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Preparing your results forPreparing your results forpublicationpublication
Hans LambersHans LambersSchool of Plant BiologySchool of Plant Biology
The University of Western AustraliaThe University of Western Australia
Perth, AustraliaPerth, Australia
Maximising your chances to getMaximising your chances to get
your manuscript rapidly acceptedyour manuscript rapidly accepted
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My credentialsMy credentials
Most importantly!Most importantly! "co#$author "co#$author of %&'' papersof %&'' papers (n )S)*s +ighly ited list since -''.(n )S)*s +ighly ited list since -''. Senior author of a textboo/!Senior author of a textboo/! Plant PhysiologicalPlant Physiological
EcologyEcology "-"-ndnd edition -''0$edition -''0$
"Past$ member of "Advisory$"Past$ member of "Advisory$ 1ditorial Boards1ditorial Boards,,e.g.e.g.,, 2 Physiologia PlantarumPhysiologia Plantarum 2 Plant, Cell & Environment Plant, Cell & Environment 2 Functional Plant Biology Functional Plant Biology 2 Tree Physiology Tree Physiology
"o#$editor of .' boo/s"o#$editor of .' boo/s 1ditor#in#hief 1ditor#in#hief ofof Plant and Soil Plant and Soil
3id ) pass the test43id ) pass the test4
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What to publish4What to publish4
5ull#length articles are about 6,''' 7ords! aseries of experiments ma/ing a coherent story
Short notes are about -'' 7ords 8eneral rule! it is better to publish one solid
paper than to split it into t7o or three shortnotes
Articles in boo/s and reports are lessprestigious! publish your primary data ininternational 9ournals
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Where to publish4Where to publish4
arefully select the right 9ournal 2 Who are on the 1ditorial Board4 2 5rom 7hich 9ournals do you cite papers in your reference
list4 2 Which 9ournals publish on a similar topic4 2
Be7are of ne7 9ournals 7ith misleading names, such as:Australian ;
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What exactly is the =)mpact 5actor= ")5$4What exactly is the =)mpact 5actor= ")5$4
Put simply! )5 is a rough indicator for the ?uality
of a 9ournal in a narro7ly defined discipline, e.g.,
2 Agriculture
2 Plant sciences
2 Molecular biology
)t is silly to compare impact factors bet7een disciplines, e.g., 1cology and Molecular Biology
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The )mpact 5actor ")5$ for -''@The )mpact 5actor ")5$ for -''@
itations in -''@ toarticles published in!
-''0 -'
-'' &6@
Sum! C-@
http!DDisi.'Eisi/no7ledgeEcomDportalEcgi43estAppFGH5unc5rame
Iumber of articlespublished in!
-''0 -.&
-'' .0@
Sum! J'-
alculation!
itations to recent articles C-@ D
Iumber of recent articles J'- 1.5651.565
The 6#year )5 uses 6 years of citations and publications, rather than -
http://isi10.isiknowledge.com/portal.cgi?DestApp=JCR&Func=Framehttp://isi10.isiknowledge.com/portal.cgi?DestApp=JCR&Func=Frame
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ites in
-''J
-''& -''- -''. -''' .@@@
Year
Medical FournalsMedical Fournals
Molecular Biology FournalsMolecular Biology Fournals
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-''& -''- -''. -''' .@@@
ites in
-''J
1cology Fournals1cology Fournals
You can’t compare Impact Factors You can’t compare Impact Factors
across disciplines!across disciplines!
