DR. G4/16/10

CHEM 690

Scientific Publishing

Scientific Knowledge

“The object of research is to extend human knowledge beyond what is already known.

But an individual’s knowledge enters the domain of science only after it is presented to others in such a fashion that they can independently judge its validity”

“On being a scientist” 2009, Natl Acad Sci, Eng and Inst of Med

Sharing Scientific Knowledge

“Science is a shared knowledge based on a common understanding of some aspect of the physical world”

Presentations at meetings

Publications in peer reviewed journals (research results are privileged until they are published)

Dissertation/thesis

Why Publish?

“If it isn’t published, it hasn’t been done”

Sharing scientific information is how science moves forward

Measure of productivity: one of the first things that potential employers look at (in both academia and industry)

Scientific publication is a team effort

Authors

Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, Editorial staff

Reviewers

In natural sciences, this process is confidential

Authorship

List of authors establishes accountability as well as credit

should include only persons who make a direct and substantial contribution

Acknowledgements can be used to thank people who indirectly contribute

Author responsibilities

Ensure that work is new and original

Not published elsewhere

All authors agree on content and are listed with proper affiliation

Copyright permissions

What is publishable….

Journals like to publish papers that are going to be widely read and useful to readers (SCI ranking/impact factor)

Original and significantWell organized and well writtenconcise and yet completeClear acknowledgement of other work in the

field

What is not acceptable…..

Routine extensions of previous reports

Incremental or fragmentary reports

Verbose, poorly organized papers (poorly written, poor quality figures)

Violations of ethical guidelines (plagiarism of any type or degree, questionalbe research practices)

Research Misconduct

Fabrication: making up data and recording or reporting them

Falsification: manipulating equipment or processes, or changing/omitting data

Plagiarism: appropriation of another person’s ideas, processes, results or words without giving appropriate credit

It does not include honest errors or differences of opinion

Research misconduct is a serious violation

http://ori.dhhs.gov/

http://ori.dhhs.gov/misconduct/cases/

Subject to fines, barred from funding, dismissal from position

Plagiarism

Plagiarism: using ideas or writing of someone else without giving proper credit

Self-plagiarism: the verbatim copying or reuse of one’s own research

Both are considered unacceptable in scientific literature

Internet makes plagiarism easier to do but also easier to catch!

Data Manipulation

Manipulating data in order to deceive others violates both basic ethics and accepted standards of professionalism

Could potentially impede progress in the field and harm other research groups

Undermines own authority and trustworthinessCan have devastating impact on society as a

wholeIf the work is important people will try to

repeat it

Good Record Keeping

Maintain an accurate, accessible and permanent record of data

Record sufficient detail for others to check and repeat work

Notebook with numbered pages or computer application

Date every entry

Types of Publications

Rapid communication or note

Methodology

Full paper

Review article

Writing and Publishing a paper

Getting ready with dataSelecting a journalFirst draftStructure of a scientific paperSubmissionReviews, revisionGalley proofs

Getting the data ready

Manuscripts should be data drivenEasiest to write the paper around (GOOD)

figures and tablesOrganize results to follow a logical sequenceConsolidate data plots and create figures

(most journals will limit figures to 6-8)Additional supporting information can be

included in Supplemental Material

Selecting a Journal

Specialized vs general

Impact factors

Visit the journal website for: the scope of the journal Instructions for authors (format) Instructions for submission

First draft

It’s a draft, it doesn’t have to be perfect yet

Note good and bad writing styles in the literature and try to emulate the good writing style (not too complex or convoluted – clear and concise is ideal)

Keep in mind who the audience is for the journal that you plan to submit to.

HELP! With writing

The Purdue Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

ACS Style GuideStrunk and White “The Elements of Style”

Friends

Technical writing is usually third person, past tense, often passive voice (but active is more interesting to read)

Writing tips

Write complete sentences that don’t run onFollow standard English grammarClear paragraphsConcise!Don’t try to impress readers with words no

one ever uses (25₵ words)Do not use slang, colloquial expressions,

overly emotional or childish phrases

Structure of a Scientific Paper

TitleAbstractIntroductionMaterials and Methods (some journals put this

last)ResultsDiscussion/ConclusionsAcknowledgementsReferencesSupplemental Material

Title Page

Compose a title that is simple, attractive and accurately reflects the investigation

Try to avoid acronyms that are only used in a highly specialized community

Many journals require keywords on the title page, these are used by search engines

Author names, affiliations and contact author information

Abstract

Usually ca. 250 words

Keep it simple and informative

What the study is about and how it was done (avoid detailed experimental procedures)

Generate enthusiasm about the work! State the major conclusion in the last sentence.

Abstract example

Body of the manuscript

Introduction Start with general background of topic Discuss previous work, put this work in context Point out the main issues addressed in this work

Materials and Methods Enough detail for someone to repeat the work Include manufacturers and suppliers of everything

Results Detailed Make sure figures/tables are in order presented in

text

Body of the manuscript, cont’d

Discussion/Conclusions Compare and contrast results to previous work Sufficient to back up conclusions Avoid strong statements like “I proved that…”

Acknowledgements Funding agency and people who provided assistance

References Endnotes is recommended

Supplemental Material

Submission

Proofread the manuscript carefully, including table and figure captions and references

Write a cover letter to the Editor including a brief paragraph highlighting the importance of the work; many journals allow you to request an associate editor.

Make a list of suggested reviewers, most associate editors will select one or two of your suggestions (if needed, list reviewers that you don’t want)

Review Process

Most journals send the manuscript to 2-3 reviewers. The process is confidential.

Usually, reviewers point out mistakes, flaws and suggest ways to improve the paper through additional discussion or experiments.

Read the comments carefully and don’t take them personally.

Revision

Make the reviewer’s suggested changes, if applicable

You will need to write a reply to the reviewers that contains a point by point answer to each criticism; if the reviewer didn’t understand something, you need to make it more clear.

Be polite and be respectful if you disagree with the reviewer

Revision, cont’d

Don’t get mad. If you can’t stand it, write a really nasty reply and then delete it.

If you believe that the review is unfair or a personal attack, contact the Associate Editor who is handling the paper.

Submit the revised version of the paper

If accepted, galley proofs usually arrive within two weeks

Publication

Most journals now publish “Epubs” online before the print edition comes out so check your proofs carefully

For on-line only journals, the reference is the doi (digital object identifier)

As soon as the paper is accepted, add it to your CV!

Get to work on the next paper

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Dr. Prashant Kamat at Notre Dame for content