Publishing Your Research Writing a scientific paper and submitting to the right journal Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam November 2016
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 2 Publishing Scientific Articles The Perspective From a Publisher Who are we? The Publishing Landscape Selecting a Journal Writing the Article Getting ready to submit
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 3 The perspective of a Publisher Who we are Springer Science+Business Media PLUS Macmillan Science and Education
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 4 The new company: SpringerNature
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 5 Springer some key numbers Founded in 1842 More than 13000 employees worldwide, over 50 countries Over 10.000 new book titles published in 2015 Some 2800 journals Covering all disciplines from mathematics, to life sciences to humanities Over 350 Open Access journals: largest OA portfolio worldwide Springerlink (http://link.springer.com): our searchable content platform with journal papers, books and major reference works
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 6 Springer who am I At Springer since 1997 Vice President Physics & Astronomy PhD Utrecht University (1997) Research performed at AMOLF, Amsterdam The team of editors working in physics, astronomy, earth sciences, chemistry and engineering at Springer
The Publishing Landscape
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 8 The Publishing Landscape Why you should publish The status of scholarly publications today Impact Factors
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 9 Why you should publish Publish or Perish: Your research is NOT complete until it has been published Present new and original results or methods Exchange ideas, communicate with peers -> Advance (not repeat) scientific knowledge and enhance scientific progress Grant writing, research funding Recognition and career advancement Personal prestige and satisfaction Funding Bodies Grant writing Researchers Scientific Publication
Log # articles Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 10 Competition to be read 7 Historical increase in annual article output 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050 Year Based on data published in Jinha, A. E. (2010). Article 50 million: An estimate of the number of scholarly articles in existence. Learned Publishing 23 (3): 258 263.
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 11 The status of scholarly publications today The number of article submissions is growing exponentially compared to number of new journals Growing pressure on Editors and Peer Reviewers of journals Competition to get published 1400 1200 % 1000 800 600 400 200 Journal numbers Journal submissions 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 Year Relative growth from baseline, Source: Daniel McGowan, Edanz, 2012
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 12 Many Rankings and Measures of Quality An important one you will often encounter is the journal Impact Factor Measure of the average number of citations articles in a particular journal receive in a particular year Formula for the 2015 Impact Factor: Number of citations in 2015 to articles published in 2013 + 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total citable articles published in 2013 + 2014
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 13 Selection of Springer s Physics and Astronomy Journals Journal Impact Factor Journal of High Energy Physics 6.02 EPJ C 4.91 Nano Research 8.89 Communications in Mathematical Physics 2.37 Living Reviews in Relativity 32.00 Living Reviews in Solar Physics 19.33 Astronomy & Astrophysics Review 12.14 Space Science Review 7.24
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 14 Impact Factor Points to consider Compare the IF only with journals within the same discipline because the average IF is very different among different disciplines (see chart) E.g. In mathematics researchers will usually cite older work, while only citations in the two years after publication count toward the IF. This is quite different in e.g. nanoscience There is much debate over the Impact Factor (IF) in the scientific and publishing community, particularly with regard to the fairness of the system 3,5 Average Impact Factor 2010 3 2,5 2 1,5 1 0,5 0 Economics Computing, Cybernetics Environmental Sciences Physics, Multidisciplinary Infectious diseases Biochemical Methods
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 15 Types of articles Relative ISI cites to articles vs reviews: articles published 2008, cited in 2009. 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 mean cites/article mean cites/review 0
Selecting a Journal
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 17 Publishing scientific articles Selecting a Journal Types of journals Before you begin What journal editors want How to choose the right journal
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 18 Types of journals Letters journal - Rapid communication, peer-reviewed, a good way to get time sensitive, preliminary or ongoing research published Traditional academic research journal - The main venue for primary research, rigorously peer-reviewed Reviews journal - Publishes overviews of research, perspective on the state of a field and/or where it is heading, peer-reviewed, often contains invited papers Mega journal technically sound papers, not necessarily innovative or important Professional journal - Mainly review and how-to articles, heavily edited, not necessarily peer-reviewed, but the audience may be who you want to reach with your research outcome: practitioners
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 19 Before you begin To Write = To Read Know the status quo of your field of research - scientific communication is about advancing - not repeating - scientific knowledge Make sure you have access to the most up-to-date scientific literature, (remember your library provides access to most of the scientific publications, e.g. on SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online) Refine your writing skills by reading and reviewing papers of colleagues. This will help you form a strong framework for your own research writing Determine a feel of the (kind of) journal you wish to publish in: Interdisciplinary Journal: e.g. Nature, Science, Nature Communications Discipline-specific Journal: Solar Physics, Inventiones Mathematicae, BMC Biology Megajournal publishing sound science : e.g. Scientific Reports, PLoS One
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 20 How to choose the right journal Check where collaborating / competing research groups and researchers publish their work Follow the references. Where were the original papers you would like to cite published? Is an Impact Factor important to you? Or are you more concerned about usage / visibility? Talk to colleagues about their experiences with the journal Check publisher sites, you can often find useful information in the for authors section Avoid journals with no clear submission and reviewing process Consider the costs (publishing in traditional - subscription based - journals is in most cases free to the author, however, in Open Access publishing there is an Article Processing Charge)
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 21 How to choose the right journal - springer.com journal pages
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 22 What journal editors want Good quality science! Work which will stand up to peer review (quality / language) Novel to the scientific community, original research Research that is interesting to the journal s readership (so also make sure to choose the right journal!) Active research areas (many citations) Clear concise writing Thank you for your article submission, the results are new and interesting. Unfortunately the new results are not interesting, and the interesting results are not new.