Year
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)mpact factors may change over the years, as)mpact factors may change over the years, as
published on the )S) 7ebsitepublished on the )S) 7ebsite
http!DDisi.'Ene7isi/no7ledgeEcomDportalEcgiD9cr
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5or some 9ournals 7e see little change "or5or some 9ournals 7e see little change "or
a do7n7ard trend$a do7n7ard trend$
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PlanPlan your experiments in such a 7ay thatyour experiments in such a 7ay that
the data can be publishedthe data can be published
Ma/e sure you have a sound ?uestion"hypothesis$ before you begin your research
That hypothesis may not be the same you7ish to use 7hen publishing the data
Gesearch 7ithout a sound hypothesis is hardto 7rite up, but ;
sometimes there are good reasons to ma/ean =inventory= "no sound hypothesis re?uired$
Thin/ t7ice "three times in hina$ before you
start your experiments
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3ata that have not been3ata that have not been
published do not existKpublished do not existK
)f you do not publish your
data, you might as 7ell notdo the experiments
Published data can ma/e a
lasting impression, li/e the
8reat Wall in hinaPhoto 3r Fianbo Shen, AU,
Bei9ing, PG hina
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::There are three necessary steps inThere are three necessary steps in
useful research; the first to egin it,useful research; the first to egin it,
the second to end it and the third tothe second to end it and the third to pulish it. pulish it.
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The structure of a scientific paper The structure of a scientific paper
Authors L addresses
Title, running title
Abstract
ey7ords, abbreviations
)ntroduction Materials and methods
Gesults
3iscussion Ac/no7ledgments
Geferences
Tables and 5igures
Where do I start?
Nindsay, 3E ".@0J$ A guide to scientific 7ritingE Nongman, heshireE
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Begin 7ith theBegin 7ith the GesultsGesults sectionsection
Arrange your data in figures and tables 2 Are the data best presented as figures or as tables4
3ecide 7hich figureDtable comes first
3ecide the order of all other figuresDtables
Ma/e a structure for your Gesults
2 3ecide 7hat you 7ish to describe
2 3esign the sections in the Gesults "=dot points=$
Then ma/e a structure for each section "dot
point$
2 3ecide 7hat you 7ish to describe in each section
Then start 7riting
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An example of a structure of your Gesults An example of a structure of your Gesults
section insection in Odot points=Odot points= Goot morphology
2 Specific root length
2 Goot thic/ness Goot exudates
2 arboxylates
2 Phenolics
1ffect of root exudates on mobilisation ofphosphate 2 1ffect of carboxylates
2 1ffect of phenolics
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TheThe stylestyle in the Gesultsin the Gesults sectionsection
Write your results in the past tense
Avoid =contractions=, e.g., it*s and they*re Avoid complex constructions
2 The rate of photosynthesis !as not veryfast .
2 The rate of photosynthesis !as slo! .
Use the active voice 2 " rememer my first visit to China. "active
voice$
2 #y first visit to China is rememered yme. "passive voice$
2 This rule does not mean that you shouldentirely discard the passive voice
http!DD777EbartlebyEcomD.J.Dstrun/6Ehtml
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The choice bet7een a 5igure or a TableThe choice bet7een a 5igure or a Table
Age malic malonic lactic acetic maleic cit ric cis #aco succ inic fumaric trans#ac Total
' .C. ' &B. ' ' ..@ .'@ ' B J0J .-6-
.E6 ' ' CC ' ' ' J ' - .J 0C
-E6 .B ' J. ' ' ' . ' J 6 C0
6E6 -. ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' C -B
0E6 @-@ ' ' 6B ' 0-J C -'@ -- .@ -'CC
.&E6 &-.B ' ' ' ' &'-' .J .C' B 6J CJB.
-6 ' ' .. ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ..
'E'''
'E'6'
'E.''
