A Guide to Getting
Published
Stan Lee 李坦學
Regional Manager – Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan,
Thailand, & Vietnam
E-mail: slee@emeraldinsight.com
Tel: +886-(0)978-335-732
www.emeraldinsight.com
Research you can use
Aims of the session
• To ‘demystify’ the publishing process
• To provide tips, insider knowledge and key questions to
maximize your chances of publication
• To encourage you to publish with Emerald and some of you to
go beyond publishing, e.g. reviewing, book reviewing, editorial
roles
• Q&A session: ask anything!
• Follow-up: I’m always available to help
Emerald Group Publishing –
company background
• Emerald Group Publishing
Limited
• Founded in 1967 in Bradford,
West Yorkshire, U.K.
• For academics by academics
Financial Times Top 100 Business
Schools
Emerald is proud to say that:
Over 90 of the FT
top 100 business
schools worldwide
are Emerald
customers
We have authors
from all of the FT
top 100 business
schools worldwide
Over 23 Million downloads in one year!
Over 15 Million readership in one year!
In 2011 the FT top
100 business
schools worldwide
downloaded
Emerald articles
1.4m times – an
average of 14,000
per school!
Emerald Publication
• Emerald Academic Journals
– Over 290 journals (200 cited in Scopus)
• Ebook Series: More than 1,000 volumes from over 130
Book Series.
– Business, Management & Economic Collection
– Social Science Collection
• Emerging Markets Case Studies
– Over 250 cases
– South East Asia, Greater China, India …etc
• Backfiles
– Historical journal contents; back to Volume 1 Issue 1
Emerald Journals: 13 subjects
• Accounting,
Finance &
Economics
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Management &
Strategy
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Organization
Studies
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Knowledge
Management
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Management &
Environmental
Built Environment
Management
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Logistics & Quality
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Care
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Hospitality
High Quality of Journals
• Journal of Health Organization and Management
– Content on Financial, HR, Restructuring of Organization
• The Journal of Adult Protection
– The only title to provide vital research and evidence-based
practice across all adult service user groups
•
•
•
•
•
Journal of Children Services
Metal Health Review Journal
Journal of Integrated Care
Drug and Alcohol Today
….
High Quality of Books
•
•
•
•
Research in Community and Mental Health
Research in the Sociology of Health Care
Advances in Health Care Management
….
Emerald Group Publishing
• http://www.emeraldinsight.com
• Keyword: emeraldinsight
Emerald’s publishing philosophy
• Emerald believe that good management can – must – make a better
world
• Emerald believe in inclusivity, internationality, innovation and
independence
• Supportive of scholarly research
• Committed to improving author, reader and customer experience
• ‘Research you can use’
Research that has an impact
Journal
publishing
www.emeraldinsight.com
Research you can use
Editorial supply chain and journal
management structure: journals
Author
Quality research
papers
Editor
EAB and reviewers
Solicits new
papers
Research
Handles review
process
Promotes journal
to peers
Publisher/
Managing
Editor
The link between the
publishing company
and editor
Production
QA – sub-editing
and proof reading
Access via
library
Convert to SGML
for online
databases
Hard copy
Helps editors
succeed in their role
and build a first class
journal
Print production
Overall responsibility
Despatch
for journal
Attends
conferences
Promotion and
marketing
Develops new
areas of coverage
Attends conferences
Handles production
issues
Users
Added value from
publisher
Database
Third party
Ideas: where to start
• Are you working on a Doctoral or Master’s thesis?
• Have you completed a project which concluded
successfully?
• Are you wrestling with a problem with no clear
solution?
• Do you have an opinion or observation on a
subject?
• Have you given a presentation or conference
paper?
• If so, you have the basis for a publishable
paper
Why do I want to publish my work?
Why publish in journals?
Being published means:
• Your paper is permanent – enters the ‘body of knowledge’
for your subject area
• Your paper appears in both the print and electronic
versions of the journal
• Your paper is improved by suggestions from reviewers
and/or the editor via the review process
• Your paper is actively promoted by the publisher –
reaching a large audience
• Your submission is trustworthy – material that has been
published carries a QA stamp
How to select the “right” journal?
Choosing a journal to publish in is an investment decision. A good
choice can enhance the impact of your work and your reputation
• Factors to consider are relevant readership, recent articles,
communicative, societies and internationality, likelihood of
acceptance, circulation, time from submission to publication
• What type of paper are you planning to write i.e. practice paper,
research paper, case study, review, viewpoint? Check first what
type of paper the journal accepts.
• Be political (e.g. national vs. international) and strategic (e.g.
five articles in ‘low ranked’ journals vs. one in ‘top ranked’
journal)
How to select the right journal?
