Getting Published: Advice
for Graduate Students and
Postdoctoral Scientists
Alison O’Brien, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Uniformed Services University
Bethesda, Maryland
Disclaimer
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The opinions or assertions
contained herein are the private
ones of the author and are not to
be construed as official or
reflecting the views of the DOD or
the Uniformed Services University.
So…
Why Should I Listen to Her?
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Editor-in-Chief of Infection and
Immunity 1999-2007
Previously Editor for Microbial
Pathogenesis and then for
Infection and Immunity
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Published 144 peer-reviewed
manuscripts and 54 invited
chapters and reviews
But You Should Know…
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that on occasion I still get papers
rejected.
Why? Either I have aimed too high in
the journal world or there are
additional data requested by the
reviewers.
The preparation or clarity of the
manuscript are usually not at issue.
Outline
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Overview
Choice of journal
Constructing a manuscript
Ethics of scientific publishing
Revisions, resubmissions,
rejections
Outline
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Overview
Choice of journal
Constructing a manuscript
Ethics of scientific publishing
Revisions, resubmissions,
rejections
Quotes from Robert A. Day’s
How to Write and Publish A
Scientific Paper (5th edition)
“The goal of scientific
research is publication.”
“A scientific experiment, no
matter how spectacular the
results, is not complete until
the results are published.”
Outstanding Manuscripts
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Present a complete scientific story.
Are organized so that the logic and
hypotheses are easy to follow.
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Are written in simple straightforward
sentences.
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What is Scientific Writing?
“The best English is that which gives
the sense in the fewest short words."
(from previous Instructions to Authors in the Journal of Bacteriology)
“Literary devices, metaphors, and the
like, divert attention from the
substance to the style.” (from R. Day)
Outline
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Overview
Choice of journal
Constructing a manuscript
Ethics of scientific publishing
Revisions, resubmissions,
rejections
Which Journal?
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Ask yourself whether the
information shifts any paradigms
in the field. If yes, aim for a high
impact, broader scope journal.
If no, but the findings are solid and
the study complete, go for the
specialty journal in your field that
is read by most investigators in
that area.
Journal Selection &
Students
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Graduate students
and fellows need to
publish.
Try for a brief
communication in a
higher impact journal
if there is a single
message.
It is OK to submit to
a lower impact
journal.
Journal Selection
Continued: a Tip
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If in doubt, email the editor with a
brief description of the paper or an
abstract.
Ask if the work would be considered
for that journal.
This approach works with Cell and
many ASM journals.
Abide by the answer even if it is No.
Outline
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Overview
Choice of journal
Constructing a manuscript
Ethics of scientific publishing
Revisions, resubmissions,
rejections
Sequence for Preparing a
Manuscript: One Model
Outline
Title
Materials and Methods
Introduction
Results
Discussion
Abstract
References
Acknowledgements
Language Issues
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Watch syntax or word order.
Use the active voice.
Keep your results in the past tense.
Put conclusions in the present tense.
Avoid “ing” words like “using”.
Compose simple sentences.
Punctuate correctly.
Why an Outline?
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Helps with the flow of the paper.
Lets you know whether you have
completed all the pieces to the story.
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i.e. Do you have a good enough
Western?
A good way to convince an advisor
that it is time to write.
Crafting a Title
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Shorter is better.
No jargon or abbreviations.
Put the main message in the title.
Avoid words like investigation,
characterization, analysis.
TAKE TIME TO DEVISE THE TITLE.
Materials and Methods
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Look at published Material and Method
sections in the journal to which you are
submitting; note style.
Do not repeat verbatim published
procedures that are readily accessible;
note modifications to the method.
Organize into sections with like
experiments together.
Materials and Methods, Cont.
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Do not start sentences with Arabic
numbers or lower case letters.
Spell out the composition of all buffers
the first time they are mentioned.
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i.e. Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS)
AVOID JARGON.
Introduction Should Contain
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A synopsis of literature pertinent
to the paper.
Purpose of the study.
A statement of the general
methodological approach used.
Major results and conclusion.
Results
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Essence of the paper.
Avoid redundancy between text
and figures/tables.
Don’t repeat Materials and
Methods; just give an overview.
Lead the reader from section to
section by stating your reasoning.
Results: Questions to Ask
Are statistics appropriate for the type
of data analyzed (common error)?
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Are the data shown truly
“representative”?
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Are the tables and figures formatted
correctly?
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Are lanes in scanned gels enhanced
proportionately?
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Discussion
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Hardest section to write.
OFTEN TOO LONG AND TOO
WORDY Message obscured.
Suggestion: point out key findings
in first paragraph, follow up with
data interpretation/model.
The Abstract, Cont.
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NEXT TO THE TITLE, THE MOST
CRITICAL PART OF THE PAPER IN
THE INITIAL REVIEW PROCESS.
The Abstract Should
(Quoted from Day)
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State the principal objectives and scope of
the investigation.
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Describe the methods employed.
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Summarize the results.
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State the principal conclusions.
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Be written in the past tense.
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Not include references.
Literature Cited
Reference the original discoverer
of a finding.
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List only significant references
that have been published.
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Check the citation against the
original.
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Make sure that all citations are in
the reference list and that all
references are cited.
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Outline
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Overview
Choice of journal
Constructing a manuscript
Ethics of scientific publishing
Revisions, resubmissions,
rejections
Authorship Versus Acknowledgement
(taken from IAI instructions to authors)
“An author is one who made a substantial
contribution to the overall design and
execution of the experiments”
“Individuals who provided assistance,
supplied reagents, or critiqued the paper
need not be listed as authors but may be
recognized in the Acknowledgments
section”
Ethics, Trouble, and I
Didn’t Know
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ASM considers all authors responsible
for the entire paper; know your
collaborators.
Common ethics issues:
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Fraudulent figures
Failure to acknowledge paper was
previously rejected
Adding someone as an author without their
knowledge, and many more.
Ignorance is not an excuse.
Outline
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Overview
Choice of journal
Constructing a manuscript
Ethics of scientific publishing
Revisions, resubmissions,
rejections
Responding to Critiques
Address every point and make the
corresponding changes in the text.
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Do the requested experiments if
they make sense. Trying to argue
your way out of doing an important
control is self-defeating.
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Be polite.
When to Resubmit
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If the editor encourages you to do so.
If the criticisms indicate that the
reviewers generally liked the paper
but found an experimental flaw/lack
of control.
Call/email the editor if you are really
in doubt.
Sources
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
2011 INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
SCOPE
Questions?