'E.6'
'E-''
'E-6'
'E&''
'E&6'
'EJ''
' .' -' &'
Time da!s"
# $ n m o l % & 1 F
W s & 1 "
malic
malonic
lactic
acetic
maleic
citric
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The choice bet7een a fe7 lines inThe choice bet7een a fe7 lines in
the text or a Tablethe text or a Table
The yield of rice 7as .E-&-, -E@0, &E.@&, .E''@
and JE-- ton ha#. for the farms of 3ong,
heng, heng, Wong and Shen, respectively
3ong heng heng Wong Shen
.E-&- -E@0 &E.@& .E''@ JE--
These results are easier to ta/e in 7hen
presented in a Table
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an 7e ma/e the table clearer byan 7e ma/e the table clearer by
altering the columns and ro7s4altering the columns and ro7s4
3ong heng heng Wong Shen
.E-&- -E@0 &E.@& .E''@ JE--
3ong .E-&-
heng -E@0
heng &E.@&
Wong .E''@
Shen JE--
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Should 7e order the data in aShould 7e order the data in a
different manner4different manner4
heng &E.@&3ong .E-&-
Shen JE--
Wong .E''@
heng -E@0
Arrange the farmers alphabetically4
Io improvementK
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Should 7e order the data in aShould 7e order the data in a
different manner4different manner4
Wong .E''@3ong .E-&-
heng -E@0
heng &E.@&
Shen JE--
Arrange in order of increasing yield4
Shen did much better than any of the other farmersK
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3o 7e need this level of3o 7e need this level of
precision4precision4
Wong .E''@
3ong .E-&-
heng -E@0
heng &E.@&
Shen JE--
Wong .E'
3ong .E-
heng -E0
heng &E-
Shen JE&
)nclude as many decimal
places as 9ustified by the
accuracy of your data
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The columns of a table must be labelledThe columns of a table must be labelled
appropriately, and the units must beappropriately, and the units must be
included tooincluded too
Wong .E.
3ong .E-
heng -E0heng &E-
Shen JE&
5armer >ield
"ton ha#.$
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We can ?uic/ly see 7hy the yield onWe can ?uic/ly see 7hy the yield on
Shen*s farm 7as so high! optimum p+KShen*s farm 7as so high! optimum p+K
5armer >ield"ton ha#.$
Averagesoil p+
Wong .E. JE.
3ong .E- JE-
heng -E0 6E'
heng &E- 6EJ
Shen JE& CE.
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Would a 5igure have been betterWould a 5igure have been better
in this example4in this example4
) don*t really thin/ so, but it is a matter of opinion
W ld li i h d
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Would lines, connecting the dataWould lines, connecting the data
points have been a good idea4 (rpoints have been a good idea4 (r
perhapsperhaps regression lines4regression lines4
Iever connect data points, if the data on the x#axis are notIever connect data points, if the data on the x#axis are not
=scaled= 2 regression lines 7ould have been a mista/eK=scaled= 2 regression lines 7ould have been a mista/eK
x 'ops!
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All figures and tables re?uire All figures and tables re?uire
appropriateappropriate legendslegends
3escribe 7hat is sho7n
3o not discuss 7hat is sho7n
1xplain abbreviations, if you use any in figures ortable 2 1ven 7hen you use the same abbreviations throughout
text
2 WU1 7ater#use efficiency
1xplain errors bars! S1 or S3Q add n "number ofobservations$
1xplain meaning of statistical information 2 R, RR, RRR
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Ma/e sure you use acceptable units, notMa/e sure you use acceptable units, not
ones that are =out#of#date=ones that are =out#of#date=
GecommendedDpreferred S) units
)n addition, double prefixes are best
avoided
2 5or example, use µg g#., rather than mg /g#.
5or information on S) conventions, the
follo7ing Web site may be helpful!http!DDphysicsEnistEgovDcuuDindexEhtml
(I or recommended)pre*erred units +on (I or discoura%ed )
http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/index.htmlhttp://physics.nist.gov/cuu/index.html
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(I or recommended)pre*erred units +on&(I or discoura%ed )
unacceptable units
Len%th nm, µm, mm, m, /m "i.eE m, and up and do7n
by factors of thousand$
cm, dm, dam, hmQ inch, foot, yard,
mile
$rea nm-, µm-, mm-, m-, /m- "i.e. m, and up anddo7n li/e for length$
cm-, ha D acre
,olume m& "and up and do7n li/e for length$Q also acceptableN "and up and do7n by factors of thousand$
cm&, gallon, cubic feet
-ass g "and up and do7n by factors of thousand$ bushel, tonne
Time sQ also acceptable! h, day, year min
oncentrations mol m#& "and up and do7n by factors of thousand$Q alsoacceptable! M "and up and do7n by factors of thousand$Q
molc /g#.
cmol /g#.
g /g#.
µg g#., µmol mol#. ppm, ppb
Temperature elvin, Q elsius, o 5ahrenheit
Transpiration/
photosnthesis/ respirationmol m#- s#., nmol g#. s#. "and up and do7n by
factors of thousand$
mol cm#- h#., mol dm#- min#.
