1. How to get published in IOP Journals Mingfang Lu, PhD, FInstP Professor of Plasma Physics Chief Representative/Editorial Director IOP Beijing Office Mingfang.lu@iop.org Peking University 29 August 2004 www.iop.org

2. Outline Why publish? What is peer review? Preparing the manuscript Selecting the journal Submitting the manuscript Process at the journal Responding to reviewers

3. Why publish? Getting papers published is the only way to make an impact in your field of research Publications play an important role in career advancement and securing funding Journals are a key part of scientific communication

4. What is peer review? Independent assessment by experts in the field Referees provide constructive criticism and feedback on your paper A ‘filter’ for scientific quality control Publishing a paper in a peer-reviewed journal gives more credibility to your work than if you post it on your own web site Peer review is an essential part of obtaining a grant or publishing in a journal

5. Preparing the manuscript Original work Not previously published Not under consideration for publication in any other journal Scientific quality not quantity of papers Ethical code: Research results Authorship practices

6. Helpful techniques for writing your paper Focus on new and important research results Make sure the language is clear and precise, especially your conclusions Ensure that figures and tables are clear Ensure that the paper is of the right length

7. More helpful tips for preparing your manuscript Allow time for rewriting Use figures instead of tables Ask a colleague to read and comment on an early draft Avoid using too much jargon Check the structure of the paper: Title and Abstract Introduction Results and Discussion Conclusion References

8. Selecting the journal Choose the right one for you

9. Selecting the journal (contd) Check the audience and scope of the journal You can find it in the printed version or on the Web IoP Journals web site - Most recently published IoP papers are available for FREE (journals.iop.org) Contact the Publisher or Editor if in doubt Contact IoP’s Beijing office Browse the back issues to understand the journal’s style and scope

10. Selecting the journal (contd) Which publisher? Why does it matter? Commercial (Elsevier Science, Wiley, Taylor and Francis, Kluwer Academic Publishers) Society publishers (Institute of Physics Publishing, American Physical Society, German Physical Society, Chinese Physical Society)

11. Selecting the journal (contd) Prestige Speed of publication Electronic publication means papers are published online in advance of printed version Visibility E.g. all papers published in IOP journals are free online for 30 days from publication Search facilities in online version ensure other people can find your work easily Alerting service

12. Submitting the manuscript: visit the journal home page For authors

13. Submitting the manuscript: instructions for authors Author guidelines

14. Submitting the manuscript: Web, e-mail or hard copy Fill in online form

15. Process at the journal Editor acknowledges your paper Editor selects referees for the paper Referees send their reports back to the Editor Editor makes decision based on referee reports Adjudicator is selected if the reports are conflicting

16. Referees’ assessment: Scientific Quality Scientific merit: significant new results and originality Accurate and correct Sufficient discussion of the context of the work, and suitable referencing Suitable material for the Journal

17. QUALITY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR IOP JOURNALS Q1 [ ] Makes major contributions to the advancement of the subject world-wide Q2 [ ] Sound, original and internationally competitive Q3 [ ] Sound, original but of limited interest Q4 [ ] Sound but adds little new knowledge to the subject Q5 [ ] Mundane work, not appropriate to an international journal Q1 or Q2 papers are expected Q3 papers may get accepted or rejected Q4 or Q5 papers will be rejected

18. Referees’ assessment: Presentation Title: is it adequate/appropriate? Abstract: is it complete by itself and suitable for direct inclusion in an abstracting service? Diagrams, tables, and captions: are they clear and essential? Text and mathematics: are they brief but still clear? Conclusion: does it summarise what has been learned and why it is interesting and useful? References: objective and up-to-date Clear writing and communication of ideas, readability and discussion of concepts

19. Responding to referees’ comments Read referees’ report and put away for a day! Read them again! Respond to each and every comment specifically Keep a list of your changes Where you disagree, explain why If referee misses a point it is not necessarily his/her fault Be polite! Prepare a detailed covering letter with your response

20. If your paper is rejected Do not despair: treat referees’ comments as a free expert advice You can re-write your article taking into account the suggestions of the referees and re-submit it If you think the review was unfair, appeal to the journal by sending a letter and explaining why you think your work did not receive a fair treatment

21. If your paper is accepted Great - celebrate! The journal will expect you to check your proofs rapidly Nominate another person if you are unavailable Give one copy of proofs to somebody else to read Reply to editor’s queries

22. Brief History Founded in 1874 as “The Physical Society of London” - longest established society for the Physical Sciences First journal - The Proceedings of the Physical Society of London 1874-1967 1917: Institute of Physics Royal Charter: To promote the advancement and dissemination of a knowledge of and education in the science of physics, pure and applied.

24. Present Day 37,000 members world-wide Offices: London, Bristol, Munich, Philadelphia, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo IoPP - Publishing arm of the Institute 40 Journals Electronic archive of all content (1874-2004) 230 staff International business Winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise - three times 90%+ of all journal and book sales outside United Kingdom 90% of all article submissions from outside UK

25. IOP Beijing Office Established in July 2000 Contact top Chinese physicists and physics institutions High quality papers from Chinese physicists to IOP journals Chinese physicists as IOP referees and board members Pre-refereeing and free English polish service to Chinese authors Contact us:IOP Beijing Office Room A512, Institute of Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences 8 Zhong-Guan-Cun Nan San Jie PO Box 603-37, Beijing 100080, China Tel: +86 (0)10 82649679 Fax: +86 (0)10 82649678 E-mail: mingfang.lu@iop.org, iopchina@aphy.iphy.ac.cn www.iop.org

26. Questions ? Welcome to submit more quality papers to IOP journals Please contact: mingfang.lu@iop.org, iopchina@aphy.iphy.ac.cn More at: www.iop.org

27. GOOD LUCK!! Thank you!