1. Publishing in Science: Outliers, Closers, & Leaders
Pamela J. Hines, Ph.D. Senior Editor
SCIENCE, AAAS
Washington DC

2. WHO publishes in and reads Science
WHERE are authors and readers
WHAT to publish in Science
WHEN is the research ready
HOW to publish in Science
WHY is it worth the effort

3. Content from a variety of sources
WHO publishes in and reads Science
Content from a variety of sources
Content welcome
- from anyone, anywhere, of any age, without any previous agreement
Research papers
Research Articles
Reports
Brevia
Letters to the Editor
Technical Comments
Content usually - but not always - invited by the editors
Perspectives
Review Articles
Special Issues
Editorials
Book reviews
Content usually written by staff
The news pages .

4. Professional sectors: Readers: All AAAS members get Science
WHERE are authors and readers
Professional sectors: Readers: All AAAS members get Science
Academia
Non-profit
Industry
Teaching
Policy
Crossover rate: 42% of non-industry readers are nonetheless involved with industry

5. Geographical locations: Readers: All AAAS members get Science
WHERE are authors and readers
Geographical locations: Readers: All AAAS members get Science
~ 20% non-US
Of non-US subscribers,
~ 50% in Europe

6. WHERE are authors and readers
Research papers are submitted from all around the world Authors need not be subscribers or AAAS members

7. Research papers are published in all topics
WHAT to publish in Science
Research papers are published in all topics

8. WHAT to publish in Science
What helps
Work that represents a large step forward
Solution to long-standing problem
Broad implications
Overturns conventional wisdom
Clear presentation
Interesting to specialists
Accessible to non-specialists
Optimizes the use of Science formats

9. WHAT to publish in Science
What doesn’t matter
The eminence of the authors
The age of the authors
The prestige of the institution
Whether you contacted Science before submitting
Whether you are from the USA
Whether you are a member of AAAS
The field of inquiry

10. WHAT to publish in Science
What hurts
The LPU
Excessive or unfounded speculation
Repeat examples of a known phenomenon
Insufficient advance over previously published work
Common reasons for manuscript rejection
Topic is not of broad interest
Result is too small of an advance
Conclusions are not convincing
Interpretations are poorly supported
Insufficient mechanistic insight
Insufficient evidence of relevance

11. Papers in Science are or are not like other papers in Science?
WHAT to publish in Science
Papers in Science are or are not like other papers in Science?
Features of papers that might be similar
Importance
Impact
Clarity
Language
Text length
Format
Supplements exist
Features of papers that might be different
Topic
Technology
Methods
Domain
Authors
Locations
Country
Research sites

12. Common reasons for acceptance
WHEN is the research ready
How to define quality?
Science looks for
Outliers
Closers
Leaders
Common reasons for acceptance
Important question
Interesting or unexpected answer
Great science!

13. Think like reviewers and editors:
HOW to publish in Science
Think like reviewers and editors:
The importance
If the interpretation is correct, would this paper be interesting enough?
The data
Robust data?
Appropriate controls?
Original approach?
The presentation
Well written text?
Well organized argumentation?
Thoughtful discussion?
Formats suitable for the journal (length, figures, references, sections) ?

14. HOW to publish in Science
“Learning the Ropes of Peer Reviewing” by E. Pain, in Science Careers web site, August 15, 2008
Assess scientific rigor, significance, relevance, originality
Confirm that you -
Have the relevant technical knowledge
Can meet the time limit
Are free from conflicts of interest
Support your opinions with evidence and clear arguments
Offer advice for improvement
Clarify which improvements are necessary, and which are optional
Be kind and gracious to the author

15. HOW to publish in Science
“What Editors Want” by L. Worsham, in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Sept. 8, 2008
Only submit work appropriate for that journal.
Replicate the style and tone of work from that journal in your own article.
Follow the journal’s style guide and submission rules.
Submit content free of errors.
Place your work in the context of articles in the field.
Accept rejection: “Competition is fierce, so maintain a positive attitude.”
L. Worsham is a professor of English.

16. Submitting a manuscript to Science
HOW to publish in Science
Submitting a manuscript to Science
Should you enquire before? (“presub inquiry”)
Submit the manuscript
Through Science’s web site
Instructions to Authors, length limits, & SOM
If manuscript is rejected, should you appeal?
If manuscript is viewed favorably, should you revise?

17. What happens to your manuscript?
HOW to publish in Science
Over 200 manuscripts
submitted each week
What happens to your manuscript?
Editorial and BoRE analysis
25%
75%
Advice from reviewers
Editorial analysis, revisions,
re-review, & editing 7%
93%
Manuscript
rejected
Publication in Science

18. WHY is it worth the effort?
About Science and AAAS
AAAS, founded in 1848 in Philadelphia with about 400 initial members.
AAAS: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Science, founded in 1880 by Thomas Edison, became the official journal of AAAS in 1900.
Science retains editorial independence.
AAAS is a non-profit organization (
AAAS goals are to advance science and serve society through initiatives in:
science policy
international programs
science education

19. WHY is it worth the effort?
The rejection rate is tough:
~3%
~4%
18%
75%

20. WHY is it worth the effort?
But the visibility is great:
Science is in over 1400 libraries and universities around the world
Site licenses make the journal broadly available online
Over a hundred thousand individuals have personal subscriptions
And they usually pass their copy on to on average 7 other people
Total readership, print plus on-line,
~1 million people every week
Rapid targeted international growth
About 28,000 subscriptions outside the US
Subscriptions doubled in the past ten years
Fastest growth in Asia and South America

21. WHY is it worth the effort?
Access to Science papers
Original research is freely available with registration 1 year after publication
Self-archiving: If an author’s grant agency or institution requires deposition after 6 months in a public repository (such as PubMedCentral) the accepted version can be posted with a link to the final version of the paper in Science
Authors can link to the final version from their website for free access

22. WHAT to publish in Science et al.
The Science family includes:
Science Signaling
Science Translational Medicine
Science Careers
New

23. The editors at Science

24. The American Association for the Advancement of Science
Future meetings
Washington, D.C February 2011
Vancouver, Canada February 2012
Boston, MA February 2013
AAAS seeks to advance science and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people.