1. Publishing and Presenting Scientific Papers
GEO 518
Dawn Wright and Anne Nolin
Adapted from the PPT of Jaroslav Mackerle, Linköping Institute of Technology, Linköping, Sweden, by way of Keith Clarke’s Geog 200A course at UCSB
Adapted from the PPT of Jaroslav Mackerle, Linköping Institute of Technology, Linköping, Sweden, by way of Keith Clarke’s Geog 200A course at UCSB

2. Introduction
A naturalist’s life would be happy one if he had only to observe and never to write (Charles Darwin)
In science, no matter how spectacular the results are, the work is not completed until the results are published.
Let’s explore the main steps from rough manuscript to published paper.

3. Contents From an idea by way of rules to the published paper
kinds of scientific written communication
scientific writing in general
IMRaD format
paper organization
paper writing
paper submission
the editing process
proof-reading
… and pointers to reading
From an idea
by way of rules
to the published paper

4. Scientific written communication
Reports
Theses or dissertations
Journal articles
Books and book chapters
Technical manuals/users guides
Research or grant proposals
Slide presentations
Posters

5. Scientific writing in general
Subject
Purpose
to exchange the scientific knowledge
to ask and answer specific questions
Audience
scientists and those interested in the subject
a publisher or an editor

6. ”IMRaD” format Introduction Methods Results and Discussion
What problem was studied? What others and you did? Your study area.
How do you did it?
What did you find out?
What do your findings mean?... Combine w/conclusion/summary and future plans

7. Other types of journal papers
Review
Technical note
Letter to the editor
State-of-the-Art
Example of other types of articles, including technical notes or data briefs:

8. Steps in scientific journal writing
Cowriters
Referees
Writer
Journal editor
Readers

9. Paper organization Introduction
call attention to the specific subject, define the problem
provide background and present the results of other studies (literature review)
list the structure of your research project and what you plan to present in your paper
Reading a scientific article isn’t the same as reading a detective story. We want to
know from the start that the butler did it (Ratnoff, 1981)

10. Paper organization Methods
complete information of materials and methods used, conditions present, actions, experimental design, etc.
this section usually has subheadings; when possible match those to be used in Results
enough information must be given so that the models/experiments can be reproduced
ask a colleague if he/she can follow the methodology

11. Paper organization Results
display of data with logical development showing how your findings satisfy your objectives
where possible give illustrative examples and compare those with known results from literature
use tables and figures
the fool collects facts; the wise man selects them (J. W. Powell, 1888)

12. Paper organization Discussion Conclusion or Summary
the hardest section to write
discuss, without just repeating the Results
show the relationship among observed facts
Conclusion or Summary
state your conclusion(s) as clearly as possible
summarize evidence for each conclusion
end with a short statement regarding the significance of your work

13. Literature Review Revisited
Exploring ideas on your subject
gaps in research on a subject of interest
existence of any duplication to your work
Conducting a specific search
manually in the library
on-line searching
Keep up-to-date with the specific subject

14. A rough draft perhaps but ….
Will you have co-authors?
Which journal to submit your manuscript?
How soon will it be published?
How to deal with editors?

15. Journals - Publishers Professional societies Professional publishers
AAG
AGU
URISA
ESA
AFS
Professional publishers
Elsevier
Pergamon Press
Springer Verlag
J Wiley & Sons
Kluwer Academic Publishing
Blackwell
Taylor & Francis
Academic Press
AAG - Association of American Geographers,
AGU - American Geophysical Union,
ESA - Ecological Society of America,
AFS - American Fisheries Society,
Elsevier
Pergamon Press
Springer Verlag
J Wiley & Sons
Kluwer Academic Publ. nl/
MCB University Press
IOP Publishing
Academic Press

16. Where to submit the manuscript
The prestige factor
The circulation factor
The frequency factor
The audience factor
What is the publisher’s practice w/libraries?
Will they have access to the journal for reasonable price???

17. Journal Citation Reports
jcrweb.com

18. Paper writing Write a rough outline first, fill it in
A rough draft is ready
Select the journal and read Instructions to Authors (manuscript requirements: style in headings, the system for citations, figures and tables, etc.)
Write the final manuscript
Write or refine your abstract
Carefully choose keywords (increases success with e-databases and search engines)

19. The final draft Front Matter Article Body (IMRaD) End Matter
Title (fewest possible words that describe the contents)
Author’s (co-authors) name and address
Abstract (miniversion of the paper, no citations)
Keywords
Article Body (IMRaD)
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion/Conclusion
End Matter
Acknowledgment (technical help and financial assistance)
References (EndNote has style guides)
Appendices

20. Abstracts Descriptive abstract Informative abstract
or topical abstract, describes the contents but contains too little substance and detail
Informative abstract
self-explanatory report on a scientific investigation (research objectives for conducting the investigation, the basic method used, and the results and significant conclusions) to 250 words
Extended abstract (conference proceedings)
Don’t ignore those keywords!

21. Citations and references
For a better credibility you have to review the literature and show that your contribution extends from a solid foundation of research
Quality and quantity of the sources you have consulted will enhance your work
You have make it possible for readers to retrace your steps
Your references can be as valuable as your research methods and findings
Check Information for Authors section

22. Citations: Name-year system
Examples in the text:
Salwasser (1992) developed a …
…realism or humanism (Schmitt, 1986).
Many other have surveyed (Schmitt, 1986; Teal, 1981)
References
Salwasser, K. Landscape Metrics, …… 1999.
Schmitt, L. A. Symposium and concluding remarks,…1986.
Teal, D.W. … 1981
Note: list of references in author alphabetical order

23. Ethics of scientific writing
Avoid dual publication
Don’t use the work of others without appropriate attribution
List only those co-authors who contributed substantially to the work

24. Final submission In-house reviews required?
Submit the paper to the journal’s editor (only to one journal)
Hard-copy of manuscript (usually three or more copies)
Disk of the same version
Text: Word, Word Perfect, TeX/LaTeX, etc.
Figures: tif, gif, postscript, etc.
E-Journal submission

25. Editing process
Editor logs a manuscript and sends an acknowledgement that the paper has been received
Editor sends the manuscript to reviewers
On the basis of the reviews and the editor’s opinion, your paper will be accepted, conditionally accepted, or rejected.

26. Checklist for referees

27. Proof-reading Proof-reading and return to the editor
Copyright transfer
Offprint order
Davis, M. Scientific Papers and Presentations, p.88

28. Copyright Statement from Journal
Be sure to read thoroughly
For theses read UMI Microfilm statement
Make sure you agree with points
Will you be free to send or post to web the final pdf??

29. Congratulations

30. Bibliography
Davis, M. Scientific Papers and Presentations, Academic Press, 1997
Day, R. A. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 4th Ed., Cambridge University Press, 1995
Michaelson, H. B. How to Write and Publish Engineering Papers and Reports, 3rd Ed., Oryx Press, 1990
O’Connor, M. Writing Successfully in Science, Academic Press, 1991
Paradis, J. G. and Zimmerman, M. L. The MIT Guide to Science and Engineering Communication, MIT Press, 1997

31. … and more books
Briscoe, M.H. A Researcher’s Guide to Scientific and Medical Illustrations, Springer-Verlag, NY, 1990
Hodges, E. R. S. The Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration, Van Nostrand-Reinhold, NY, 1989
Reynolds, L. and Simmonds, D. Presentation of Data in Science, Nijhoff, Hague, 1983
Smith, R. V. Graduate Research: A Guide for Students in the Science,ISI Press, Philadelphia, 1984
Stock, M. A Practical Guide to Graduate Research, McGraw-Hill, NY, 1985