Author WorkshopShanghai University

14 May 2014

Outline Who we are What does the Publisher Do? Who sees it? -Access What does the Author Do? What not to do…Publishing Ethics What makes it better? - Innovation

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• Elsevier is a global leader in the development and dissemination of scientific, technological, and medical knowledge

• We are a global company, established in Amsterdam in 1880, with roots going back to 1580

• We publish nearly 2,000 journals and over 1,400 new book titles annually, and all electronically

• We help societies, institutions, researchers and clinicians around the world to disseminate information globally, reach new markets and expand their customer base to advance science and medicine

• We are industry leaders in providing content and technology solutions

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About Elsevier

Earth Sciences

Over one million English language research articles published globally each year

About 1000 English language research articles published with Elsevier per day

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Elsevier by discipline

• Over 7,000 people in 25 countries and more than 80 local offices• We use our collective expertise to partner with experts in science

and healthcare, and create content and technology solutions that help them get better outcomes.

Elsevier Offices5

It’s about people

Outline Who we are What does the Publisher Do? Who sees it? -Access What does the Author Do? What not to do…Publishing Ethics What makes it better? - Innovation

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Solicit and manage

submissionsManage

peer review

Production

Publish and

disseminate

Edit and prepare

Archive and

promote

• 1,000 new editors per year

• 18 new journals per year

• >1 million+ article submissions per year

• 500,000 referees

• 1 million referee reports per year

• 7,000 editors• 70,000 editorial board members

• 6.5 million author/publisher communications per year

• 300,000 new articles produced per year• 180 years of back issues scanned, processed and data-tagged

• 10 million researchers

• 4,500+ institutions

• 180+ countries• > 400 million downloads per year in 2008

• 2.8 million print pages per year

• 9 million articles available

• Organise editorial boards

• Launch new specialist journals

• 40%-90% of articles rejected

Publishing Cycle

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Impact Factor = the average annual number of citations in year X to articles published in the two years prior, (X–1) and (X–2)

Hirsch Index / h-index = A scientist has index h if h of his/her Np papers have at least h citations each, and the other (Np − h) papers have no more than h citations each.

Journal citation data and bibliometrics can be used to measure the impact or influence of

articles, authors, and journals

Measuring Impact

Outline Who we are What does the Publisher Do? Who sees it? -Access What does the Author Do? What not to do…Publishing Ethics What makes it better? - Innovation

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• Gold OA (“Author Pays”) articles made up 7% of total in 2012

• The level of uptake varies by field – highest in Life and Health Sciences

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 20120.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

Articles published by model

Gold OAGreen OA (preprints & AAMs)Subscription

Artic

les

(mill

ion)

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Open Access has grown in the last decade

• Elsevier publishes 100 Open Access Journals• This number will grow

Elsevier publishes over 6,000 open access articles per year

Elsevier offers the Open Article choice in 1,600 established, peer reviewed journals

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• Subscription journals making articles freely available online after time delay

• Time to free access varies due to differences in subject fields

EXAMPLES• Over 90 Elsevier journals now offer this

solution in fields such as medicine, life sciences and mathematics

Open Access

Open Access Journals

Sponsored Articles

Free Access to Archive

Manuscript Posting

• Author processing fee per article published – sole mechanism to support journal

• Some journals use subsidies, grants and waivers• Often referred to as “gold” open access

EXAMPLES• Elsevier has 100 OA journals

• Option to make an article within a subscription journal open access

• Supported by several funding organisations• Often referred to as the hybrid model

EXAMPLES• Elsevier has 1,600 journals that offer this service• Agreements with RCUK, Wellcome Trust, FWF,

Telethon

• Posted manuscripts, or pre-prints to websites and repositories

• Supported by many universities and research organisations

• Often referred to as “green” open access

• Elsevier has a very liberal posting policy that supports researcher needs

• Agreements developed with institutions to facilitate deposit

So what is Open Access?

