The 36th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology

Society of Japan

Presented by

Yukti Bharwani

December 05, 2013

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Session Outline

Part 1: Common language mistakes made by Japanese authors and some tips to avoid them

Part 2: Essential tips to publish successfully

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Part 1: Common language mistakes made by Japanese authors and some tips to avoid them

Part 2: Essential tips to publish successfully

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• How many of you have already written a research paper?

• If yes, how many of you felt that you couldn’t document your research as well as you could/should have?

• Do you know what each part of a paper should include?

Show of Hands

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By the end of this session, you will

• Be able to recognize some errors commonly made by authors when writing each part of a paper

• Receive some tips on how to avoid making such errors

Objectives

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• Mismatch with the journal

• Lack of originality, novelty, or significance

• Flaws in study design

• Poor writing and organization

• Inadequate preparation of the manuscript

• Reasons not related to the manuscript, like space constraints

Common reasons for manuscript rejection

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Title

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Common errors

Includes non-essential information

Includes waster words (e.g., study of,

investigates)

Titles taken from articles published in BMC Biochemistry (CC-by license)

Title

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Tips

Answer the questions:

– What is the paper about?

– What techniques/ designs were used?

– Who/what is studied?

– What were the results?

Contain useful keywords

Titles taken from articles published in BMC Biochemistry (CC-by license)

Keywords

Common errors

Insufficient time is spent on thinking of

relevant keywords

Keywords are too generic or too specific

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Titles taken from articles published in BMC Biochemistry (CC-by license)

Keywords

Tips Understand that this is important; journals, search engines, and

indexing and abstracting services classify papers using keywords

Use accurate list of keywords to ensure correct indexing

Contain terms/phrases that are used repeatedly in the text.

Include variants of a term/phrase (e.g., kidney and renal), drug

names, procedures, etc

• Note: Type the keywords into Google Scholar and check if the results include similar papers or at least papers that match the subject of the manuscript.

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Titles taken from articles published in BMC Biochemistry (CC-by license)

Cover letter

Common errors

The cover letter is just a summary of the study

The cover letter contains general statements

like “We believe this study is suitable for the

journal.”

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Tips

Include a convincing reason why you have chosen to

submit to the journal and why the paper is suitable for

the journal

Talk about why the work is interesting and important

Include declarations required by the journal (e.g., that all

authors approve the submission, author contributions,

ethics declarations)

Cover letter

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Introduction

Sets the context for the study and problem. Several readers may not understand the significance of your study right away, so it’s best to use general language and carefully developed logic to guide readers to the main problem/objective of the study.

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Introduction

Common error

The introduction reviews all studies that have

ever been published on the topic

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Tips Describe the rationale for undertaking the study

Explain how the research makes an important contribution to the field or advances knowledge

State the research question clearly

Explain the theoretical framework that the study is based on

Provide a background of the problem or issue that your research aims to understand or resolve, citing studies to support your arguments

Summarize the current state of knowledge on the topic, citing studies as appropriate

Introduction

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Methods

This section is the most specific to your study. A primary criterion for well-conducted research is that it must be replicable. This will enable another researcher to reproduce the results by following the methods detailed in your paper.

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Methods

Common errors

Excludes important details simply to avoid a lengthy

description of the methods

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Methods

Tips

Provide full details of all methods, techniques, and instruments

Include an image or diagram of the experimental setup

Describe the questionnaire, survey, or other data collection

instruments

Provide or cite studies that support the validity and reliability of

the analysis methods and instruments

Describe the lab settings or environment

Explain the analysis methods and why you chose them

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Results

This section includes all details about the data and results so that readers can understand the results without spending too much time reading this section.

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Results

Common errors

Include detailed descriptions of the results in

the text even though you have illustrated

these results in figures and tables

Generalizations of the results

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Tips

Use tables and figures effectively to present results in a

manner that’s easy to understand at a glance

Explain what the results are saying, rather than simply

stating the statistical data (e.g., “X was found to

substantially increase with Y [followed by statistical data]”

rather than “X and Y had a positive correlation of .73”)

Results

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Discussion

This section extends the specific results to their broader implications, which can then be tied in with the general background given in the introduction. Readers should understand what the research/data is saying and how and why.

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Discussion

Common errors

Repeat the results in this section

Draw conclusions that are not supported by the data

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Tips

Start by stating whether the hypothesis was supported

Interpret the results: what do the results imply?

Relate the findings to those of previous studies, for example, whether the results support or deviate from results in previous studies

Explain how the study adds to previous knowledge

Mention possible alternative explanations for the results

Address the limitations of the study

Discussion

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Conclusion

This section states the main conclusions of the study in the context of the formulated problem.

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Conclusion

Common errors

Oversell the research or “overgeneralize” the

results, that is, stretch the study findings to

provide suggestions or conclusions that the

research doesn’t really support

Simply summarize the results

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Tips

Explain what the authors have learned from the study

Ensure that the conclusion is directly related to the research

question and stated purpose of the study

Elaborate on the broader implications of the research

Suggest specific future avenues of research to advance the

knowledge that’s been gained from the study or answer

questions that your study did not address

Conclusion

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References

Common errors

The references in the text (citations) are not listed in the references section at the end of the paper

All the sources referred to are not listed in the references section

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Tips

Acknowledging a peer’s work is of utmost importance. Give credit to the original work

Don’t forget to check that all citations are also listed in the references section at the end

References

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Other errors—miscount

Sometimes these changes are introduced while incorporating review changes. Authors might add/delete items and forget to update the corresponding number.

