Publishing a Paper 2013

8/16/2019 Publishing a Paper 2013

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Preparing your results forPreparing your results forpublicationpublication

Hans LambersHans LambersSchool of Plant BiologySchool of Plant Biology

The University of Western AustraliaThe University of Western Australia

Perth, AustraliaPerth, Australia

Maximising your chances to getMaximising your chances to get

your manuscript rapidly acceptedyour manuscript rapidly accepted


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My credentialsMy credentials

Most importantly!Most importantly! "co#$author "co#$author of %&'' papersof %&'' papers (n )S)*s +ighly ited list since -''.(n )S)*s +ighly ited list since -''. Senior author of a textboo/!Senior author of a textboo/! Plant PhysiologicalPlant Physiological

EcologyEcology "-"-ndnd edition -''0$edition -''0$

"Past$ member of "Advisory$"Past$ member of "Advisory$ 1ditorial Boards1ditorial Boards,,e.g.e.g.,, 2 Physiologia PlantarumPhysiologia Plantarum 2 Plant, Cell & Environment Plant, Cell & Environment 2 Functional Plant Biology Functional Plant Biology 2 Tree Physiology Tree Physiology

"o#$editor of .' boo/s"o#$editor of .' boo/s 1ditor#in#hief 1ditor#in#hief ofof Plant and Soil Plant and Soil

3id ) pass the test43id ) pass the test4


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What to publish4What to publish4

5ull#length articles are about 6,''' 7ords! aseries of experiments ma/ing a coherent story

Short notes are about -'' 7ords 8eneral rule! it is better to publish one solid

paper than to split it into t7o or three shortnotes

Articles in boo/s and reports are lessprestigious! publish your primary data ininternational 9ournals


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Where to publish4Where to publish4

arefully select the right 9ournal 2 Who are on the 1ditorial Board4 2 5rom 7hich 9ournals do you cite papers in your reference

list4 2 Which 9ournals publish on a similar topic4 2

Be7are of ne7 9ournals 7ith misleading names, such as:Australian ;


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What exactly is the =)mpact 5actor= ")5$4What exactly is the =)mpact 5actor= ")5$4

Put simply! )5 is a rough indicator for the ?uality

of a 9ournal in a narro7ly defined discipline, e.g.,

2 Agriculture

2 Plant sciences

2 Molecular biology

)t is silly to compare impact factors bet7een disciplines, e.g., 1cology and Molecular Biology


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The )mpact 5actor ")5$ for -''@The )mpact 5actor ")5$ for -''@

itations in -''@ toarticles published in!

-''0 -'

-'' &6@

Sum! C-@

http!DDisi.'Eisi/no7ledgeEcomDportalEcgi43estAppFGH5unc5rame

Iumber of articlespublished in!

-''0 -.&

-'' .0@

Sum! J'-

alculation!

itations to recent articles C-@ D

Iumber of recent articles J'- 1.5651.565

The 6#year )5 uses 6 years of citations and publications, rather than -

http://isi10.isiknowledge.com/portal.cgi?DestApp=JCR&Func=Framehttp://isi10.isiknowledge.com/portal.cgi?DestApp=JCR&Func=Frame


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ites in

-''J

-''& -''- -''. -''' .@@@

Year

Medical FournalsMedical Fournals

Molecular Biology FournalsMolecular Biology Fournals


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-''& -''- -''. -''' .@@@

ites in

-''J

1cology Fournals1cology Fournals

You can’t compare Impact Factors You can’t compare Impact Factors

across disciplines!across disciplines!