0lectrical conductiit/
electricit and ma%netism
Siemens per meter, S m #. "and up and do7n by
factors of thousand$
millimho per centimeter, mmho cm#.
Irradiance µmol m#- s#.Q W m#-, MF m#- day#. lux
2ressure/ 3ater potential Pa, /Pa, MPa hPa, atmosphere
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The GesultsThe Gesults
5igure . 2 3escribe 7hat it sho7s
2 Iumber figures in order ofappearance in the text
Table . 2 3escribe 7hat it sho7s
Nead the reader throughyour data 2 5rom one 5igure "Table$ to
the next
Arrange a logical flo7from section to section
That ma4es it eas!
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Then continue 7ith 7riting theThen continue 7ith 7riting the 3iscussion3iscussion
Ma/e a structure for your 3iscussion 2 3ecide 7hat you 7ish to discuss 2 3esign the sections in the 3iscussion "dot points$
Then ma/e a structure for each section "dot
points$ 2 3ecide 7hat you 7ish to describe in each section
Place your results in a 7ider context
ompare your results 7ith those in the literature
Then start 7riting
5inish 7ith a paragraph in 7hich you tell thereader 7hat are the main points "=ta/e#home#message=$
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The 3iscussionThe 3iscussion
The order in the3iscussion may differfrom that in Gesults
5igure ., Table . etcE 2 1xplain 7hat they sho7
Place your results in a7ider context
+o7 do your datacompare 7ith those in theliterature4
5inish 7ith the =ta/e#
home#message=
(ounds ecitin%!
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A bit more about the 3iscussion A bit more about the 3iscussion
A good researcher is
excited about the
results Ma/e sure the reader
also gets excited
1xplain 7hy your
7or/ is important andexciting
(ellin% m data!
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TheThe stylestyle in the 3iscussionin the 3iscussion sectionsection
Write about your o7n results in the pastpast
tensetense
3escribe published data in the presentpresent
tensetense Avoid complicated constructions
2 The rates of phosphorus upta$e !ere not
significantly different %.
2 The rates of phosphorus upta$e !ere the
same%.
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Io7 the Materials and MethodsIo7 the Materials and Methods
(nce you /no7 7hich data you 7ill include, 7rite up all
the Materials and Methods used to ac?uire the data Use the passive voice
2 :Plants 7ere harvested< "instead of :We harvested plants
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Materials and MethodsMaterials and Methods
)nclude all relevant details
hec/ your chosen 9ournalfor =ho7 it is done=
3o not use =modified after=,but describe themodifications
3escribe so that someone
else can repeat yourexperiments
Be precise 2 =Goom temperature= is not an
accurate description
$ meticulous 7ob!
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TheThe )ntroduction)ntroduction is nextis next
Briefly revie7 the literature that is
relevant for your manuscript "use your
3iscussion as a guideline$
3o not 9ust 7rite this )ntroduction for half
a doen colleagues 7or/ing in exactly
the same field, but;
Write for a range of interested scientists 5inish 7ith the aims of your 7or/ and
present a clear hypothesis
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The )ntroductionThe )ntroduction
Briefly revie7 the literature
Address a 7ider audiencethan those 7or/ing in
exactly the same field 8ive the aims of yourresearch and a goodhypothesis
A good hypothesis is onethat can be tested, but itdoes not need to be=correct=
Fascinatin% topic!
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A bit more about the )ntroduction A bit more about the )ntroduction
1xplain !hy you did yourresearch
The fact that nobody has
done it before is not agood reason
>our study may follo7logically from previous
7or/ >our pro9ect may have
been inspired by apractical problem
Wh did I do this?
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GeferencesGeferences
ite in a =balanced= manner and do not ignore specific groups
Avoid too many references of the 7or/ ofyourself or your group
ite the primary literature, if referring to a /eyfinding
ite a revie7, if you 7ish to refer to a fact thathas been found by numerous authors
ite textboo/s only 7hen referring togenerally accepted /no7ledge
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GeferencesGeferences
hec/ the re?uired format
for the chosen 9ournal
2 (rder "in text and list$
2 orrect abbreviations of
9ournals!http!DDisi/no7ledgeEcom
2 5or boo/s! add name of
publisher and city
Are all cited references inthe list4
+ave all references in the list
been cited4
I must be precise!