Example: The three dimensions: time, length, width, and depth

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Tips

Count every list you have numbered.

Other errors—miscount

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Other errors—the number zero

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Wrong number of zeros or the wrong exponent

Example: 100,000 when you actually mean ten thousand

Other errors—the number zero

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Tip

To catch this error, you will have to rely on the context and your subject matter expertise

Other errors—the number zero

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Letter O for 0 and letter I for 1 or vice versa

Example: In 2003, elderly people constituted 1O.6% of India’s population.

Other errors—the number zero

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Tip

Sometimes there is a typo and sometimes it is difficult to tell. Look out for this error in equations!

Questions?

Hmm. All very good questions!

Part 1: Common language mistakes made by Japanese authors and some tips to avoid them

Part 2: Essential tips to publish successfully

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The Research Challenge

• You believe you have something to contribute to the scientific literature

• You believe that your data is good

• You have a hard time writing and expressing yourself in English

• You are under great pressure to publish in high-impact peer-reviewed western journals

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The Standard Approach:

• Choose the science

• Select the audience

• Select the journal

• Write the manuscript, submit, and hope it is accepted

However, before you even start the process, you need to understand one very important concept:

How to Navigate the Process

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Unfortunately

• You are not writing for yourself

• You are not writing for the simple intent of writing

• You are not writing for your career advancement

You are ONLY writing for two “Gatekeepers”

1. The Journal Editor

2. The Peer Reviewer

These are the two people that you need to solve for, and in that order.

Who Are the Gatekeepers?

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• Always keep in mind that the Journal Editor and the Peer Reviewer are professionals just like you!

They are:

• Successful in research

• Successful as writers

Who Are the Gatekeepers?

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The Journal Editor has the job to determine whether your manuscript will:

• Interest the journal readership?

• Advance knowledge in the field?

• Improve coverage of this particular topic in the journal?

• Improve the reputation of the journal and help increase the journal’s Impact Factor?

The Job of the Journal Editor

They are busy people and they are also thinking about:

• Publication timelines

• High publishing standards

• Budgetary constraints

• Pleasing editorial boards

• Managing staff

• …and many other things!

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Yes. Absolutely. Have the conversation before you submit the manuscript…especially, if you have never submitted a paper to the journal before.

Reasons:

• You will save time if the format or subject matter of the paper is out of the scope of the journal

• When the manuscript is received, the Journal Editor will already have a positive perception

• You will no longer be simply a name on a piece of paper

Should You Contact the Journal Editor?

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Editorial steps:

• They read the cover letter

• They read the title of the manuscript

• They read the abstract

• They look at the results

• They jump to the discussion and conclusions

… and yes, unfortunately, they look at the names on the by-line to see if they recognize any well-known researchers.

How Do They Look at Your Paper?

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Example of a Manuscript Title

Original How an Editage editor

would edit it

• A study of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Mcm4, Mcm6, and Mcm7

• Expression, purification, and biochemical characterization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Mcm4, Mcm6, and Mcm7

• Fatty acyl-CoA reductases of birds

• Avian fatty acyl-coA reductases are expressed together with wax ester synthases

Titles taken from articles published in BMC Biochemistry (CC-by license)

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Readability of the English Language

You dno’t have to be raelly smrat to raed tihs. In the Elgnsih lugnagae it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers are in a wrod. The olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers are pneiostiod in the rghit pclae. The rset of the lrtetes can be jmulebd and you can sitll raed it wiuthot porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn barin deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but lokos for sncetnene and luganage petatnrs.

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Readability of the English Language

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You don’t have to be really smart to read this. In the English language it doesn't matter in what order the letters are in a word. The only important thing is that the first and last letters are positioned in the right place. The rest of the letters can be jumbled and you can still read it without problem. This is because the human brain does not read every letter by itself, but looks for sentence and language patterns.

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Before your manuscript reaches the Journal Editor, evaluate the manuscript carefully:

• Have you selected the right manuscript structure and journal for your research?

• Are your findings complete?

• Is your study novel?

• How will your study advance knowledge in the field?

• Have you followed the journal guidelines?

• Are there any grammatical or typographical errors?

So Where Do You Start?

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Did you follow the standard IMRAD scientific format when

writing your manuscript?

Introduction | Materials + Methods | Results | (and) | Discussion

Did you review the Instructions for Authors for the journal?

Structural Elements to Consider

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This resource also contains links to some of the most respected research and authorship guidelines, such as ICMJE, COPE, CONSORT, etc.

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Questions?

Hmm. All very good questions!

Contact Information

Cactus Communications K.K. Website: www.editage.jp Yukti Bharwani Email: yuktib@cactusglobal.com

Dr. EddyTM

personifies our efforts to support authors with good

publication practices.