How to be More Prolific A Strategy for Writing and Publishing Scientific Papers

Transcription

1 How to be More Prolific A Strategy for Writing and Publishing Scientific Papers William F. Laurance Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa, Panamá

2 Agenda A few words about data analysis Finding a place to work Writing habits Keeping momentum Strategies For writing scientific papers For submitting papers For dealing with reviews and editors For building your c.v.

3 Organizing Analysis & Writing Use folders to organize your projects One folder per manuscript Data, notes, relevant articles, drafts of the paper, editorial correspondence, etc.

4 Files quickly proliferate, and keeping track of them is critical On inside of folder, list all text, data, and graphics files, with a brief description of each Save the old folders Permanent record of all your files File Management

5 A Place for Writing Peaceful Quiet, dark, isolated, white noise No distractions Clear your desk except for things relevant to your paper Absolutely no or phone Avoid shared offices if possible; seek solitude

6 Help yourself focus Nothing to read or look at except your computer Especially critical for extroverts* *But to formulate their ideas, extroverts often find it helpful to talk things over with someone

7 Make Writing a Habit Have a sacred time for writing most days Early mornings are often best I start at 6:00 AM and immediately begin writing or data analysis Easy on the caffeine Better to be relaxed than hyped The more you do it, the easier it gets

8 Don t t try to write if you re really tired Have a nap and then start again fresh Be happy if you get in four good hours a day

9 Momentum is Critical Work on just one thing at a time Stopping and starting is incredibly time-inefficient inefficient When working on a paper, do a little bit every day (even on weekends) If you don t t feel like writing, just turn on your computer and write one sentence If you don t t want to continue then stop but just getting started is often the hardest part Keep going until you finish the manuscript

10 Take Advantage of Writing Carry a laptop Opportunities Riding on buses Flying on airplanes Carry extra batteries on longer trips If you suddenly get inspired, stop what you re doing and get some things down on paper I outlined this entire talk in one evening, when my wife got me inspired.

11 Strategies for Writing Papers Don t t be a perfectionist Avoid the trap of trying to write a paper for a great journal Instead, focus mentally on just writing for an OK journal

12 More Strategies for Writing Do your data analysis first spend spend plenty of time on this When you begin the analysis, also start creating an outline for your paper Make a title page Insert headings for Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Literature Cited As you re doing analysis, insert any ideas that occur to you under the various headings By the time you ve finished analysis, you ll have your paper largely outlined

13 Six Steps for Crafting a Paper 1) Do lots of analysis to explore your data thoroughly 2) As you work, create publication-quality figures and tables that display your key findings 3) Summarize your main results (including statistical tests) in the Results section as you go e.g. Tree mortality was significantly higher near forest edges than in i forest interiors (F( 1,24 =6.74, P=0.006; One-way ANOVA). 4) As you analyze the data, insert ideas within your paper outline, as discussed above 5) Once you re comfortable with your story, write your Abstract first (the road map ) 6) Then write the manuscript, starting with the Introduction and progressing directly through the paper Getting the first draft is the hardest part, so don t t be perfectionistic: just write the paper and you can edit it later

14 Hints about Scientific Writing Write clearly and simply Nature is complicated; our goal is to simplify it Always assume that your reader is an interested undergraduate with only modest familiarity with your field Greatly minimize use of arcane terms e.g. stenotropic, chemotaxis, brachytelous, polyphagous Always define any terms that aren t t common knowledge

15 More Hints Start your Introduction with a short paragraph: this enhances readability Try to hook your reader Avoid really long paragraphs, and use lots of subheadings Although study weaknesses can be hidden in longer paragraphs Use good topical sentences throughout (simple, direct) A question can sometimes be a good topical sentence e.g. So why do edge effects change as forest fragments age? Results are often hard to follow, so after each paragraph or two, insert a summary sentence that encapsulates the main results of the preceding text (using Thus, Hence, Therefore, Consequently, etc.) Don t t waste a sentence pointing out a figure or table e.g. The main patterns are shown in Table 1 1 Rather, Tree mortality was sharply elevated near forest edges (Table 1). Each word costs 50 cents

16 Yet More Hints Make your writing more dynamic by (1) not overqualifying your results, (2) using first-person style where possible, and (3) employing active verbs e.g. These results suggest that frogs may be dying from a chytrid fungus. (passive, overqualified) Rather, Our findings suggest that a chytrid fungus is killing rainforest frogs. (first-person, more punchy and direct) Summarize your key findings in the first paragraph of the Discussion (many people read just the Abstract and Discussion) Possibly also have a Summary section at the end of the paper Restating your key conclusions in different ways helps to reinforce rce your message

17 OK, Enough Hints Already Don t t make the reader have to work to understand your paper Most scientists are really busy Figures are a great way to present information Easy to absorb quickly Captions should stand on their own be complete and clear, but not cluttered with too much information. When writing, determine which journal you want to submit to and use that format from the outset Don t t waste time reformatting your paper Once you finish the first draft, put the paper away for a week and then look at it again with a fresh eye

18 The Pre-Review Once you have a draft manuscript, send it to colleagues for comments Be sure to send it to the potential referees you fear most Cite them prominently in the Acknowledgements, and possibly also in the covering letter to the editor A tough critic during pre-review review is your best friend But remember that a third of everything reviewers say is crap

19 Submitting Your Paper Follow the submission instructions exactly Especially the format guidelines Write a compelling cover letter to the editor Really sell the paper (vital these days when many papers are being returned without review) Exude competence and professionalism

20 The Review Process When the reviews arrive, drop whatever you re doing and work on the revision A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Turning around the paper quickly shows the editor you re on top of things Unless the editor tells you your paper is the biggest pile of doo-doo he s s ever seen, revise and resubmit the paper Even if the door is open just a tiny crack, don t t give up Editors are under great pressure to reject papers, so they ll often grasp at any excuse to do so Don t t take reviews personally!

21 Responding to the Reviews The cover letter is critical Should be highly convincing and if necessary, fairly lengthy, addressing each of the referees significant points in turn (e.g. my 2004 letter to Nature was 22 pages) Take the high road Emphasize that the manuscript has been markedly improved by the refereeing process Try to be positive about the referees reports; indicate key differences of opinion but don t t emphasize them An editor has far more difficulty rejecting a paper when the author has clearly made a big effort to address the reviews

22 Publishing strategy Building Your C.V. It s s a mistake to write only big data papers Building a scientific reputation means getting your name in print t as much as possible Publishing in different venues gives you more writing experience,, helps to disseminate knowledge, and builds up your c.v. Alternative publications Book chapters Book reviews Articles for newsletters and bulletins (e.g. ESA Bulletin, ITTO, CTFS) Research updates and critiques Letters to Science, Nature, TREE, Conservation Biology, etc. Technical comments Popular articles Be generous in offering coauthorship; ; what goes around comes around

23 This Stuff Works Average = 21.4 publications per year* Journal articles Book chapters Other articles Books *I was lead author on 117 of the 150 publications Publications

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25 Thanks!