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Role of the journal editor, choosing a
journal, and writing the cover
letterGinny Barbour
Director, Australasian Open Access Strategy Group (AOASG)Advisor, OREI and Library QUT
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2358-2440
[email protected]@ginnybarbour
Role of the journal editor
An editor’s perspective on publishing
Editors want:• to publish sound & well written work• to get their journal read• for their journal to have a good reputation• to get some sleep at night!
Make their life easy!• read the author instructions• follow the author instructions• write relevant papers that are clear, succinct and complete• read the peer reviews• respond to the peer reviews (with a marked manuscript!)• stick to deadlines• say thank you!
Who are editors and what do they really do?
Usually more experienced academics/professionalsFinal responsibility for everything published
Usually start after reviewing for the journalMay be on more than one journal
Editors-in- Chief
Associate EditorsEditorial Board
Deputy Editors Senior or mid career researcher/professionalsMay manage specific sections/processes
Is the article in scope for the journal?
Basically sound? Reasonable conclusions?Role for pre-submission enquiriesRole for cover letters (more later)
Many papers are rejected at this step
Editor triage…
In depth editorial review by associate editor
Closer look at methods, results, previous work
Many papers are rejected at this step!
…then associate editor assessment…
May be selected for: • Subject expertise• Methodological expertise
Have to:• Follow the journal’s instructions• Behave ethically
… then peer reviewers…
NB Editors have to:
• Follow the journal’s procedures
• Behave ethically
acceptance
or rejection
or revise and resubmit
are the responsibility of the editors.
…then editorial decision
The aim of formal peer review (done well) is either to:
Publish a paper that accurately reflects the work that was done…
or
Give authors constructive feedback that tells them why their paper does not fulfil the journal’s criteria
How to find out what a journal’s editorial processes are
READ THE AUTHOR
INSTRUCTIONS!
Choosing a journal
First stop: ask your supervisors/colleagues!
Tools for finding and assessing journalse.g. Scimago
https://www.scimagojr.com/
Finding overlap journals
Finding overlap journals
Are you submitting your research to a trusted journal?And - is it the right journal for your work?o More research is being published worldwide.o New journals are launched each week.o Stories of publisher malpractice and deception are on the rise.o How can you be sure the journal you are considering is the right
journal for your research?
Do you or your colleagues know the journal?o Can you easily identify and contact the publisher?o Is the journal clear about the type of peer review it uses?o Are articles indexed in services that you use?o Is it clear what fees will be charged?o Do you recognise the editorial board?• Is the publisher a member of a recognized industry initiative?
• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)• Open Access Scholarly Publishers’ Association (OASPA)• INASP’s Journals Online platforms • African Journals Online (AJOL, for African journals)
Only if you can answer ‘yes’ to most or all of the questions on the list.• You need to be confident your chosen journal will have a suitable profile
among your peers to enhance your reputation and your chance of gaining citations.
• Your paper should be indexed or archived and be easily discoverable.• You should expect a professional publishing experience where your
work is reviewed and edited.
Two other practical tips
• Before submission:• Familiarise yourself with the journal submission system – don’t leave it to the
last minute• Be aware of what your funder/university OA requirements are
• After submission• Keep a copy of your accepted manuscript• Submit that copy to your university’s institutional repository
Ways to make research open
Australian OA policies
Writing the cover letter
There are lots of new publishing models…and not everyone needs a cover letter
So read the author instructions!
Why have cover letters (and titles & abstracts)?
Gets your paper to the right person
Get rejected quickly
OR
Get to the next stage asap
2 or 3 essential parts of a cover letter(wrapped up politely)
Succinct summary of what the paper is about
Context (why this journal should publish it)
Other Essential information (e.g. are there any other similar papers submitted to other journals?)
Dear Dr Rain,
We are submitting this paper, “How do Brisbane Residents survive the heat of a Queensland Summer: a qualitative study” to The Journal of the Queensland Climate Science Association.
Our work provides the first rigorous qualitative analysis of this topic and is based on interviews conducted with 20 residents of Brisbane, Australia over a 6 month period.
Given the journal’s scope and your specific interest in this area with the recent publication of “How Domestic Pets adapt to Brisbane Summers”, we thought the paper would be relevant to your readership.
We have a related paper under review using the same methodology at The Journal of the Victorian Climate Science Association entitled “How Melbourne residents adapt to the extreme cold of a Victorian winter: a qualitative study”. However, there is no overlap with the study populations.
Our conflicts of interest are declared in detail in the paper. The paper was funded by the Ice Cream Association of Brisbane.
We look forward to hearing your assessment of the paper
TITLE,RIGHT JOURNAL
SUMMARY
OTHERESSENTIALINFORMATION
CONTEXT
POLITE SIGN-OFF
Don’t:
1. Get the wrong journal
2. Paste the abstract or large chunks of text
3. Oversell your findings
4. Be overly friendly or aggressive
5. Hide anything you should really tell them
