PUBLISHING SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE

IN JOURNAL
Prof. Bhavani B. B.
 INTRODUCTION
• In science, no matter how spectacular the
results are, the work is not completed until
the results are published.
• Publishing a research report is much more
than typing a manuscript.
• Publishing requires a bit of additional research
to ensure that the authors sending the right
manuscript in the right format to the right
journal at the right time.

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 Scientific written communication
• Reports
• Theses or dissertations
• Journal articles
• Books and book chapters
• Technical manuals/users guides
• Research or grant proposals
• Slide presentations
• Posters

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 ETHICS AND ETIQUETTE
• The manuscript are sent to one journal at a
time.
• Mass marketing one’s manuscript to several
jouranals is unethical
• Editors will reject a manuscript when there is
evidence that it is being submitted to more
than one journal.
• Unethical to submit similar versions of the
same manuscript to multiple journals.
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• But it is appropriate to break down large study
into smaller pieces and publish each as a
separate article.
• A single smaller study can also produce more
than one article if each article focuses on a
different aspect of the study.

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Timelineness
• Applies to both the author and editor
• When a author receives conditional
acceptance of the manuscript pending
revision, the revised manuscript must be
returned within the time frame stated by the
editor.
• Editors and reviewers also have obligation to
make their evaluations of a manuscripts merit
within a reasonable period of time.

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 Ethics of scientific writing
• Avoid dual publication
• Don’t use the work of others without
appropriate attribution
• List only those co-authors who contributed
substantially to the work
 STEPS IN PUBLISHING
1. Complete the study and right the findings in a rough
draft.
2. Select a journal
• choice of the journal will depend upon the target
audience of the research.
• Dominating/popular journal
• Circulation rate of the journal
• Rejection rate
• Speed of turnaround from submission to acceptance to
publication and
• Prestige of journal

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 What constitutes a good journal
• Impact factor: Average number of times
published papers are cited upto 2 years after
publication
• Immediacy Index: average number of times
published papers are cited during the year of
publication

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3. QUERY LETTER
• Submission of a query letter to determine an
editor’s level of interest in a manuscript.
• Can save writers time
• The letter should identify the title of the study
and provide information about the author
• Abstract an accompany the letter
• After a positive reply from editor send the
manuscript within a few weeks.

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Part II: Writing a Scientific/
Research Manuscript
4. Manuscript preparation
• Journal’s guidelines are the authors best
friend.
• They contain essential information about the
editorial style, page limit, permissions, copy
right, and the no. of copies to be sent to the
editor.
• The writer must pay attention to the rules of
grammar, syntax, and punctuation
• A well developed study may be rejected for
publication if the manuscript is haphazardly
written.

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 IMRaD” format
• Introduction • What problem was
studied? What others and
you did? Your study area.
• How do you did it?
• Methods
• What did you find out?
• Results
• What do your findings
• Discussion mean?... Combine
w/conclusion/summary
and future plans

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 Paper organization
• Introduction
– call attention to the specific subject, define the
problem
– provide background and present the results of
other studies (literature review)
– list the structure of your research project and
what you plan to present in your paper
Reading a scientific article isn’t the same as reading a detective story. We want to
know from the start that the butler did it (Ratnoff, 1981)
 Paper organization
• Results
– display of data with logical development showing how
your findings satisfy your objectives
– where possible give illustrative examples and compare
those with known results from literature
– use tables and figures
– the fool collects facts; the wise man selects them (J. W.
Powell, 1888)
 Paper organization
• Methods
– complete information of materials and
methods used, conditions present, actions,
experimental design, etc.
– this section usually has subheadings; when
possible match those to be used in Results
– enough information must be given so that the
models/experiments can be reproduced
– ask a colleague if he/she can follow the
methodology
 Paper organization
• Discussion
– the hardest section to write
– discuss, without just repeating the Results
– show the relationship among observed facts

• Conclusion or Summary
– state your conclusion(s) as clearly as possible
– summarize evidence for each conclusion
• end with a short statement regarding the significance of
your work
 THE write stuff
• Language
• Good manuscript will undergo several revision
• Good writing also requires critical review
• Share each draft with colleagues
• Weigh the feedback carefully. Pay attention to
comments made by common reviewers
• Reader Friendly: Manuscript should be readily
understood by a reader who is not an expert in
the field. Should not be too technical.

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 The finished work

• Once the final draft of the manuscript is complete

• Send to the editor after one more review
• Manuscript should not include information about the
identity of the author.
• Author information should appear only in the cover page
and the cover letter.
• The adress, phone number, fax, email of the contact author
should be included
• Make sure abstract is included
• Pages are numbered
• Reference list included
• Are tables and figures labeled clearly

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 After Submission

• Publication Procedure (6-12 months)

– Author submits
– Editor is assigned to manuscript
– Editor assigns reviewers (associate editors) to inspect
– Reviewers decide on whether to review paper
– Several reviewers inspect and edit
– Editor decides on accuracy of revisions and whether to
accept paper
– If accepted, editor sends paper back to author with
revisions
– Author revises paper and sends it back
– Possibility of second review process
– Publication!
• Waiting and revising
• If an editor does not provide information on
the status of a manuscript within a reasonable
time a phone call / email will clarify the delay
• Finally you receive a mail/letter from editor
regarding the fate of your manuscript
• Usual outcomes
• Publish as is
• Publish with major/minor revisions
• Rejected

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Process of Research
Completion of research

Preparation of manuscript

Submission of manuscript

Assignment and review

Decision
Rejection Revision

Resubmission

Re-review
Acceptance
Rejection
Publication