referees-guide.pdf Submitting a review physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index.php/pst -> ABOUT -> GUIDE FOR REFEREES

Resubmit for review, or reject Refereeing process Is the physics correct and the paper understandable? no Resubmit for review, or reject yes Is the physics at an appropriate level? no Revisions required yes Is the paper free of minor errors? no yes Publish

Referees Reviews should be rigorous, fair, professional – written politely Criticisms should be constructive – can you suggest ways to improve the work? Include a brief summary of the work at the start of your report – demonstrates that you have read the paper! And is useful for the authors to see if they have explained things as well as they should. www2.le.ac.uk/departments/physics/people/mervynroy/lectures/pst- referees-guide.pdf PST website -> ABOUT -> GUIDE FOR REFEREES

Editors Consider referee reports and author correspondence Have final say on whether or not a paper is published Confirm authors have made minor corrections requested Distribute papers to referees – spread workload This year we will have two editorial boards one for A-groups made up from members of A-groups one for P-groups made up from members of P-groups Membership of the board rotates around group members

Editorial board Everyone takes a turn on the editorial board – employability! Board membership – 1 from each group (changes each week). An ‘independent’ chairperson who returns from the previous week’s board. A staff observer (MR, or GW) Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Volunteers as secretary Chair group A WK 2 Volunteers to return as Chair Chair group E Group A Group B Group C Group D Group E Volunteers as secretary WK 3 Volunteers to return as Chair

Board meetings You must prepare for the board meetings beforehand! Guides for editors Physics -> /people/mervynroy/lectures/pst-editors-guide.pdf physics.le.ac.uk/journals/index.php/pst -> ABOUT -> GUIDE FOR EDITORS You must prepare for the board meetings beforehand! Don’t forget to update the website with a record of your decisions You must minute the meetings – send a pdf copy to mr6 and each a representative of each group

Editorial board Consistency is important The details of how you run the meetings are up to you but different staff supervisors may offer different advice / input Consistency is important role of chairperson, communication between group members Board has members from all groups concerned - including authors and referees this has some big advantages easy resolution of misunderstandings seeing the process from all sides helps you to write better papers but there are also some challenges board members must be ‘fair’

Weekly Deadlines Submission of articles Submission of referee reports Thursdays before 1 pm Submission of referee reports Emails to the editor accompanying resubmission Editorial board meetings Fridays from 2.05 pm to 3 pm – room F10 and F11 booked for the board meeting (Q & A at 2 pm in F11)

Key dates Question and answer sessions (before board meetings) Last chance to submit new papers Thursday 24th Nov - for penultimate editorial board Friday 25th Nov Science Communication Session – date/time TBD PST final editorial board Friday 2nd December - any papers still undergoing review after the final editorial board will count as unpublished Submission of press release Friday 9th December – all accepted papers must be published Submission of module marks to University End of January