Year


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)mpact factors may change over the years, as)mpact factors may change over the years, as

published on the )S) 7ebsitepublished on the )S) 7ebsite

http!DDisi.'Ene7isi/no7ledgeEcomDportalEcgiD9cr


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5or some 9ournals 7e see little change "or5or some 9ournals 7e see little change "or

a do7n7ard trend$a do7n7ard trend$


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PlanPlan your experiments in such a 7ay thatyour experiments in such a 7ay that

the data can be publishedthe data can be published

Ma/e sure you have a sound ?uestion"hypothesis$ before you begin your research

That hypothesis may not be the same you7ish to use 7hen publishing the data

Gesearch 7ithout a sound hypothesis is hardto 7rite up, but ;

sometimes there are good reasons to ma/ean =inventory= "no sound hypothesis re?uired$

Thin/ t7ice "three times in hina$ before you

start your experiments


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3ata that have not been3ata that have not been

published do not existKpublished do not existK

)f you do not publish your

data, you might as 7ell notdo the experiments

Published data can ma/e a

lasting impression, li/e the

8reat Wall in hinaPhoto 3r Fianbo Shen, AU,

Bei9ing, PG hina


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::There are three necessary steps inThere are three necessary steps in

useful research; the first to egin it,useful research; the first to egin it,

the second to end it and the third tothe second to end it and the third to pulish it. pulish it.


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The structure of a scientific paper The structure of a scientific paper

Authors L addresses

Title, running title

Abstract

ey7ords, abbreviations

)ntroduction Materials and methods

Gesults

3iscussion Ac/no7ledgments

Geferences

Tables and 5igures

Where do I start?

Nindsay, 3E ".@0J$ A guide to scientific 7ritingE Nongman, heshireE


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Begin 7ith theBegin 7ith the GesultsGesults sectionsection

Arrange your data in figures and tables 2 Are the data best presented as figures or as tables4

3ecide 7hich figureDtable comes first

3ecide the order of all other figuresDtables

Ma/e a structure for your Gesults

2 3ecide 7hat you 7ish to describe

2 3esign the sections in the Gesults "=dot points=$

Then ma/e a structure for each section "dot

point$

2 3ecide 7hat you 7ish to describe in each section

Then start 7riting


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An example of a structure of your Gesults An example of a structure of your Gesults

section insection in Odot points=Odot points= Goot morphology

2 Specific root length

2 Goot thic/ness Goot exudates

2 arboxylates

2 Phenolics

1ffect of root exudates on mobilisation ofphosphate 2 1ffect of carboxylates

2 1ffect of phenolics


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TheThe stylestyle in the Gesultsin the Gesults sectionsection

Write your results in the past tense

Avoid =contractions=, e.g., it*s and they*re Avoid complex constructions

2 The rate of photosynthesis !as not veryfast .

2 The rate of photosynthesis !as slo! .

Use the active voice 2 " rememer my first visit to China. "active

voice$

2 #y first visit to China is rememered yme. "passive voice$

2 This rule does not mean that you shouldentirely discard the passive voice

http!DD777EbartlebyEcomD.J.Dstrun/6Ehtml

http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.htmlhttp://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html


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The choice bet7een a 5igure or a TableThe choice bet7een a 5igure or a Table

Age malic malonic lactic acetic maleic cit ric cis #aco succ inic fumaric trans#ac Total

' .C. ' &B. ' ' ..@ .'@ ' B J0J .-6-

.E6 ' ' CC ' ' ' J ' - .J 0C

-E6 .B ' J. ' ' ' . ' J 6 C0

6E6 -. ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' C -B

0E6 @-@ ' ' 6B ' 0-J C -'@ -- .@ -'CC

.&E6 &-.B ' ' ' ' &'-' .J .C' B 6J CJB.

-6 ' ' .. ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ..

'E'''

'E'6'

'E.''

'E.6'

'E-''

'E-6'

'E&''

'E&6'

'EJ''

' .' -' &'

Time da!s"

# $ n m o l % & 1 F

W s & 1 "

malic

malonic

lactic

acetic

maleic

citric


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The choice bet7een a fe7 lines inThe choice bet7een a fe7 lines in

the text or a Tablethe text or a Table

The yield of rice 7as .E-&-, -E@0, &E.@&, .E''@

and JE-- ton ha#. for the farms of 3ong,

heng, heng, Wong and Shen, respectively

3ong heng heng Wong Shen

.E-&- -E@0 &E.@& .E''@ JE--

These results are easier to ta/e in 7hen

presented in a Table


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an 7e ma/e the table clearer byan 7e ma/e the table clearer by

