How to Sell Your Story, Recommendations and Tips from

Reviewers“What Reviewers Are Looking For?”

Muna Al-Razgan, PhD

Research Day, IT Department April 10, 2013

RATIONALE

To encourage knowledge sharing in the research community

To help others not re-invent wheel; integration of sciences

Additional tips, insider knowledge and the answers to key questions to maximize your chances of publication

WHY PUBLISH?

Publishing: is one of the necessary steps embedded in the scientific research process.

It is also necessary for graduation and career progression.

You need a GOOD manuscript to present your contributions to the scientific community

What to publish:New and original results or methodsReviews or summaries of particular subjectManuscripts that advance the knowledge

and understanding in a certain scientific field

What NOT to publish:Reports of no scientific interestOut of date workDuplications of previously published work Incorrect/unacceptable conclusions

WHAT IS PUBLISHING ALL ABOUT?

Take an idea

Publish it Reach an audience

REJECTION LETTER FROM AN EDITOR

Dear Sir,Many thanks for asking whether we

would like to publish your paper.Your paper is good and original, but

unfortunately we are simply not willing to publish it.

The trouble is that the good bits were not original and the original bits were not good.

Yours faithfully

THE REASON FOR REJECTION IS OFTEN VERY SIMPLE…..

The paper was so poorly written and so poorly structured that the editor simply couldn’t understand its meaning

Editors are human beings: impressed by papers that are short, easy to read, and contain A CLEAR MESSAGE

What’s yours?

WHAT I’D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT TODAY

PREPARATION: things to think about before you even put pen

to paper SELLING YOURSELF:

how to capture an editor’s/reviewer’s attention

STRUCTURE: without a clear structure, you (and the

editor/reviewer) will be lost EFFECTIVE WRITING:

there are some simple rules, which can make a huge difference

BEFORE YOU START WRITING, ASK…

What? Where? How?

WHAT IS MY MESSAGE?

If editors/reviwers cannot work out the single take home message, they will reject your paper

They will also reject it if you haven’t convinced them of your study’s importance

WHERE WILL THE PAPER END UP? (AUDIENCE)

You MUST choose a journal/conference and write for that journal’s/conference audience

Make sure the

journal/conference publishes the type of study you’ve done

What does this audience already know about this topic and what do they want to know now?

Editorial Questions

You have to “sell yourself” and at least get through to publish…..

Editorial Questions:

Does this article have a clear message?Is it original?Is it important?Is it true?Is it relevant to our readers?

- The Title….Make It Compelling- The abstract: many conference now base their decisions on the

abstract alone- Introduction: Grab the reader, drawing them

immediately to the crucial issue that your paper addresses

Figures and Tables: Each figure/table: ONE STAND-ALONE MESSAGE

Results: The Facts and Nothing But the Facts Discussion: Discuss both Strengths and Weaknesses

WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT A REVIEWER LOOKS AT?

Title: Concise and informativeContains the most important words related to the topicNot overly exaggerateput a verb in the title

The Abstract

• Sadly, many authors write the abstract in a great rush, almost as an afterthought

• Must be concise, “stand alone” piece with a very clear message.

• Must accurately reflect the full text paperWhy did you do the study? What did you do? What did you find? What did you conclude?

MANY CONFERENCE NOW BASE THEIR DECISIONS ON THE ABSTRACT ALONE

Other TipsEthical considerations

Informed consentInstitutional review board approval

In studies involving human participants, you must mention that your IRB approved your research and that participants gave their written informed consent to be entered in the trial.

OTHER TIPSSIGNAL THE QUESTION Lets the reader know explicitly what the

research question being addressed is. Sets up an expectation for the rest of the

paper.

Use explicit phrases Use question words - “whether” or “which” State the hypothesized effect Identify the type of variables and study

design.

IN WHICH EXAMPLE BELOW IS THE QUESTION SIGNALED?

We were interested in the relationship between HIV and malaria.

In this study, we studied the prevalence of

Co-infections with HIV and malaria in Africa.

KEEP A CONSISTENT ORDERParagraph structure

Ideas must be well organized. Make sure each sentence has just one idea Make sure each paragraph captures just one topic Make sure the first sentence of each paragraph captures the

main message

Topic sentence followed by supporting sentences.

Explicit relationship must exist between sentences.

Explicit relationship must also exist between paragraphs and sections of papers.