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Author Workshop: Effectively Communicating Your Research
University Name25 March 2014
Jeffrey Robens, PhD
Be an effective communicator
S
Write effectively
Logically present your research in your manuscript
Choose the best journal to reach your target audience
Convey the significance of your work to journal editors
Properly revise your manuscript after peer review
Promote your research after publication
Effective writing
Section 1
Effective writing Short sentences
Reading once…4% of readers can understand a 27‐word sentence75% of readers can understand a 17‐word sentence
Pinner and Pinner (1998) Communication Skills
Goals to aim for:One idea per sentence
15–20 words
Effective writing Active voice
Sentences written in the active voice are:
simple direct clear easy to read
The theories evaluating economic growth were investigated.Passive
We investigated the theories evaluating economic growth.Active
Effective writing Stress position
Readers focus at the end of the sentence to determine what is important.
1. You deserve a raise, but the budget is tight.
Which sentence suggests that you will get a raise?
2. The budget is tight, but you deserve a raise.
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/flow/
Effective writing
The budget is tight, but you deserve a raise. Your salary
will increase at the beginning of next year.
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/flow/
Stress position Topic position
The topic position introduces the idea of the current sentence
The stress position also introduces the topic of the next sentence
Stress position
Effective writing Topic position
To increase the number of student applicants, theuniversity recently implemented a new program. Animportant part of this program is to first give seminarsat top‐ranking high schools in the region. Increasingthe number of local students is the initial step for theprogram’s success.
idea ideaideaidea
Topic link
sentence
Effective writing
Despite steadily rising enrollment rates in U.S. postsecondaryinstitutions, weak academic performance and high dropout ratesremain persistent problems among undergraduates. For academicinstitutions, high attrition rates complicate enrollment planning andplace added burdens on efforts to recruit new students. For students,dropping out before earning a terminal degree represents untappedhuman potential and a low return on their investment in college. Pooracademic performance is often indicative of difficulties in adjusting tocollege and makes dropping out more likely.
This paper examines the joint effect of two related social cognitivefactors—academic self‐efficacy and stress—on academic performanceand retention for college freshmen. Both of these factors have been…
Zajacova et al. Res Higher Ed. 2005; 46: 677–706.
Linking your ideas in your manuscript
Topic sentence
Stress sentence
Topic sentence
Manuscript structure
Section 2
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Introduction
General introduction
Specific aimsAims
Current state of the field
Problem in the field
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure
Identify an important problemState aims that directly address this problem
Writing the Introduction
Problem…little has been conducted to qualitatively assess whether self‐efficacy and peer influence affect the likelihood of students engagingin academic dishonesty.
Nora & Zhang Asia Pacific Educ Rev. 2010; 11: 573–584.
AimsThe purpose of this study is threefold: first, to determine the effect ofpeer attitudes and behaviour on the likelihood of cheating; secondly,to establish the significance of self‐efficacy in promoting academicintegrity; lastly, to ascertain effective ways of deterring academicdishonesty.
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Literature review
How did these lead to more recent studies?How is your manuscript different?
What is your hypothesis?
What did earlier studies show?
Literature reviews help:Formulate your research question
Establish the relevance of your study by identifying knowledge gaps
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Methods
How it was done
MethodologyMeasures and outcomes
Quantification methodsStatistical tests
Who/what was used
ParticipantsInstruments
Data collection
How it was analyzed
Study design
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Results
1. Initial observation2. Characterization3. Application
Logical presentation
Example:1. Observe a correlation between depression and
Internet use2. Characterize the severity of depression, time spent
online, websites visited3. Demonstrate decreased Internet use improves
severity of depression
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Results
1. Initial observation2. Characterization3. Application
Each subsection corresponds to one figure
What you found, notwhat it means
Logical presentation
Subsections
Factual description
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Display items
Present large amount of data quickly and
efficiently
Keep it simple: use separate panels if
necessary
Must be able to stand alone: clear labels and figure legends
Usually the first thing readers will look at
Figures, graphs & tables
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Discussion
Summary of findings
Relevance of findings
Implications for the field
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Discussion – the end
The Spanish version of AIDA showed good psychometricproperties in Mexico and can be used to assess the construct“pathology‐related identity integration vs. diffusion” withreliability, validity, and content equivalence in comparisonwith the original AIDA questionnaire. This finding supportsthe cross‐cultural generalizability of the underlying conceptand confirms the importance of culture‐specific testadaption in addition to literal translation of thequestionnaire. Nevertheless, some items should beimproved. Therefore, the test version of “AIDA Spanish –Mexico” should be further adapted and should be tested in amore heterogeneous population.