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Ac/no7ledgments Ac/no7ledgments
Ac/no7ledge the input of people andagencies 7ho allo7ed you to 7rite thismanuscript
>our supervisor "if not a co#author$
>our technician "if not a co#author$
>our colleague, 7ho gave you some bright
ideas or critically read your manuscript Someone 7ho helped you 7ith the language
8ranting agencies
(thers
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The title
)t should cover the main aims andDor
message
)t should appeal to your audience )t should not be too long
Avoid titles 7ith a numbered subtitle
2 Subtitles may get lost, and hence your paper
may not be found in searches
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The running title
Some 9ournal also re?uire a subtitle )t cannot exceed a certain number of characters
2 chec/ instructions for authors of the 9ournal
Should cover the main aims andDor message
)t is an abbreviated version of your title
)t is only printed above some pages of yourpaper
)t is not used for literature searches )t is therefore less important than a good title
Use your actual title as a guideline
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The AbstractThe Abstract
)t should contain the aim of your research
3o not use references in this part
)f you must use them, then all details must bethere "as in the references list, but 7ithout the
title$ because an abstract must stand on its
o7n
Ma/e sure the main results and ta/e#home#
message are there
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The ne7 style of the Abstract forThe ne7 style of the Abstract for Plant and Soil Plant and Soil
The Abstract Abstract should not exceed .6' 7ords andshould be divided into the follo7ing sections!
Bac/ground and AimsBac/ground and Aims "stating the main
purposes and research ?uestion$
MethodsMethods
GesultsGesults "stating the main findings$
onclusionsonclusions
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ey7ordsey7ords
hoose a limited number of/ey7ords that ade?uatelycover your research
3o not use 7ords thatalready appear in the title
Thin/ of 7ords that you
7ould loo/ for 7hen doing aliterature search
Arrange alphabetically
Let me thin4
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Abbreviations Abbreviations
All abbreviations must be explained
This is commonly done in a section 7ith a
separate heading! Abbreviations Sometimes it is better to "also$ have a
separate Table 7ith all the abbreviations
Avoid using abbreviations in the Abstract
)f you must, these abbreviations must be
explained 7hen used the first time
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Who are the authors and theirWho are the authors and their
addresses4addresses4
Ma/e sure that all authorsall authors have achance to read your manuscript beforeyou submit it
Iever Iever add an author, if this person hasnot had a chance to read themanuscript
)nclude the name of the
instituteDlaboratory 7here the 7or/ 7asdone as the first address
)f you have moved, also add =presentaddress=
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+o7 do you present the names of+o7 do you present the names of
hinese authors in international 9ournals4hinese authors in international 9ournals4
8ive family namefamily name last "unless the 9ournalspecifies other7ise$
This is different from the 7ay you 7ould do itin hina
5or example, 7rite 5usuo hang andTuanyao hai "and not hang 5usuo and
hai Tuanyao$ To avoid confusion, you may 7rite 5usuo+AI8+AI8 and Tuanyao +A)+A)
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What is the order of the authors of yourWhat is the order of the authors of your
paper4paper4
The person 7ho did the 7or/ and 7rote themanuscript should be first "senior $ author
orresponding author is the one that 7ill be
the contact for the 9ournal andcorrespondence that may follo7 afterpublication
That may be the group leader
Senior author and corresponding author canbe the same
The research#team leader appears as the lastauthor
5 tl d i t /5 tl d i t /
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5re?uently made mista/es5re?uently made mista/es
)nvalid statistics
2 5or example, presenting linear regressions 7henone axis is not scaled "for example, sites, species,farmers$
Units lac/ing in tables or figures
)ncorrect units! 2 Use s " seconds$, not S " Siemens$ 2 Use /g, not g 2 Units of time must appear at the end
mmol m#- s#., not mmol s#. m#-
2 µg, µmol and µM, not ug, umol and uM 2 mmol N#., not mM N#.
mM is short for mmol N#.
