By: Becky Gardner, Lucy Monigle, Tinus van Wyk, T.J. White

R esearch! 1 st author writes the draft E dited by coauthors C oauthors make comments D rafts are revised M anuscript ready for submission P rocess can take months but, the shorter the better!

Things to consider when choosing a Scientific Journal Quality Popularity Reputation Reviews Prestige We like to think of choosing a journal like applying to college, the better the journal, the more it benefits your reputation.

Submit Manuscript Journal editor sends manuscript to 2 anonymous peer reviewers. (extremely critical readers) There are 3 options:  Accept (Rare)  Accept with Revision (Common)  Rejection (Some)

Peer Reviewers and Anonymous Reviewers  Anonymous reviews are important for both social and professional reasons.  Good science is inevitable when anonymity is imposed and reviewers can be as honest and critical as need be without having to worry about being disliked.  Peer reviewers are chosen by the editors based on their credentials and qualifications. “Peers”, are usually scientist who have ample experience and expertise.

Bad Science Bad Writing Duplications Dull Not what the Journals’ customers want to read

Scooping is a common phrase used in the scientific journal editorial process. Scooping occurs when the competition beats you to the chase.

While it seems as though this would be an expensive process it actually does not involve money. Having a paper published is strictly to get ones name and ideas publicized. Being published is an honor that comes with both respect and resignation. So despite the fact you do not get paid it is important to broadcast your work. Peer reviewers are also not paid. It is an honor to review someone’s paper because it means you yourself have been recognized as a creditable, trusted scientist. Your job is to make sure “bad science” is not published and that in itself is admirable.

1 What does one consider when choosing a scientific journal? 2 What is the importance of an anonymous review? 3. How is someone chosen to be a peer reviewer? 4. What is scooping? 5. How much do reviewers get paid? 6. Up to how long can the whole process take? 7. What are reasons for rejection? 8. Why is the importance of getting published?