Conclusion
Implications
Future directions
Why your work is important to your readers
Kassin et al. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2013; 7: 25.
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Linking your ideas
General background
Objectives
Methodology
Results and figures
Summary of findings
Implications for the field
Relevance of findings
Problems in the field
Logically link your ideas throughout your manuscript
Current state of the fieldIntroduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Coverage and Staffing PlanManuscript structure Linking your ideas
…no research has examined how interacting withFacebook influences subjective well‐being over time.
We addressed this issue by…measuring in‐vivobehavior and psychological experience over time.
These analyses indicated that Facebook use predictsdeclines in…subjective well‐being…
Problem
Objectives
Conclusion
Discussion
Introduction
Kross et al. PLoS ONE 2013; 8: e69841.
Titles and abstracts
Section 3
Customer ServiceTitles and abstracts
Important points
Summarize key findingContains keywordsLess than 20 words
Avoid
Effective titles
Your title should be a concise summary of your most important finding
QuestionsAbbreviations“New” or “novel”
Customer ServiceTitles and abstracts Abstract
First impression of your paper
Importance of your results
Validity of your conclusions
Relevance of your aims
Judge your writing style
Probably only part that will be read
Customer ServiceTitles and abstracts Sections of an abstract
Aims
Background
Methods
Results
Conclusion
Why the study was done
Your hypothesis
Techniques
Most important findings
Conclusion/implications
Concise summary of your research
Customer ServiceTitles and abstracts Unstructured abstract
Political thought and behavior play an important role in our lives, from ethnictensions in Europe, to the war in Iraq and the Middle Eastern conflict, toparliamentary and presidential elections. However, little is known about howthe individual's political attitudes and decisions are shaped by subtle nationalcues that are so prevalent in our environment. We report a series ofexperiments that show that subliminal exposure to one's national flaginfluences political attitudes, intentions, and decisions, both in laboratorysettings and in “real‐life” behavior. Furthermore, this manipulationconsistently narrowed the gap between those who score high vs. low on ascale of identification with Israeli nationalism. The first two experimentsexamined participants' stance toward the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and theJewish settlers in the West Bank. Experiment 3 examined voting intentionsand actual voting in Israel's recently held general elections. The results portraya consistent picture: subtle reminders of one's nationality significantlyinfluence political thought and overt political behavior.
Hassin et al. PNAS. 2007; 104: 19757‒19761.
Customer ServiceTitles and abstracts Unstructured abstract
ConclusionThe results portray a consistent picture: subtle reminders of one's nationalitysignificantly influence political thought and overt political behavior.
Results
Furthermore, this manipulation consistently narrowed the gap between thosewho score high vs. low on a scale of identification with Israeli nationalism. Thefirst two experiments examined participants' stance toward the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and the Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Experiment 3examined voting intentions and actual voting in Israel's recently held generalelections.
MethodsWe report a series of experiments that show that subliminal exposure toone's national flag influences political attitudes, intentions, and decisions,both in laboratory settings and in “real‐life” behavior.
Background
Political thought and behavior play an important role in our lives, from ethnictensions in Europe, to the war in Iraq and the Middle Eastern conflict, toparliamentary and presidential elections. However, little is known about howthe individual's political attitudes and decisions are shaped by subtle nationalcues that are so prevalent in our environment.