Io numbers or legends for tables or figures
5 tl d i t / " t*d$
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5re?uently made mista/es5re?uently made mista/es "cont*d$
No7 "very negative$, not high, 7ater potential
ited references not given in reference list )ncorrectDsloppy style of referencing
The data sho7s ; "instead of the data sho7 ;E$
Anthropomorphic reasoning 2 :plants attempt;< or :plants struggled;E<
Too many decimal places 2 'E-&@0C "S1 'E'6-6'.$ should be 'E-& "S1 'E'6$
Io space bet7een values and units, or bet7eendifferent units 2 -'m should be -' m "but -' should be -'$
2 .'mmolm#-s#. should be.' mmol m#- s#.
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Just an example Just an example
• Lpr = Jvr × (α × (Px – Pa))-1 [mLMPa-1h-1g-1
root resh !e"ght#
• $s that%• Lpr = Jvr × (α × (Px – Pa))-1 [mL MPa-1 h-1 g-1
root resh !e"ght#&
• 'r%
• Lpr = Jvr × (α × (Px – Pa))-1 [m L M Pa-1 h-1
g-1 root resh !e"ght#&
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Something you must never doSomething you must never do
Iever copy 7hole sentences or paragraphs
7ithout referring to the original text
This is called plagiarismplagiarism )t is one of the 7orst =crimes= in science
)t 7ill ma/e you loo/ bad, 7hen discovered
"7hich 7ill probably happen$
)t may ruin your scientific career
Fust don*t do itK
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A story about A story about
plagiarism ;Eplagiarism ;E
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5raud in science5raud in science
Publication of results that you have not reallyac?uired is considered fraud
There are examples 7here =scientists= havepublished results that 7ere copied from other
9ournals
(ther =scientists= have published results that
7ere not really based on actual experiments )t is probably the 7orst =crime= in science
>ou are bound to get caught! Fust don*t do itK
Ph t l i t "-''6$' th ( l "-''$
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The photo on the left 7as obviously copied from a
photo in a paper in the Ie7 Phytologist The authors ac/no7ledged the source, but did not
see/ permissionpermission from the o7ner of the copyright
This is not plagiarism, but the authors still made a
mista/e that must be avoided
e! Phytologist "-''6$E 'nother (ournal "-''$
opyright issuesopyright issues
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um"t *our manus+r"pt to onl* as"ngle ,ournal
• um"tt"ng "t to more than one ,ournal atthe same t"me "s rauulent
• um"tt"ng .almost. the same manus+r"pt
to t!o ,ournals "s e/uall* rauulent• 0ou !"ll ver* l"el* get +aught an
la+l"ste
• 0our superv"sors an super"ors ma* e
"norme• $ *our manus+r"pt gets re,e+te2 then *ou
+an sum"t "t to an alternat"ve ,ournal
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5inally, a fe7 comments on language5inally, a fe7 comments on language
and the structure of sentences andand the structure of sentences andparagraphsparagraphs
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A fe7 hints A fe7 hints
Avoid complicated sentences
3o not use 7ords that you thin$ youunderstand, but have not really chec/edcarefully 2 Too easy to do 7hen using your computer program,
7ithout chec/ing in a dictionary
3o not ma/e sentences that are too long
Use a spelling chec/er , and use either U1nglish, or US 1nglish, but not a mi)ture ofoth
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Spelling chec/ersSpelling chec/ers
pic/ up somepic/ up some
mista/es, but not allmista/es, but not all
Sauna
Barber
Ball
8uest
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E)situE)situ!! E) situE) situ
onversation! onservationonversation! onservation
3angerous! 1ndangered3angerous! 1ndangered
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More about spelling chec/ers
Eye have a spelling chequer.Eye have a spelling chequer.It came with my pea sea.It came with my pea sea.
It plainly marques four my revue.It plainly marques four my revue.
