SAC Workshop 1997:
"How to Publish a Paper"

Workshop Outline:

I. Selecting a Journal: Dr. Enric Cortes, Dr. John F. Morrissey, and Alan D. Henningsen

II. Scientific Writing and Correct Use of Grammar: Dr. John F. Morrissey

III. Key Points in Writing a Paper: Dr. Enric Cortes and Brad M. Wetherbee

IV. Publishing in Science and Nature: Chris Lowe

V. A Reviewer's Viewpoint: Dr. Greg Cailliet

VI. An Editor's Viewpoint: Dr. Jack Musick

A list of journals that include papers in general elasmobranch research:

In the U.S.A.:

 

In the U K:

 

In Europe, Canada, and Australia:

 

Of Regional interest:

Scientific Writing and Correct Use of Grammar
by Dr. John F. Morrissey

 

A. General writing (grammar, punctuation, word choice, sentences, paragraphs, etc.)

 

B. Guides to biological writing

 

C. Figures and Tables

 

D. Dictionaries

For example, there are dictionaries of:

Key Points in Writing a Paper
by Dr. Enric Cortes and Brad Wetherbee

 

Before you Start Writing the Paper:

1. Make an outline

a. Organization follows logical sequence

b. As detailed as possible

c. Tremendous aid in writing paper

2. Prepare figures and tables

3. Do a thorough literature search

 

When Writing the Paper:

If you know what journal you will be submitting to follow instructions to authors for appropriate format (spacing, headings, figures, tables, references, etc.) and look at recent issues.

General tips on Format and Organization:

  1. Be brief, do not "overword" paper
  2. Use topic sentences (containing generalizations leading to the particulars) at the beginning of each paragraph
  3. Make sure that everything in a paragraph is relevant to the topic (opening statement)
  4. Organize manuscript in a logic sequence: write topic sentences and arrange them in logical order.

Sections of the Manuscript:

1. Title

a. Very important, first thing read

b. Should be very informative, identify nature of research

c. Must be self-contained and accurately reflect paper's contents

2. Abstract

a. Begin with main conclusion of the study and support it with relevant findings

b. Avoid phrases such as: "was discussed" or "was found"

c. Generally less than 200 words

3. Introduction, should:

a. Put work in perspective (background and previous related research)

b. State significance and define purpose of work

c. State problem or hypothesis

d. Generally less than 500 words

4. Materials and methods

a. Include sufficient detail, but in condensed format

b. Do not include description of techniques, statistical tests or formulas that are widely used or known

 

5. Results

a. Condense again

b. Limit results to answers to the questions stated in the scope of the work

c. Avoid confusing facts with inferences

d. Refer to tables and figures for noteworthy findings

e. Avoid using phrases such as "results are presented in Table..."

6. Discussion

a. Discuss main contributions of study and specific findings; compare to findings from other studies

b. Try to synthesize results and interpret them as they relate to broad generalizations and principles.

c. Limit speculations to what you can support with reasonable evidence

d. End with statement of significance, conclusions, and future research directions (if applicable)

e. If discussion is brief, combine with Results

7. References

a. In general, try to avoid gray literature

b. Check citations in text against those in Reference List and vice versa

 

8. Tables and Figures

a. Should not duplicate each other

b. Captions should be succinct and generally self-contained

c. Use same format for all tables and all figures

 

After Writing and Before Submitting the Paper:

  1. Spell check and look for grammatical and other errors
  2. Pre-review the paper: give it to one or more persons to review before submitting

 

When Submitting the Paper:

Write a cover letter to the editor, including:

1. A brief paragraph stating the title and significance of work

2. Potential reviewers if appropriate (e.g., elasmobranch vs. fish people for some topics)

 

When Getting the Manuscript Back:

1. Do not be intimidated by reviewers. Address their criticisms and refute them if you think you are right. Do not get discouraged.

2. Write cover letter describing how you addressed specific criticisms from reviewers

 

When Getting the Proofs Back:

1. Read all manuscript very carefully (have someone else read it for you too)

2. Use standard marks and symbols for proofreaders (sometimes provided by journal editor)

 

Don't get discouraged!