Hassin et al. PNAS. 2007; 104: 19757‒19761.
Customer ServiceTitles and abstracts Unstructured abstract
Political thought and behavior play an important role in our lives, from ethnictensions in Europe, to the war in Iraq and the Middle Eastern conflict, toparliamentary and presidential elections. However, little is known about howthe individual's political attitudes and decisions are shaped by subtle nationalcues that are so prevalent in our environment. We report a series ofexperiments that show that subliminal exposure to one's national flaginfluences political attitudes, intentions, and decisions, both in laboratorysettings and in “real‐life” behavior. Furthermore, this manipulationconsistently narrowed the gap between those who score high vs. low on ascale of identification with Israeli nationalism. The first two experimentsexamined participants' stance toward the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and theJewish settlers in the West Bank. Experiment 3 examined voting intentionsand actual voting in Israel's recently held general elections. The results portraya consistent picture: subtle reminders of one's nationality significantlyinfluence political thought and overt political behavior.
Hassin et al. PNAS. 2007; 104: 19757‒19761.
Customer ServiceTitles and abstracts
Political thought and behavior play an important role in our lives, from ethnictensions in Europe, to the war in Iraq and the Middle Eastern conflict, toparliamentary and presidential elections. However, little is known about howthe individual's political attitudes and decisions are shaped by subtle nationalcues that are so prevalent in our environment. We report a series ofexperiments that show that subliminal exposure to one's national flaginfluences political attitudes, intentions, and decisions, both in laboratorysettings and in “real‐life” behavior. Furthermore, this manipulationconsistently narrowed the gap between those who score high vs. low on ascale of identification with Israeli nationalism. The first two experimentsexamined participants' stance toward the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and theJewish settlers in the West Bank. Experiment 3 examined voting intentionsand actual voting in Israel's recently held general elections. The results portraya consistent picture: subtle reminders of one's nationality significantlyinfluence political thought and overt political behavior.
Hassin et al. PNAS. 2007; 104: 19757‒19761.
Background
Conclusions
Results
Methods
Writing your abstract
Thank you!
Any questions?
Follow us on Twitter@JournalAdvisor
Like us on Facebookfacebook.com/EdanzEditing
Download and further readingedanzediting.com/Taiwan_2014
Jeffrey Robens: [email protected]
Journal selection
Section 4
Journal selection Factors to consider when choosing a journal
Aims & scope Readership
Open access
Which factor is most important to you?
Indexing
Journal selection Evaluating significance
How new are your findings?Novelty
How broadly relevant are your findings?Relevance
What are the important real‐world applications?Appeal
Journal selection
Insert your proposed abstract
Journal Selector –www.edanzediting.com/journal_selector
Journal selection
Recommended journals
Filter by:Impact factor
Publishing frequencyOpen access
Journal Selector –www.edanzediting.com/journal_selector
Journal selection
Semantic matching terms
Journals IF, Aims & Scope, and Frequency
Similar published articles
Have they published similar articles recently?Have you cited some of these articles?
Journal Selector –www.edanzediting.com/journal_selector
Journal selection Tips to identify the most suitable journal
S
Identify the interests of the journal editor
Identify the interests of the
readers
• Editorials• Review articles• Special issues
• Most viewed• Most cited
Cover letters
Section 5
Coverage and Staffing PlanCover letters
Abstract:First impression for readers
Cover letters are the first impression for the journal editor
SignificanceRelevance
Level of EnglishInteresting to their readers?
Is your work important?
Coverage and Staffing PlanCover letters
Dear Dr Ellenbogen,
Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled “Presenteeism among Japanese employees: Personality and job stress”, which wewould like to submit for publication as a Research Paper in Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal.
