How to get published in IOP Journals

Mingfang Lu, PhD, FInstPProfessor of Plasma PhysicsChief Representative/Editorial DirectorIOP Beijing OfficeMingfang.lu@iop.org

Peking University 29 August 2004www.iop.org

Outline Why publish? What is peer review? Preparing the manuscript Selecting the journal Submitting the manuscript Process at the journal Responding to reviewers

Why publish? Getting papers published is the

only way to make an impact in your field of research

Publications play an important role in career advancement and securing funding

Journals are a key part of scientific communication

What is peer review? Independent assessment by experts

in the field Referees provide constructive

criticism and feedback on your paper A ‘filter’ for scientific quality control Publishing a paper in a peer-

reviewed journal gives more credibility to your work than if you post it on your own web site

Peer review is an essential part of obtaining a grant or publishing in a journal

Preparing the manuscript Original work Not previously published Not under consideration for

publication in any other journal Scientific quality not quantity of

papers Ethical code:

Research results Authorship practices

Helpful techniques for writing your paper Focus on new and important

research results Make sure the language is clear

and precise, especially your conclusions

Ensure that figures and tables are clear

Ensure that the paper is of the right length

More helpful tips for preparing your manuscript Allow time for rewriting Use figures instead of tables Ask a colleague to read and

comment on an early draft Avoid using too much jargon Check the structure of the paper:

Title and Abstract Introduction Results and Discussion Conclusion References

Selecting the journal Choose the right one for you

Selecting the journal (contd) Check the audience and scope of the

journal You can find it in the printed version

or on the Web IoP Journals web site - Most recently

published IoP papers are available for FREE (journals.iop.org)

Contact the Publisher or Editor if in doubt

Contact IoP’s Beijing office Browse the back issues to understand

the journal’s style and scope

Selecting the journal (contd) Which publisher? Why does it

matter? Commercial (Elsevier Science, Wiley,

Taylor and Francis, Kluwer Academic Publishers)

Society publishers (Institute of Physics Publishing, American Physical Society, German Physical Society, Chinese Physical Society)

Selecting the journal (contd) Prestige Speed of publication

Electronic publication means papers are published online in advance of printed version

Visibility E.g. all papers published in IOP journals are

free online for 30 days from publication Search facilities in online version ensure

other people can find your work easily Alerting service

Submitting the manuscript: visit the journal home page

For authors

Submitting the manuscript: instructions for authors

Author guidelines

Submitting the manuscript: Web, e-mail or hard copy

Fill in online form

Process at the journal Editor acknowledges your paper Editor selects referees for the

paper Referees send their reports back

to the Editor Editor makes decision based on

referee reports Adjudicator is selected if the

reports are conflicting

Referees’ assessment: Scientific Quality Scientific merit: significant new

results and originality Accurate and correct Sufficient discussion of the context

of the work, and suitable referencing

Suitable material for the Journal

QUALITY ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR IOP JOURNALS

Q1 [ ] Makes major contributions to the advancement of

the subject world-wide Q2 [ ] Sound, original and internationally

competitive Q3 [ ] Sound, original but of limited interest Q4 [ ] Sound but adds little new knowledge to the subject Q5 [ ] Mundane work, not appropriate to an

international journal

Q1 or Q2 papers are expected Q3 papers may get accepted or rejected Q4 or Q5 papers will be rejected

Referees’ assessment: Presentation Title: is it adequate/appropriate? Abstract: is it complete by itself and

suitable for direct inclusion in an abstracting service?

Diagrams, tables, and captions: are they clear and essential?

Text and mathematics: are they brief but still clear?

Conclusion: does it summarise what has been learned and why it is interesting and useful?

References: objective and up-to-date Clear writing and communication of ideas,

readability and discussion of concepts

Responding to referees’ comments Read referees’ report and put

away for a day! Read them again! Respond to each and every

comment specifically Keep a list of your changes Where you disagree, explain why If referee misses a point it is not

necessarily his/her fault Be polite! Prepare a detailed covering letter

with your response

If your paper is rejected Do not despair: treat referees’

comments as a free expert advice You can re-write your article

taking into account the suggestions of the referees and re-submit it

If you think the review was unfair, appeal to the journal by sending a letter and explaining why you think your work did not receive a fair treatment

If your paper is accepted Great - celebrate! The journal will expect you to

check your proofs rapidly Nominate another person if you are

unavailable Give one copy of proofs to somebody

else to read Reply to editor’s queries

Brief History Founded in 1874 as “The Physical

Society of London” - longest established society for the Physical Sciences

First journal - The Proceedings of the Physical Society of London 1874-1967

1917: Institute of Physics Royal Charter: To promote the

advancement and dissemination of a knowledge of and education in the science of physics, pure and applied.

Present Day 37,000 members world-wide Offices: London, Bristol, Munich, Philadelphia,

St. Petersburg, Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo IoPP - Publishing arm of the Institute

40 Journals Electronic archive of all content (1874-2004)

230 staff International business

Winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise - three times

90%+ of all journal and book sales outside United Kingdom

90% of all article submissions from outside UK

IOP Beijing Office

Established in July 2000 Contact top Chinese physicists and physics institutions High quality papers from Chinese physicists to IOP

journals Chinese physicists as IOP referees and board members Pre-refereeing and free English polish service to Chinese

authors

Contact us: IOP Beijing OfficeRoom A512, Institute of PhysicsChinese Academy of Sciences8 Zhong-Guan-Cun Nan San Jie PO Box 603-37, Beijing 100080, China

Tel: +86 (0)10 82649679Fax: +86 (0)10 82649678E-mail: mingfang.lu@iop.org, iopchina@aphy.iphy.ac.cnwww.iop.org

Questions ?

Welcome to submit more quality papers to IOP journals

Please contact:

mingfang.lu@iop.org,iopchina@aphy.iphy.ac.cn

More at: www.iop.org

GOOD LUCK!!

Thank you!