Measuring quality
Are rankings important to you? Thomson Reuters ISI is the most
well known ranking, but others exist. Citations are a good, but not
complete, guide to quality
o
o
o
o
o
o
MEDLINE
Impact Factor
Scopus
H-index
Usage
Peer perception
Target to avoid desk reject!
“Many papers are rejected simply
because they don’t fulfil journal
requirements.
They don’t even go into the review
process.”
Target!!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Identify a few possible target journals/series but be realistic
Follow the Author Guidelines – scope, type of paper, word length, references
style, etc
Find out where to send your paper (editor, online submission e.g. Scholar One).
Check author guidelines which can be found in a copy of the journal/series or the
publisher’s web site
Send an outline or abstract and ask if this looks suitable and interesting (or how it
could be made so)
Read at least one issue of the publication – visit your library for access
Include a cover letter – opportunity to speak directly to the editor, convince
them of the importance of your manuscript to the journal
Example cover letters with editor
comments
There are two useful things which should be included in a covering letter if relevant.
1. A statement of why the paper is being submitted to this journal, if it is a bit unusual, or
outside the journal's usual scope.
2. A statement about any papers on similar topics being submitted elsewhere, whether or
not these are referenced in the article.
So a good covering letter dealing with these points would say:
•
I am submitting this article to Journal of Documentation. You will see that it deals with
public library management, which I appreciate is outside JDoc's normal scope. However,
it focuses on the novel application of a theoretical model to the topic, and hence I think it
is appropriate for JDoc.
•
I am submitting an article with a similar title to 'Public Library Journal'. However, that
article gives a series of case studies, rather than describing and applying the model, and
so is quite distinct from the paper submitted here. I can send a copy of the PLJ paper if
required.
Example cover letters with editor
comments
A 'bad' covering letter would be one which either gave a poor reason for submitting the paper
to a particular, or which showed lack of understanding of the peer review process.
An example would be:
•
I am sending this article for you to publish in Journal of Documentation, after your
editorial amendments. I have chosen JDoc to publish this paper, as it is a high-impact
and well-regarded journal.
Considering co-authorship
Where to find a co author
• Supervisor or colleague
• Conferences
• Journals
• Emerald Research Connections
Benefits
• First time authors
• Demonstrates the authority and rigour of the research
• Especially useful for cross-disciplinary research
Considering co-authorship
Tips
• Ensure the manuscript is checked and edited so that it
reads as one voice
• Exploit your individual strengths
• Agree and clarify order of appearance of authors and the
person taking on the role of corresponding author
• Distributing work
• Leader
• Extending your work
What makes a good paper?
HINT: Editors and reviewers look for
• Originality – what’s new about subject, treatment or results?
• Relevance to and extension of existing knowledge
• Research methodology – are conclusions valid and objective?
• Clarity, structure and quality of writing – does it communicate well?
• Sound, logical progression of argument
What makes a good paper?
HINT: Editors and reviewers look for
• Theoretical and practical implications
• Recency and relevance of references
• Internationality/Global focus
• Adherence to the editorial scope and objectives of the journal
• A good title, keywords and a well written abstract
Example of author guidelines
Every journal
has detailed
notes and
guidelines
Editing Service
• http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/editing_service
/index.htm
Plagiarism and referencing
• Plagiarism (from the Latin plagium meaning ‘a
kidnapping’) is the act of taking someone else’s
work and passing it off as your own (false
attribution). It is considered fraud!
• Hard to detect with peer review but there are new
tools to help us
• Emerald’s entire portfolio is included in iThenticate
web-based software from iParadigms
http://www.ithenticate.com/
• Emerald’s Plagiarism Policy can be seen at
http://info.emeraldinsight.com/about/policies/plagia
rism.htm
• For more general information visit
http://www.plagiarism.org/
Copyright
•
As the author, you need to ensure that you get permission to use
content you have not created for when you submit your manuscript
otherwise this may delay your paper being published
•
Supply written confirmation from the copyright holder when
submitting your manuscript
•
If permission cannot be cleared, we cannot republish that specific
content
More information including a permissions checklist and a permissions
request form is available at:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/writing/best_practice_guide.htm
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/writing/permissions.htm
Dissemination and promotion
Online
• Use a short descriptive title containing main
keyword – don’t mislead
• Write a clear and descriptive abstract
containing the main keywords and following any
instructions as to content and length
• Provide relevant and known keywords – not
obscure new jargon
• Make your references complete and correct –
vital for reference linking and citation indices
All of this will make your paper more discoverable
which means more dissemination and
potentially more citation
Dissemination and promotion
Abstracts
The abstract helps ‘sell’ your article
Editors: are busy!