Elsevier’s Posting Allowances• Pre-print version of article to internet websites• Revised personal version of text of final article

to author’s personal or institutional website or server

• According to funding body agreements (e.g. Wellcome Trust, HHMI, NIH)

Elsevier’s Commercial Purpose Prohibitions• Posting by companies for use by customers• Placing advertisements against postings• Charging fees for access or document delivery• Any form of systematic distribution

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Other Allowances and Restrictions

Elsevier content and ScienceDirect Over 12

million articles available

Supported by your library

Increasing distribution to mobile and apps

Outline Who we are What does the Publisher Do? Who sees it? -Access What does the Author Do? What not to do…Publishing Ethics What makes it better? - Innovation

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This could be in the form of: Presenting new, original results or methods Rationalizing, refining, or reinterpreting published results Reviewing or summarizing a particular subject or field

If you are ready to publish, a strong manuscript is what is needed next

You should consider publishing if you have information that advances understanding in a certain scientific field

Determine if you are ready to publish

Title Abstract Keywords Main text

Introduction Methods Results Discussions

Conclusion

Acknowledgement References Supplementary Data

Journal space is not unlimited: make your article as concise as

possible

Make them easy for indexing and searching! (informative,

attractive, effective)

General Structure of a Research Article

Why Is Language So Important?Save the Editor and the reviewers the trouble

ofguessing what you mean

Write direct and short sentences

One idea or piece of information per sentence is sufficient

Avoid multiple statements in one sentence

Title of the Article

A good title should contain the fewest possible words that adequately describe the contents of a paper.

It is usually one complete sentence It usually captures the entire essence of

the discovery Short catchy titles are more often cited No abbreviations or obscure acronyms

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Keywords In an “electronic world”, keywords can

determine whether your article is found or not!

Avoid making them: too general (“petroleum”, “exploration”,

etc.) too narrow (so that nobody will ever search

for it)

Effective approach: Look at the keywords of articles relevant to

your manuscript Play with these keywords, and see whether

they return relevant papers, neither too many nor too few 20

Abstract A clear abstract will strongly influence whether or not

your work is further considered.

Should stand alone!

Consider it the advertisement of your article. Should tell the prospective reader what you did and

highlight the key findings.

Avoid using jargon and uncommon abbreviations.

Use words which reflect the precise meaning

Follow word limitations (50-300 words)

Introduction

The place to convince readers that you know why your work is relevant

Answer a series of questions: What is the problem? Are there any existing solutions? Which one is the best? What is its main limitation? What do you hope to achieve?

General

Specific

Pitfalls of The Introduction Too wordy

– Never use more words than necessary.– Do not turn this section into a history lesson. Readers

lose interest.

A mixed bag of introduction with results, discussion, and conclusion thrown in for good measure.– Always keep sections separate to ensure the manuscript

flows logically from one section to the next.

Excessive use of expressions such as “novel”, “first time”, “first ever”, “paradigm-changing” (use these sparingly!)

Methods / Experimental• Include all important details so that the reader can

repeat the work. Details that were previously published can be omitted but

a general summary of those experiments should be included

• Give vendor names (and addresses) of equipment etc. used

• Avoid adding comments and discussion • Write in the past tense

Most journals prefer the passive voice• Consider use of Supplementary Materials

Documents, spreadsheets, audio, video, .....

Reviewers will criticize incomplete or incorrect descriptions, and may even

recommend rejection

Results – What Have You Found? Only representative results, essential for the

Discussion, should be presented. Show data of secondary importance in

Supplementary Materials.

Do not “hide” data in the hope of saving it for a later paper.

You may lose evidence to support your conclusion.

Use sub-headings to keep results of the same type together

Easier to review and read

Tell a clear and easy-to-understand story.

Results – Figures and Tables Illustrations are critical, because

Figures and tables are the most efficient way to present results

Results are the driving force of the publication

A figure/table should convey the message besides giving the data of the experiment

However, your figure legend should ONLY describe the figure, AND NOT THE DATA

Results – Appearance Counts! Un-crowded plots

3 or 4 data sets per figure; well-selected scales; appropriate axis label size; symbols clear to read; data sets easily distinguishable

Each photograph must have a scale marker of professional quality in a corner

All Text in English Not in French, Chinese, Arabic, ...

Use color ONLY when necessary

Do not include long boring tables

Discussion – What Do the Results Mean?Check for the

following: How do your results

relate to the original question or objectives outlined in the Introduction section?