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 23 Evaluating significance: what is the importance, novelty and relevance of your paper? Of specific interest only or of interest to many Support for (or contradiction of) an existing theory Substantially improves our understanding of a phenomenon or provide a new technology or disease treatment Does it have international significance Is it in an area of popular appeal? E.g. is it likely to be reported in mainstream or lay scientific media Does your paper offer conceptual advances or incremental ones
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 24 Nature and Nature Sister Journals High Impact Nature Publishes the MOST important advances with the WIDEST implications. The significance of a Nature paper should be obvious to any scientist working in any field of research. Nature sister titles Publishes the MOST important advances across each discipline. Significance should be apparent to anyone in that discipline.
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 25 Wow?
Writing the Article
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 27 Writing and publishing scientific articles How to structure your article Discoverability of your work: metadata
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 28 How to structure your article Follow the author instructions of the journal you chose to submit to You are telling a story: Beginning (introduction) Middle (main body: results) End (conclusion) The order in which you actually write your paper should be: Methods and Results Introduction Discussion and Conclusion Abstract and Title
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 29 How to structure your article (cont.) Title Authors Abstract Keywords Introduction Methodology Read first and most. Keep it short and to the point. Must reflect the content of the paper. Correct spelling, consistency in affiliation. 100-300 word summary of objective and results. Includes key message of paper. Synonyms relevant as search terms e.g. in Google. Ideally not words from the title because title words are automatically keywords. Explain i) why the work was conducted ii) what methodology was employed iii) why you chose this particular methodology iv) How the methodology accomplished the hypothesis set out in your abstract. Written clearly and concisely so that someone can follow how you did your research and can reproduce it.
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 30 How to structure your article (cont.) Analysis/Results Discussion Conclusions Acknowledgements & Conflict of Interest Statement References Supplementary Material What: Present the results clearly and carefully. So what? Discuss the results here. If the results were not what you were expecting this is where you can provide insights or speculations as to what happened and/or what you could have done differently. Write down your conclusions from the study. Acknowledge the people and institutions who have made your research possible e.g. funding. Properly cite your referenced material; use the style of the journal. List any supplementary materials, appendices.
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 31 How to structure your article - References Format your references according to the author instructions Be precise in your references; references form the link between your paper and the scientific literature Tools available to manage your own scientific library
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 32 Discoverability of your work: metadata Your article needs to be found, read, used and cited! Metadata ensures your work appears with the proper audience through for example Abstracting and Indexing Services Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 33 Abstract The majority of people will only read this section It must be able to stand alone An accurate summary of your research; objectives, methods, results and major conclusions reached Structured or unstructured? ALWAYS consult the Instructions for Authors for specific requirements Avoid abbreviations unless necessary Avoid references
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 34 A good title Poor Late Quaternary evolution of a loess landscape over glacial and interglacial cycles in a region of high tectonic vertical uplift and lateral strike-slip movement in the Charwell Basin located in the South Island of New Zealand Too long Better Late Quaternary loess landscape evolution on an active tectonic margin, Charwell Basin, South Island, New Zealand Shorter and easy to understand
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 35 Key words Direct observation of nonlinear optics in an isolated carbon nanotube Poor molecule, optics, lasers, energy Too general Better single-molecule interaction, Kerr effect, carbon nanotubes, energy level structure More specific Use established key words and terminology from the literature or keyword databases (MeSH, PACS, MSC)
Getting Ready to Submit
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 37 Writing and publishing scientific articles Getting ready to submit Publishing ethics Peer review Rejection Acceptance and publication of your article ORCID: Open Researcher and Contributor ID
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 38 Getting ready to submit Get the agreement from all co-authors on what is submitted and to which journal Prepare a cover letter (when appropriate) o o o o o Give the background to your research Explain the importance of your article in relation to the scope of the Journal Emphasize the key take away points Recommend reviewers. Usually the journal editor makes a different selection, but it shows knowledge of the field. Exclude reviewers and include the reason (e.g. members from a competing research group) Language editing many papers are rejected for language reasons Conform to the author instructions in terms of set up, reference style, etc.
