linus u. opara office of the assistant dean for postgraduate studies & research college of...
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Linus U. OparaOffice of the Assistant Dean for Postgraduate Studies & Research
College of Agricultural & Marine Sciences
Sultan Qaboos University
Beyond Writing :
Dealing with Editors and Reviewers
16Nov2008
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
Outline
1. Introduction
2. Attributes of exemplary manuscripts
3. Selecting a journal
4. Submitting a manuscript
5. Responding to 1st Review Reports
6. Responding to nth Review Reports
7. Dealing with paper rejection & resubmission
8. End note
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
1. Introduction
Why so much research data remain unpublished:
Too much emphasis on data collection Publication strategy not sorted Doubtful theory & analysis Lack of time commitment Motivation
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
Writing a Paper (1st draft) is Not Sufficient!
Quality of science and the writing are influenced by the following processes:
Writing skills
EditingPeer reviewRevising (& revising….)
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
2. Attributes of Exemplary Manuscripts
a) Good grammar
b) Grounded in appropriate literature
c) Based on sound theory
d) Attentive to measurement issues
e) Report complete results of statistical analysis
f) Distinguish between statistical and practical significance of findings
g) Have important implications for future research, current practice and policy
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
3. Selecting a Journal
1) Journal scope (subject area)
2) Popularity/prestige
3) Professional society journal
4) Publishing company journal
5) Special Issues of journals
6) Page charges vs none
[a]
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
3. Selecting a Journal
7) Indexing
8) Impact factor
9) Frequency of publication
10) Duration of peer review process
11) Time from acceptance to publication
12) Other criteria (e.g., journal format)
[b]
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
Medium of submission
• Surface mail
• Online
4. Manuscript Submission
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
Mail submission system
• Cover letter• Manuscript text
• Tables• Figures
• List of potential referees
• Conflict of interest declaration (e.g., funding source)
4. Manuscript Submission
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
4. Manuscript Submission: On-line submission system
AcknowledgementConflict of interest declaration List of potential referees
Name, affiliation and contact details of each author Corresponding author Cover letter Title, Abstract, Keywords
TextTables (one file per table)Figures (one file per figure)List of captions
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
5. Handling 1st Review Reports
• Role of each co-author
• Mark and adhere to the editor’s deadline
• Respond to editor’s comments and queries
• Respond to individual Reviewer Reports: A, B, C, D, …
General comments and queriesSpecific comments and queries
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
5. Handling 1st Review Reports
• Agreeing with a reviewer/editor
• Disagreeing with reviewer/editor
• When reviewers disagree
• Possible revisions– rewriting text– further analysis and interpretation of data– changing presentation format (figure vs table)
• Writing a reply to the editor
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
6. Handling nth Review Reports
• Check for inconsistencies with comments and queries in the 1st Report
• Note ‘new’ comments and queries (not contained in the 1st Report)
• What happens when the reviewer and/or editor do not accept an answer to a query?
• Writing a reply to the editor
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
7. Dealing with Paper Rejection
Appealing to the Editor/Editor-in-ChiefIf handled by a sub/associate editor
Revising and resubmitting to a different journal
‘Dumping’ or filing away the paper!
They say “Pride goes before a fall”
Beyond Paper Writing by LUO
End note
Paper writing is a learning process.
The more we write, the more we learn, the better we get.
We are all learners!
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