Do you provide interpretation for each of your results presented?

Are your results consistent with what other investigators have reported? Or are there any differences? Why?

Are there any limitations?

Do not Make statements that

go beyond what the results can support

Suddenly introduce new terms or ideas

There is some flexibility here with being creative, but do not over sell your results

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Conclusions• Without clear Conclusions, reviewers and

readers will find it difficult to judge the work, and whether or not it merits publication in the journal.

• Tells how your work advances the field from the present state of knowledge.

• Do NOT repeat the Abstract, or just list experimental results.

• Provide a clear scientific justification for your work, and indicate possible applications and extensions.• You should also suggest future experiments and/or

point out those that are underway.

References: Get Them Right! Please adhere to the Guide for Authors of the journal It is your responsibility, to format references, not the Editor’s! Check

Referencing style of the journal The spelling of author names, the year of publication Punctuation use Use of “et al.”: “et al.” = “and others”,

Avoid citing the following: Personal communications, unpublished

observations, manuscripts not yet accepted for publication: Editors may ask for such documents for evaluation of the manuscripts

Articles published only in the local language, which are difficult for international readers to find.

Supplementary Material Data of secondary importance for the main

scientific thrust of the article Or data that do not fit into the main body of the

article e.g. audio, video, .... Remember that Supplementary Material is

online only

Cover LetterView it as a job application letter; you want to “sell” your

work…

WHY did you submit the manuscript to THIS journal?Do not summarize your manuscript, or repeat the abstractMention what would make your manuscript special to the journal

Mention special requirements, e.g. if you do not wish your manuscript to be reviewed by certain reviewers, and any conflicts of interest.

Mention if it is a revised and expanded version of a conference paper

Most editors will not reject a manuscript only because the cover letter is bad, but a good cover letter may accelerate the editorial process of your paper.

Outline Who we are What does the Publisher Do? Who sees it? -Access What does the Author Do? What not to do…Publishing Ethics What makes it better? - Innovation What does the Editor Do?

The three are the most common forms of ethical misconduct that the research community is

challenged with: Fabrication

Making up research data

Falsification Manipulation of existing research data

Plagiarism Plagiarism takes many forms, from “passing off”

another’s paper as the author’s own paper, to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another’s paper (without attribution), to claiming results from research conducted by others 

Avoiding Plagiarism: Proper CitationA researcher, in writing his research paper, mentions a concept that is reported in an article written by his advisor.

Does he need to cite his advisor’s work and list the advisor’s article in the bibliography?

This is always a good ideaCrediting the work of others (even your advisor’s or your own previous work) and noting permissioned materials is important to place your work in the context of the advancement of the field and to acknowledge the findings of others on which you build your research

Q

A

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Ideally, the situation should be avoided where manuscripts that describe essentially the same research are published in more than one journal or primary publication

An author should not submitting a previously published paper for consideration in another journal

Duplication of the same paper in multiple journals of different languages should be avoided

“Salami slicing”, or creating several publications from the same research, is manipulative and discouraged

Plagiarism Detection Tools

Elsevier is participating in 2 plagiarism detection schemes: Turnitin (aimed at universities) Ithenticate (aimed at publishers and

corporations)Manuscripts are checked against a database of 20 million peer reviewed articles which have been provided by 50+ publishers

Editors and reviewers Your colleagues Other “whistleblowers”

“The walls have ears", it seems ...

• 83 publishers• 25.5 million articles• 48157 journals, books,

conference proceedings• Papers are run through

iThenticate which matches the document against the Crosscheck database and major data providers and the open web

• Get a report displaying degree of similarity to other documents and a link to the fulltext of the matching documents

• Cannot detect plagarism but can identify a manuscript of concern

Crosscheck

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Publication Ethics – Self-Plagiarism

Same colour

left and right

Same text

2003 2004

Publication Ethics – How It Can End .....

Consequences vary according to the severity of the misconduct and the standards set by the journal editors, institutions and funding bodies.

