Overcoming the Myths of the Review Process and Getting Your Paper Ready for Publication

Abstract

T he flood of scientific papers published daily across all scientific disciplines has resulted in the majority of these articles receiving less reader attention than they deserve. It is getting increasingly difficult for readers to keep up with all of the published papers in his/her discipline. Even in the major scientific journals, nearly 75% of the published articles receive citations that are below the journal's impact factor, perhaps suggesting that many published papers do not receive sufficient attention from the average readership or simply they are not effective in communicating the results. (See, for example,

How do you write and present research well? 16—Target an audience and promote

“…In the first 15 questions of this series on communicating research effectively, we addressed writing style (verbs, active voice, and metadiscourse), creating aesthetic graphs and graphical abstracts, designing and delivering presentations, and establishing criteria for authorship. In the next five articles, we continue to examine how to write well and to write for your target audience . Choosing an appropriate journal will increase your article's scientific impact.…”

How do you write and present research well? 17—Submit your manuscript to the journal you cite most

“…[71] Editors reject papers that they judge lack scientific impact, or will not appeal to their readership. The editors specifically check to see whether the paper meets specific criteria, namely, urgency and timeliness of the research, significant advancement, scope, and likelihood of broad interest within the readership of the journal.…”

Mastering the Art of Scientific Publication

“…Please refer to a recent editorial for a detailed description of the review process involved in one of our journals. 16 After peer reviews are received, the editor makes a decision on the paper. The most common decisions are minor revision, major revision, rejection, or referral to another journal.…”

“…Once the editorial review is complete, papers are either sent out for peer review or are returned to the author explaining the reasons behind the rejection. Please refer to a recent editorial for a detailed description of the review process involved in one of our journals …”