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
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:The information that begins a sentence
establishes for the reader a perspectivefor vie7ing the sentence as a unitE<
8open, 8E3E H S7an, FEAE .@@'E American Scientist 0! 66'#660E
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An example of ho7 "not$ to begin a An example of ho7 "not$ to begin a
sentencesentence
-E-E The P concentrations in root halves supplied 7ith
. M P 7ere lo7, regardless of the P concentration
supplied to the other root halfE
.E.E Gegardless of the P concentration supplied to the
other root half, the P concentrations in root halves
supplied 7ith . M P 7ere lo7E
)n -E-E, the important partthe important part is placed at the beginningE
Therefore, that is the sentence order you should useK
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That means! :Iever ever use the elevator,That means! :Iever ever use the elevator,
because, one day, there may be a fire
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:Beginning 7ith the exciting material and
ending 7ith a lac/ of luster often leaves usdisappointed and destroys our sense of
momentumE<
8open, 8E3E H S7an, FEAE .@@'E American Scientist 0! 66'#660E
Therefore the structure of the 3iscussionTherefore the structure of the 3iscussion
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Therefore, the structure of the 3iscussionTherefore, the structure of the 3iscussion
should be bothshould be both logicallogical andand excitingexciting
Begin 7ith a brief overvie7 of the importanceof your findings
ontinue to explain the rest in context of the
literature +ide 7hat must be included, but is not really
exciting 2 This can be done by presenting it in a Table in
Gesults, 7ithout further discussing in 3iscussion 5inish 7ith the most important and exciting
aspects! the =ta/e#home#message=
Io need to use the same order as in Gesults
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The structure of a paragraphThe structure of a paragraph
Text is organised in paragraphs
Paragraphs have a distinct structure
They are not arranged so as to have a certain
number of sentences or lines Paragraphs deal 7ith one topic
Paragraphs begin 7ith a sentence that =setsthe scene=
2 An introduction to 7hat the paragraph is about
Paragraphs finish 7ith a conclusion 2 A sentence that refers bac/ to the first sentence
http!DD777EbartlebyEcomD.J.Dstrun/6Ehtml
http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.htmlhttp://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html
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3n example o a .a. paragraph3n example o a .a. paragraph
)n such a relationship, day respiration is as an additional term
that decreases 'E Such an effect is nevertheless small, as the
order of magnitude of *d ordinarily lies belo7 . Vmol m#- s#.
"see also belo7$E +o7ever, the ratio *d+' becomes much more
important under stress conditions "eEgE, drought$ 7hen
photosynthesis can decrease by nearly @' 7hile respirationmight be little affected or even increasedE Ievertheless, it
should be recognied that photosynthesis under drought may
also be accompanied by an increase of refixation of respired
(- due to stomatal closure "+aupt#+erting et al. -''.$, andso uncertainty %%.
Because the first sentencefirst sentence is not an =introductionintroduction=, but
itcontinuescontinues the preceding paragraph
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) found the follo7ing 7ebsites very useful) found the follo7ing 7ebsites very useful
for rules 7here "not$ to place commas, forfor rules 7here "not$ to place commas, for
synonyms, and for explanations of 7ordssynonyms, and for explanations of 7ords
Website for Strun/ H White*s :1lements ofStyle< is!
http!DD777EbartlebyEcomD.J.Dstrun/Ehtml. Website for Goget*s :Thesaurus< is!