Publishing in Science and Nature
by Chris Lowe

 

Main requirements:

  1. LOTS of LUCK!
  2. Must be timely and of current importance
  3. Must be multidisciplinary ie., be of interest to biologists chemists, physicists, paleontologist, and/or researchers in the biomedical fields. The more disciplines you can include the better.
  4. It certainly helps if it is high-tech or includes molecular or cellular research. This is particularly true for Scicnce, which has a much lower publication rate for pure organismal or ecological research

This is the information found in the Information to Authors' section of these journals, BUT there are other tips that can help you get in!

 

Tips that may give you a competitive edge:

  1. Your research must be immediately interesting, Since we already study a high profile animal sharks and rays) we have an advantage!
  2. Dramatic graphics REALLY help! Remember that these journals are big business. They are always on the lookout for good graphics to put on the cover that will get people to read the articles.
  3. Select your article type very carefully...
  4. In these journals the size of the article is most critical
  5. Keep graphics to a minimum.

 

Writing your article:

Once you've selected your article type and have carefully read the instructions to authors...

  1. Make your article tell a story. It has got to be catchy right from the start or you won't make it through the first cut. Strive for surprising and elegant!
  2. Depending on the article type you've selected, you will probably have to put most, if not all, of your methods in the figure captions. Thus, methods will have to be short and concise.
  3. C Like any other journal, figures and graphics should tell the story without words. This is very important since you will not be allowed many graphics.

 

Send it in!
Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

A Reviewer's Viewpoint
by Gregor M. Cailliet

 

In this discussion, I will cover the general steps I follow when reviewing a manuscript for publication in a refereed journal. I will also attempt to provide some key indicators I look for so that authors can attempt to avoid triggering a negative response from a reviewer. Remember that reviewing a manuscript is integrally related to the process of writing one. What reviewers like to see is a clearly written, concise manuscript that needs little or no editing or extra work.

 

Steps in Reviewing a Manuscript:

  1. Evaluate Title

    2. (Is it understandable and concise? Does it contain who, what, where when why and how?)

  2. Read Criteria from Editor of Specific Joumal

    3. (They often provide a checklist of what they want you to cover)

  3. Read Abstract Criticaily

    4. (It should have logically-ordered, understandable sentences which come from topic sentences starting the main paragraphs in the text.)

  4. Check out Figures and Tables

    5. (Look at both content and order, make sure legends are clear, check for a map of the study area, check that X and Y axes are clearly labelled with proper units, evaluate the statistics used {parametric and/or nonparametric), if parametric statistics were used look for both central tendency (means, medians and dispersion (standard deviation, standard error, or confidence intervals), make sure sample sizes are presented, make sure that any models used clearly fit the raw data, and evaluate whether or not there is significant overlap between tables and figures.}

  5. Review Literature Cited

    6. (Make sure it is up-to-date, sufficient, and cited properly according to the journal's format with enough information to be able to find the references.)

  6. Review the Sections of the Manuscript in Order

    7. (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion)

    a. Analyze Paragraph Structure (are topic sentences used?)

    b. Are hypotheses carefully defined?

    c. Is the sample or experimental design appropriate and sufficient?

    d. Are the thoughts expressed in logical order?

    e. Is this order the same in all sections?

    f. Are tenses appropriately used?

  7. Identify the primary value of the study

    8. (is it new science, a new technique, a novel idea, a review, etc.?)

  8. Are the conclusions and interpretations appropriate considering the assumptions made, the methodology used, the sample size, the results, and the interpretation of previous literature?
  9. Provide Constructive Comments both on the Manuscript and in a Summary
  10. Using the Journal's Criteria, Determine if the Manuscript is Acceptable for Publication

a. If superior, suggest acceptance

b. If minor changes need to be made, suggest acceptance accordingly

c. If major changes need to be made, clearly list them and indicate how important they are to having the manuscript accepted

d. If the study has major flaws that cannot be remediated suggest


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