Possible actions include:

Written letters of concern and reprimand – sometimes to be published

Article retractions

Some form of disciplinary action on the part of the researcher’s institute or funding body

The article of which the authors committed plagiarism: it won’t be removed from ScienceDirect. Everybody who downloads it will see the reason of retraction…

Outline Who we are What does the Publisher Do? Who sees it? -Access What does the Author Do? What not to do…Publishing Ethics What makes it better? - Innovation

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Innovation: Easy submitting / JOURNAL FINDER

Innovation: Easy submitting / JOURNAL FINDER

Innovation: Easy submitting / ARTICLE TRANSFER SERVICEArticle Transfer Service• No need to reformat or resubmit – we will transfer your manuscript for you

in minutes• Shorter editorial times – the editors will use the work done by the

previous editors and reviewers• Revise your paper, taking into account any reviews already received,

before finalizing submission to the new journal• Keep the first submission date of your manuscript• Remain in control of the submission process with minimal effort; just one

click to agree to the transfer

Innovation: Easy submitting / YOUR PAPER YOUR WAYYour paper your way• Journal-specific formatting such as reference style is no longer needed• Authors can upload your entire manuscript as a single PDF or MS Word

file• the submission still needs to be structured and complete enough to allow

editors and reviewers to assess your works – for example Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, Conclusions, Artwork and Tables with Captions

• Only when your paper reaches final revision stage, will you be requested to deliver the "correct format" for acceptance and provide the items required for the publication of your article.

• The authors of 51.5% of submissions chose to submit via the Your Paper, Your Way route

Innovation: Format of the article / ARTICLE OF THE FUTURE

Innovation: Format of the article / AUDIO SLIDESAudio Slides• 1212 published 2013

• Positive feedback

• Non-peer reviewed

• SD and YouTube Gallery

Innovation: Format of the article / GRAPHICAL ABSTRACTSGraphical Abstracts• A single, concise, pictorial and visual summary of the main findings of the

article• Either the concluding figure from the article or a figure that is specially

designed for the purpose, which captures the content of the article for readers at a single glance

• The Graphical Abstract will be displayed in online search result lists

Innovation: Format of the article / COLLAGE

Innovation: Format of the article / SHAREThe Sharing Hosted Autonomous Research Environments (SHARE) project aims to build an online library of virtual machines related to scientific publications, the purpose of which is to “share” securely and conveniently all data, software and configuration parameters related to scientific experiments.

The SHARE special issue pilot appears in Elsevier’s Science of Computer Programming, Volume 85, Part A, Pages 1-100 (1 June 2014) Special Issue on Experimental Software Engineering in the Cloud(ESEiC)

Guest editors' introduction to the first issue on Experimental Software Engineering in the Cloud (ESEiC)Authors: Pieter Van Gorp and Louis Rose

Evaluation of model transformation approaches for model refactoringAuthors: S. Kolahdouz-Rahimi, K. Lano, S. Pillay, J. Troya, and P. Van Gorp

A survey and comparison of transformation tools based on the transformation tool contestAuthors: Edgar Jakumeit, Sebastian Buchwald, Dennis Wagelaar, Li Dan, Ábel Hegedüs, Markus Herrmannsdörfer, Tassilo Horn, Elina Kalnina, Christian Krause, Kevin Lano, Markus Lepper, Arend Rensink, Louis Rose, Sebastian Wätzoldt, and Steffen Mazanek

Innovation: Format of the article / INTERACTIVE PLOTSInteractive Plots• a new way for authors to include data and

quantitative results with their journal article• Interactive plots present author-submitted data

as a line or scatter plot• Readers can hover over the plot to see the

value of a data point right from the plot

Innovation: Article of the Future demos

Tables: http://www.articleofthefuture.com/S0010027709000730

Video: http://www.articleofthefuture.com/S1359646210003994

Crosshair: http://www.articleofthefuture.com/S0008622310002770

Proteins: http://www.articleofthefuture.com/S0020751909003920

Ref’s: http://www.articleofthefuture.com/S0010027709000730

Map: http://www.articleofthefuture.com/S0001706X1000029X

Diagrams: http://www.articleofthefuture.com/S0020751909003920

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Thank You!Questions welcome

Dr. Liyue Zhaoliyue.zhao@elsevier.com