The abstract is their first contact with your paper and can sometimes
make a decision at that point whether or not it is suitable for their
journal.
Readers (online): The abstract is often all a reader will see until
they pay for the article.
Might not go further if the abstract doesn’t tell them clearly what the
paper is about.
A good abstract might make them want to read the full-text article.
Always ensure that you are clear, honest, concise and have
covered all the major points.
Structured abstracts
•
A structured abstract – in 250 words or less (no more than 100 in any one
section)
•
Purpose – Reasons/aims of paper
•
Design – Methodology/’how it was done’/scope of study
•
Findings – Discussion/results
•
Research limitations/Implications (if applicable) – Exclusions/next steps
•
Practical implications (if applicable) – Applications to practice/’So what?’
•
Social implications (if applicable) – Impact on society/policy
•
Originality/value – Who would benefit from this and what is new about it?
•
www.emeraldinsight.com/structuredabstracts
Example of a good abstract
Terry Evans, Ian Brailsford, Peter Macauley, (2011) "History researcher development and research capacity in
Australia and New Zealand", International Journal for Researcher Development, Vol. 2 Iss: 2, pp.117 – 132
•Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present data and discussion on history researcher development and research capacities in
Australia and New Zealand, as evidenced in analysis of history PhD theses' topics.
•Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on two independent studies of history PhD thesis topics, using a standard
discipline coding system.
•Findings – The paper shows some marked differences in the Australian and New Zealand volumes and distributions of history PhDs,
especially for PhDs conducted on non-local/national topics. These differences reflect national researcher development, research
capacities and interests, in particular local, national and international histories, and have implications for the globalisation of scholarship.
•Research limitations/implications – Thesis topics are used as a proxy for the graduate's research capacity within that topic. However,
as PhD examiners have attested to the significance and originality of the thesis, this is taken as robust. The longitudinal nature of the
research suggests that subsequent years' data and analysis would provide rich information on changes to history research capacity.
Other comparative (i.e. international) studies would provide interesting analyses of history research capacity.
•Practical implications – There are practical implications for history departments in universities, history associations, and government
(PhD policy, and history researcher development and research capacity in areas such as foreign affairs).
•Social implications – There are social implications for local and community history in the knowledge produced in the theses, and in the
development of local research capacity.
•Originality/value – The work in this paper is the first to collate and analyse such thesis data either in Australia or New Zealand. The
comparative analyses of the two datasets are also original.
Keywords: Australia, New Zealand, Doctoral theses, dissertations, Doctorates, History, PhDs, History PhD, Researcher
development, Theses
Before you submit your article: your
own peer review
• Let someone else see it – show a draft to
friends or colleagues and ask for their
comments, advice and honest criticism
• We are always too close to our own work to
see its failings
• Always proof-check thoroughly – no incorrect
spellings, no incomplete references. Spell
checkers are not fool-proof
Spot the error:
“A knew research methodology introduced in 2007…”
After
submission
www.emeraldinsight.com
Research you can use
The publishing process
Review Cycle
Author
Editor
Reviewer
START
Submit a
paper
The Editor(s) do an initial read to
determine if the subject matter and
research approach is appropriate
for the journal (approx. 1 week)
Basic requirements met?
[Yes]
Assign
reviewers
[No]
REJECT
Revise the
paper
Collect reviewers’
recommendations
[Reject]
Make a
decision
[Revision required]
[Accept]
ACCEPT
Michael Derntl
Basics of Research Paper Writing and Publishing.
http://www.pri.univie.ac.at/~derntl/papers/meth-se.pdf
Review and give
recommendation
The Editor(s) identify and contact two
reviewers (approx. 1 week)
Reviewers usually have 6-8 weeks to
complete their reviews
The Editor(s) assess the reviewers'
comments and recommendations
and make a decision (approx. 2
weeks)
Expected time from submission to
review feedback: 3-3.5 months
Possible editor decisions
You will be advised of one of three possible decisions:
Accept
Reject
Revise
Surviving peer review
Reasons for rejections
• Not following instructions – author guidelines
• Inappropriate to the journal scope
• Problem with quality (inappropriate methodology, not
reasonably rigorous)
• Insufficient contribution to the field
What if your paper is rejected?
• Don’t give up!
Everybody has been rejected at least once
• Ask why, and listen carefully!
Most editors will give detailed comments about a rejected paper.
Take a deep breath, and listen to what is being said
• Try again!