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 39 Getting ready to submit Publishing ethics The work described has not been published before It is not under consideration anywhere else do not submit your paper to more than one journal at the same time, that would be violating publishing ethics Publication has been approved by co-authors and responsible authorities Conflict of Interest statement included Permissions have been obtained from copyright owners. No data fabrication or falsification CrossCheck powered by ithenticate is an initiative started by CrossRef to help its members actively engage in efforts to prevent scholarly and professional plagiarism
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 40 Peer review - What it is When you submit an article, other experts in the field evaluate your article, your research and methodology, to determine if your paper is suitable for publication Peer review is employed to maintain a high quality standard of published papers and to provide credibility
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 41 Peer review How to deal with the feedback Nearly every manuscript requires revisions, often two or three revisions If you receive reviewer comments for re-submission, act on them Consider peer review feedback as advice to help you improve your article, do NOT take offense Minor revision does not guarantee acceptance after revision; address all comments carefully Rejection Major revision Acceptance Minor revision Very few manuscripts get accepted without the need for any revision (Daniel McGowan, Edanz, 2012)
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 42 Rejection Do not be disheartened if you receive a rejection: very often the article and the research are good, but you have not found the right journal Science Novelty Research question Methodology Statistics Analysis Conclusion Manuscript Formatting References Language Other Scope Expected Impact Audience Too hypothetical
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 43 Acceptance and publication of your article Accepted articles will be typeset, proofread and published online. The article receives a DOI number (Digital Object Identifier) and can be read and cited, e.g.: DOI: 10.1007/s10681-012-0632-1 This is the official publication of the article and can not be changed afterwards For many journals, page numbers and an issue number are assigned once the article is published in an issue, in other cases, the DOI or article number will be the unique identifier Share your work. SpringerNature offers shareable links to a read-only version of your article Articles in Springer journals where the corresponding author is from the VU are automatically open access Present your work. Network.
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 44 ORCID: Open Researcher and Contributor ID Go to www.orcid.org and register for your own Digital Identifier
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 45 Further reading Is Publication Success a Matter of Dumb Luck? http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6312/aaf5239 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf5239
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 46 Acknowledgement Alex Cheronet and Nathalie Jacobs (Springer) Daniel McGowan (Edanz)
Defining impact in academic publishing
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 48 The h-index The h-index is intended to measure simultaneously the quality and quantity of scientific output. A scholar with an index of h has published h papers each of which has been cited in other papers at least h times Evaluation of impact of the work of individual researcher, the h-index grows over time, depends on the academic age of the researcher The index can also be applied to the productivity and impact of a group of scientists, such as a department or university or country, as well as a scholarly journal A journal with an index of h has the largest number of h such that at least h articles in that publication were cited at least h times each. The h-index serves as an alternative to more traditional journal impact factor metrics in the evaluation of the impact of the work of a particular researcher
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 49 Article Level Metrics Article-Level Metrics (ALMs, altmetrics, alternative metrics) are not just about citations and usage; the concept refers to a whole range of measures which might provide insight into impact or reach
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 50 Article Level Metrics (cont.) Visit http://article-level-metrics.plos.org for more information Here you can find real time listing of: Usage Citations Mention in social networks Post publication review
Publishing Your Research 2016 Page 51 Google Scholar citations databases Visit http://scholar.google.com/scholar/citations.html for more information Google Author citations are available since 2011 Authors should set up their profile at http://scholar.google.com and claim their articles Provides citation information for authors and calculates the h-index Most author analyses limited to authors with profiles Google Scholar Journal citation database with rankings available since May 2012 Journal ranking No quality selection, only need 100 articles in previous five years h5-index for journals