This study examines presenteeism, the situation in which workers are present at work, but their ability to do their jobs isimpaired by physical or mental symptoms. This topic is important to companies as studies have found that the costs ofpresenteeism can be higher than medical costs associated with treating the underlying conditions. Currently, the relationshipsbetween common mental health symptoms and presenteeism, as well as the effects of job strain and workplace social support,are unclear. We aimed to evaluate these relationships and consider the effect of personality traits on both presenteeism andcommon mental health symptoms.
We used an online questionnaire incorporating several well‐established and verified questionnaires to assess presenteeism,mental disturbance, job strain and workplace support, and temperament and character. We found that common mental healthsymptoms are a good predictor of presenteeism. Although workplace social support is generally agreed to reduce the severityof common mental health symptoms, we found no direct effect on presenteeism.
Our results clearly link presenteeism to common mental health symptoms, and also show the negative effects of strain andpoor workplace support. This study is of interest to researchers, managers, mental health clinicians and occupational healthspecialists interested in the issue of workplace stress and its management. This study is likely to lead to an improved approachto preventing and managing both presenteeism and common mental health symptoms, and is applicable worldwide. Therefore,we feel this manuscript is particularly suitable for Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal and of great interest to itsreaders.
Give the background to the research
What was done and what was found
Interest to journal’s readers
A good cover letter
We would also like to suggest the following reviewers for our manuscript…
Editor’s name Manuscript title
Publication type
Recommend reviewers
“Must‐have” statements
Coverage and Staffing PlanCover letters
“Must‐have” statements
Not submitted to other journals
Source of funding
Authors agree on paper/journal
Original and unpublished
No conflicts of interest
Authorship contributions
Disclaimers about publication ethics
Coverage and Staffing PlanCover letters Recommending
reviewers
Where to find them?
From your reading/references, networking at conferences
How senior? Aim for mid‐level researchers
Who to avoid? Collaborators (past 5 years),researchers from same institution
Coverage and Staffing PlanCover letters Choose internationally
• 1 or 2 reviewers from Asia• 1 or 2 reviewers from Europe• 1 or 2 reviewers from North America
Journal Editors want to see an international list for 2 reasons:
1. Shows that you are familiar with your field worldwide
2. Shows that your research is relevant worldwide• Increased readership → increased citations → increased impact factor
Peer Review
Section 6
Peer review What reviewers are looking for
The science
The manuscript
Relevant hypothesisGood experimental designAppropriate methodologyGood data analysisValid conclusions
Logical flow of informationManuscript structure and formattingAppropriate referencesHigh readability
Peer review
25 March 2014
Dear Dr. Robens,
Manuscript ID NRL‐11‐7839: “Presenteeism among Japanese employees: Personality andjob stress”
Your manuscript has been reviewed, and we regret to inform you that based on ourExpert reviewers’ comments, it is not possible to further consider your manuscript in itscurrent form for publication in Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal.
Although the reviews are not entirely negative, it is evident from the extensive commentsand concerns that the manuscript, in its current form, does not meet the criteria expectedof papers in Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal. The results appear to betoo preliminary and incomplete for publication at the present time.
The reviewer comments are included at the bottom of this letter. I hope the informationprovided by the reviewers will be helpful in future. Thank you for your interest in thejournal and I regret that the outcome has not been favorable at this time.
Decision letter
Decision
Reason
Comments
Peer review Editor is interested in your work
The Reviewer comments are not entirely negative.
It is not possible to consider your manuscript in its current form.
I hope the information provided will be helpful when you revise your manuscript.
I regret that the outcome has not been favorable at this time.
Peer review Editor is notinterested in your work
We cannot publish your manuscript
Your study does not contain novel results that merit publication in our journal.
We appreciate your interest in our journal. However, we will not further consider your manuscript for publication.
We wish you luck in publishing your results elsewhere.
Peer review
Dr Mark EllenbogenEditor‐in‐ChiefAnxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal
3 September 2013
Dear Dr Ellenbogen,
Re: Resubmission of manuscript reference No. WJS‐07‐5739
Please find attached a revised version of our manuscript originally entitled “Presenteeism among Japaneseemployees: Personality and job stress,” which we would like to resubmit for consideration for publication in theAnxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal.