http!DD777EbartlebyEcomDC-D
Web Site for 5o7ler=s :3ictionary< is!http!DD777EbartlebyEcomD..CD "great to readabout mista/es made in the Times, the 3ailyTelegraph, and 3ic/ens$
A final chec/A final chec/
http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html#Slide%201http://www.bartleby.com/62/http://www.bartleby.com/116/http://www.bartleby.com/116/http://www.bartleby.com/62/http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html#Slide%201
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A final chec/ A final chec/
hec/ the instructions forauthors again
3id you follo7 allinstructions properly4
Gemember! it is not the tas/it is not the tas/
of the revie7ers or theof the revie7ers or theeditor editor to ta/e care of detailsyou should have chec/edyourself
>our manuscript may besent bac/ 7ithout revie7, ifyou have not addressedthese items
hec4 care*ull
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Before youBefore you submitsubmit your manuscript toyour manuscript to
a 9ournala 9ournal
Al7ays as/ a colleague, friend or adiscussion group to =revie7= your
manuscript
Their suggestions may lead to eliminationof small mista/es and improve the
readability of your manuscript
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Fournals often as/ to nominate a SectionFournals often as/ to nominate a Section
1ditor or Gevie7ers1ditor or Gevie7ers
Select a Section 1ditor 7ho is an authority inauthority inyour fieldyour field, preferably from outside your o7ncountry
Suggest Gevie7ers 7ho are active in youractive in yourfield of researchfield of research, preferably from outside youro7n country
Avoid suggesting close friends or colleaguesin the same institution
Ma/ing the right choice sho7s the 1ditorialBoard you have given this some thoughtyou have given this some thought
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4hat shoul *ou "n+lue "n a4hat shoul *ou "n+lue "n a
+over"ng letter&+over"ng letter&
• 3 senten+e or t!o aout the su,e+t annovelt* o *our results
• 3n explanat"on !h* *ou have +hosenthe ,ournal *ou sum"t *our manus+r"ptto
• 3n explanat"on expla"n"ng ho! *our
paper 5ts !"th the s+ope o the ,ournal
Send it off and 7ait for the editorialSend it off and 7ait for the editorial
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Send it off, and 7ait for the editorialSend it off, and 7ait for the editorial
decisiondecision
Iever send the same manuscript to more than oneIever send the same manuscript to more than one
9ournal 9ournal
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What next4What next4
>ou should receive a note from the 9ournal thatyour manuscript has been received 2 )f this does not happen, chec/ 7ith the 9ournal
After several 7ee/s you 7ill receive theeditorial decision 2 )f this does not happen in a reasonable time, chec/
7ith the 9ournal
This decision can be! 2 Accepted 7ithout revision "extremely rare$
2 Accepted 7ith minorDma9or revision
2 Ge9ected 7ith"out$ an invitation to resubmit yourmanuscript
+o do o respond hen minorDma9or+o7 do you respond 7hen minorDma9or
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+o7 do you respond 7hen minorDma9or+o7 do you respond 7hen minorDma9or
revision is re?uired4revision is re?uired4
arefully consider all the points raised by the
revie7ers and the editor
2 They have spent time on your manuscript, and you
must give all their points careful attention Ma/e the re?uested changes if you consider
that these changes are appropriate
1xplain in a letter to the editor 7hy you did not
ma/e the changes
2 >ou 7ill need good reasonsK
Geturn the revised manuscript as soon as
possible
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)f your manuscript is re9ected;
8on’t 3rite an an%r rebuttal!!8on’t 3rite an an%r rebuttal!!
+o7 to 7rite a rebuttal letter+o7 to 7rite a rebuttal letter
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+o7 to 7rite a rebuttal letter +o7 to 7rite a rebuttal letter
Be politeK
Than/ the revie7ers and editor for the time they
have spent on your manuscript
1xplain your case clearly
Accept the editor*s response
+o7 to respond 7hen a manuscript has been+o7 to respond 7hen a manuscript has been
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+o7 to respond 7hen a manuscript has been+o7 to respond 7hen a manuscript has been
re9ected, 7ith"out$ an invitation to resubmit4re9ected, 7ith"out$ an invitation to resubmit4
arefully consider the critical points 2 Use the critical points to improve your manuscript
2 >ou may need to read more literature
2 More experiments may be re?uired
Gevise your manuscript 2 Gesubmit your manuscript to the same 9ournal "if
invited to do so$
2 hoose an alternative 9ournal "if not invited to
resubmit to the same 9ournal$
Iever submit your manuscript to an alternative 9ournal 7ithout appropriate revision 2 >our revised manuscript may end up in the hands of
the same revie7er
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Send it off again, and 7ait for the finalSend it off again, and 7ait for the final
editorial decisioneditorial decision
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With the right aptitude, it is 9ustWith the right aptitude, it is 9ust
a matter of learning a fe7 tric/sa matter of learning a fe7 tric/s