How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Using instructions to authors
Where to submit your manuscript
Some preliminaries

In considering where to submit your paper, you might have looked at some journals’ instructions to authors to learn more about their scopes, audiences, or requirements. If you have not yet obtained the instructions for the journal you chose, do so before starting to write your paper. These instructions should appear on the website of the journal. In addition, instructions from more than 6,000 biomedical journals can be accessed through the website Instructions to Authors in the Health Sciences (mulford.utoledo.edu/instr). This site also includes links to sets of guidelines that many medical journals follow.

If you do not find instructions to authors immediately on a journal’s website, keep looking. Sometimes their location is not initially apparent. Also, instructions to authors can have a variety of other names, such as “information for authors,” “guide for authors,” and “submission instructions.” If, after careful searching, you still do not find the instructions, perhaps ask a more experienced researcher or a librarian for help or contact the office of the journal. Also, if there is a true lack of instructions, that can be a clue that a journal is predatory rather than legitimate.

Read the instructions for authors thoroughly before starting to prepare your paper. Among the questions these instructions may answer are the following:

· Does the journal include more than one category of research article? If so, in what category would yours fit?

·  What is the maximum length of articles? What is the maximum length of abstracts?

·  Does the journal have a template for articles? If so, how can it be accessed?

·  Does the journal post supplementary material online? If so, how should this material be provided?

·  What sections should the article include? What guidelines should be followed for each?

·  What guidelines should be followed regarding writing style?

·  How many figures and tables are allowed? What requirements does the journal have for figures and tables?

·  In what format should references appear? Is there a maximum number of references?

· In what electronic format should the paper be prepared? Should figures and tables be inserted within the text, or should they appear at the end or be submitted as separate files? Is there an online submission system to use?

Underline, highlight, or otherwise note key points to remember. Then consult the instructions to authors as you prepare the paper. Following the instructions from the outset will save you time overall.

(“Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham. www.phdcomics.com)

Also, look at some recent papers in the journal—especially those presenting research analogous to yours. Viewing such examples can clarify points from the instructions to authors. It also can help you see more generally what is suitable for the journal.

Journals vary in their strictness of formatting requirements for submissions. Many journals want all submitted manuscripts to adhere closely to a specified style regarding items such as literature citation, headings and subheadings, and tables and figures. For initial submissions, however, some other journals are flexible about such items; only if a paper is accepted for publication must the author revise it to comply in detail with the journal’s format. Normally, the instructions for authors will either state the format requirements or say that the submission policy is format-neutral.

In any event, authors should know that unless the journal specifies otherwise, they should not submit manuscripts that look like typeset papers in that journal. Rather, the authors submit text and any tables and figures, and the journal does the layout.

Shortly before submitting your manuscript, check the instructions to authors again and ensure that they have been followed. If the instructions include a checklist, use it. By following the instructions carefully, you will facilitate publication of your manuscript from the time you begin to draft it.