The reviewer’s comments were highly insightful and enabled us to greatly improve the quality of our manuscript. Inthe following pages are our point‐by‐point responses to each of the comments.
Revisions in the manuscript are shown as underlined text. In accordance with the first comment, the title has beenrevised and the entire manuscript has undergone substantial English editing.We hope that the revisions in the manuscript and our accompanying responses will be sufficient to make ourmanuscript suitable for publication in the Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal.
Address editor personally
Manuscript ID number
Thank reviewers
Highlight major changes
Writing response letters
Peer review Agreeing with reviewers
Reviewer Comment: In your analysis of the data you have chosento use a somewhat obscure fitting function (regression). In myopinion, a simple Gaussian function would have sufficed.Moreover, the results would be more instructive and easier tocompare to previous results.
Response: We agree with the reviewer’s assessment of theanalysis. Our tailored function, in its current form, makes it difficultto tell that this measurement constitutes a significantimprovement over previously reported values. We describe ournew analysis using a Gaussian fitting function in our revised Resultssection (Page 6, Lines 12–18).
Agreement
RevisionsLocation
Peer review Disagreeing with reviewers
Reviewer Comment: In your analysis of the data you have chosento use a somewhat obscure fitting function (regression). In myopinion, a simple Gaussian function would have sufficed.Moreover, the results would be more instructive and easier tocompare to previous results.
Response: Although a simple Gaussian fit would facilitatecomparison with the results of other studies, our tailored functionallows for the analysis of the data in terms of the Smith model[Smith et al., 1998]. We have now explained the use of thisfunction and the Smith model in our revised Discussion section(Page 12, Lines 2–6).
Peer review
Reviewer Comment: In your analysis of the data you have chosento use a somewhat obscure fitting function (regression). In myopinion, a simple Gaussian function would have sufficed.Moreover, the results would be more instructive and easier tocompare to previous results.
Response: Although a simple Gaussian fit would facilitatecomparison with the results of other studies, our tailored functionallows for the analysis of the data in terms of the Smith model[Smith et al., 1998]. We have now explained the use of thisfunction and the Smith model in our revised Discussion section(Page 12, Lines 2–6).
Evidence
Revisions
Location
Disagreeing with reviewers
Peer review
Reviewer comment: Currently, the authors’ conclusion that thisquestionnaire is appropriate for cross‐cultural analyses is notcompletely valid because their participants all resided in Taiwan.They should also show the questionnaire’s validity in participantsliving in other countries.
“Unfair” reviewer comments
Reasons why reviewers might make these comments
Current results are not appropriate for the impact factor of the journal
Reviewer is being “unfair”
Peer review “Unfair” reviewer comments
What you should do
Do the experiments, revise, and resubmit to the same journal
Withdraw submission and resubmit current manuscript to a lower impact factor journal
Contact the journal editor if you feel reviewer is being unfair
If rejected, what should you do?
Option 1: New submission to the same journal
Fully revise manuscriptPrepare point‐by‐point responsesInclude the original manuscript ID number
Option 2: New submission to a different journal
Revise manuscriptReformat according to the author guidelines
If accepted, what’s next?
Promote your work on social networks • Twitter, LinkedIn
Respond to post‐publication comments
Present your work at conferences• Allows you to discuss your work personally with your peers• Get feedback about your work and future directions• Networking and collaborations
Be an effective communicator
S
Your goal is not only to be published, but also to be widely read/cited
Write effectively
Logically present your research in your manuscript
Choose the best journal to reach your target audience
Convey the significance of your work to journal editors
Properly revise your manuscript after peer review
Promote your research after publication
Thank you!
Any questions?
Follow us on Twitter@JournalAdvisor
Like us on Facebookfacebook.com/EdanzEditing
Download and further readingedanzediting.com/Taiwan_2014
Jeffrey Robens: [email protected]