Try to improve the paper, and re-submit elsewhere. Do your
homework and target your paper as closely as possible
• Keep trying!
Positive outcomes of rejection
• Incentive to improve your work
• Valuable feedback
• Good experience of how the system works
Don’t give up!
Don’t be in the 16% who gave up
Request for revision
A request for revision is good news! It really is
•
•
•
You are now in the publishing cycle. Nearly every published paper is revised at least
once
Don’t panic!
Even if the comments are sharp or discouraging, they aren’t personal
“One Emerald author likes to let reviews sit for a week to let his blood pressure return to
normal”.
How to revise your paper
 Acknowledge the editor and set a revision deadline
 If you disagree, explain why to the editor
 Clarify understanding if in doubt –
‘This is what I understand the comments to mean…’
 Consult with colleagues or co-authors and tend to the points as
requested
 Meet the revision deadline
 Attach a covering letter which identifies, point by point, how
revision requests have been met (or if not, why not)
 For example “The change will not improve the article because…”
Example – agreeing with the
reviewers comments
Dear Editor,
Let us open by thanking the two reviewers for their insightful comments. They gave
us clear guidance and some positive critiques. Following their suggestions, we
spent more time reading and came to the revision process better prepared. We
enjoyed the process and think that the reviewers’ comments have tremendously
affected the revised draft. Both reviewers should now clearly see the difference
they made to the revised manuscript. In the following lines we detail the changes
in line with the reviewers’ comments.
Example – agreeing with the
reviewers comments
.
Reviewer: 1
Again, we would like to express our appreciation for your extremely thoughtful suggestions. As
you will see below we have been able to revise and improve the paper as a result of your
valuable feedback.
You highlighted that we did not spend enough time discussing the implications of our arguments
for current understandings of Drucker’s work. We agree with your suggestion and have
added in two additional paragraphs in the conclusion (p.30-1), and a few comments within
the paper (i.e p.11), that are devoted to outlining the implications of our analysis. We have
kept our discussion brief to ensure we maintain the commitment to the appropriate page
and word length, but what we do outline should make clear what this perspective on
Drucker makes relevant for management practitioners and scholars alike.
Accept
Congratulations!!
Following a lot of hard work and at least one revision
your paper has been accepted.
“In all the years I have been an editor I have not
accepted a single paper on first submission.”
Typical editor comment
Useful resources
www.emeraldinsight.com
Research you can use
Emerald supporting authors
•
•
•
•
Dedicated editorial and author relations support staff
Quality-assured copy-editing and production service
Emerald Literati Network with more than 100,000 members
Signatories of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Emerald is
committed to protecting its authors’ work from copyright infringements
•
ListAssist free to Emerald subscribers
Journals

EarlyCite
•
Online Scholar One Manuscript Central submission process
•
Complimentary journal issue and 3 months free access upon publication
Online resources
For Researchers
For Authors
• www.emeraldinsight.com/research
• How to… guides
• Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards
• Research Fund Awards
• Emerald Research Connections
• Case Study Competitions
• For Authors www.emeraldinsight.com/authors
• How to… guides
• Meet the Editor interviews and Editor news
• Editing service
• Annual Awards for Excellence
• Calls for Papers and news of publishing
opportunities
Books
•
Marketing plan for your book including:
•
Direct mail campaigns, leaflets and brochures, media and journal advertising
•
Conference presence and promotion
•
A landing page for your title on the Emerald website
Other useful resources
•
www.isiwebofknowledge.com (ISI ranking lists and impact factors)
•
www.harzing.com (Anne-Wil Harzing's site about academic publishing and
the assessment of research and journal quality, as well as software to
conduct citation analysis)
•
www.scopus.com (abstract and citation database of research literature and
quality web sources)
•
www.cabells.com (addresses, phone, e-mail and websites for a large
number of journals as well as information on publication guidelines and
review information)
•
www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk (a general resource for academic
writers, designed primarily with international students whose first language
is not English in mind)
•
http://www.esrc.ac.uk (impact toolkit)
Research & Publishing Pathway
(RPP)
It’s a paid fee services, but it’s worth to invest to
enhance quality of research!
The programme offers:
• Interactive workshops which can be
– chosen by institutions to best suit the needs of its
academics
• Dedicated one-to-one surgeries with the presenter,
• Follow up advice post-event for researchers looking to
publish in Emerald titles
Talk to us, use us!
• Tell us how we can help you
• Give us feedback online
• Use Emerald Management eJournals
!
For any answers you didn’t get today (or were
too shy to ask) …
Stan Lee 李坦學
Email: slee@emeraldinsight.com
Tel: +886 (0) 978-335-732
Write for us!