Writing guides
Rejecting without Review: The Whys, the Hows
As we all know, the number of manuscript submissions to journals vastly outweighs the amount of space journals have to publish. To handle this process and ensure that appropriate manuscripts are sent for peer review, the editorial process has become more important than ever. The editorial in a issue ACS Nano (Sept 28 2010) by associate editor Jillian M. Buriak describes rejecting without review and how to avoid it.
Overcoming the language barrier: writing in English for non-native authors
With increased pressure on publication space many journals are introducing language screening protocols to check submissions before they reach the editor’s desk; some editors simply choose to overlook papers that are poorly written. However, by being aware of some of the most common scientific writing language errors and how to avoid them, you can improve the quality of your paper and increase its chances of being accepted.
Making a good first impression: the importance of writing a good title
The title of your paper is a “hook” that should be used to attract readers—it is your opportunity to “sell” your paper to readers browsing a table of contents or search results. A poor title will cause potentially interested researchers to overlook your work and may attract the wrong audience. By contrast, a good title will attract the relevant researchers and increase the number of citations you receive.
The snapshot: abstract and keywords
Your paper’s abstract is critical because many researchers will read that part only. Therefore, it is critical that it provides an accurate and sufficiently detailed summary of your work so that those researchers can understand what you did, why you did it, what your findings are, and why your findings are useful and important.
The cover letter: your sales pitch
Competition for publication space and for editors’ attention is very high. It is no longer sufficient to send a manuscript to a journal editor with a letter saying “please find my manuscript attached”. The cover letter is your opportunity to directly address the editor of your target journal. It can be used to set your study apart from others and explain why your findings are important and why they should be published in this journal.