altering the columns and ro7s4altering the columns and ro7s4

3ong heng heng Wong Shen

.E-&- -E@0 &E.@& .E''@ JE--

3ong .E-&-

heng -E@0

heng &E.@&

Wong .E''@

Shen JE--


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Should 7e order the data in aShould 7e order the data in a

different manner4different manner4

heng &E.@&3ong .E-&-

Shen JE--

Wong .E''@

heng -E@0

Arrange the farmers alphabetically4

Io improvementK


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Should 7e order the data in aShould 7e order the data in a

different manner4different manner4

Wong .E''@3ong .E-&-

heng -E@0

heng &E.@&

Shen JE--

Arrange in order of increasing yield4

Shen did much better than any of the other farmersK


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3o 7e need this level of3o 7e need this level of

precision4precision4

Wong .E''@

3ong .E-&-

heng -E@0

heng &E.@&

Shen JE--

Wong .E'

3ong .E-

heng -E0

heng &E-

Shen JE&

)nclude as many decimal

places as 9ustified by the

accuracy of your data


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The columns of a table must be labelledThe columns of a table must be labelled

appropriately, and the units must beappropriately, and the units must be

included tooincluded too

Wong .E.

3ong .E-

heng -E0heng &E-

Shen JE&

5armer >ield

"ton ha#.$


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We can ?uic/ly see 7hy the yield onWe can ?uic/ly see 7hy the yield on

Shen*s farm 7as so high! optimum p+KShen*s farm 7as so high! optimum p+K

5armer >ield"ton ha#.$

Averagesoil p+

Wong .E. JE.

3ong .E- JE-

heng -E0 6E'

heng &E- 6EJ

Shen JE& CE.


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Would a 5igure have been betterWould a 5igure have been better

in this example4in this example4

) don*t really thin/ so, but it is a matter of opinion

W ld li i h d


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Would lines, connecting the dataWould lines, connecting the data

points have been a good idea4 (rpoints have been a good idea4 (r

perhapsperhaps regression lines4regression lines4

Iever connect data points, if the data on the x#axis are notIever connect data points, if the data on the x#axis are not

=scaled= 2 regression lines 7ould have been a mista/eK=scaled= 2 regression lines 7ould have been a mista/eK

x 'ops!


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All figures and tables re?uire All figures and tables re?uire

appropriateappropriate legendslegends

3escribe 7hat is sho7n

3o not discuss 7hat is sho7n

1xplain abbreviations, if you use any in figures ortable 2 1ven 7hen you use the same abbreviations throughout

text

2 WU1 7ater#use efficiency

1xplain errors bars! S1 or S3Q add n "number ofobservations$

1xplain meaning of statistical information 2 R, RR, RRR


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Ma/e sure you use acceptable units, notMa/e sure you use acceptable units, not

ones that are =out#of#date=ones that are =out#of#date=

GecommendedDpreferred S) units

)n addition, double prefixes are best

avoided

2 5or example, use µg g#., rather than mg /g#.

5or information on S) conventions, the

follo7ing Web site may be helpful!http!DDphysicsEnistEgovDcuuDindexEhtml

(I or recommended)pre*erred units +on (I or discoura%ed )

http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/index.htmlhttp://physics.nist.gov/cuu/index.html


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(I or recommended)pre*erred units +on&(I or discoura%ed )

unacceptable units

Len%th nm, µm, mm, m, /m "i.eE m, and up and do7n

by factors of thousand$

cm, dm, dam, hmQ inch, foot, yard,

mile

$rea nm-, µm-, mm-, m-, /m- "i.e. m, and up anddo7n li/e for length$

cm-, ha D acre

,olume m& "and up and do7n li/e for length$Q also acceptableN "and up and do7n by factors of thousand$

cm&, gallon, cubic feet

-ass g "and up and do7n by factors of thousand$ bushel, tonne

Time sQ also acceptable! h, day, year min

oncentrations mol m#& "and up and do7n by factors of thousand$Q alsoacceptable! M "and up and do7n by factors of thousand$Q

molc /g#.

cmol /g#.

g /g#.

µg g#., µmol mol#. ppm, ppb

Temperature elvin, Q elsius, o 5ahrenheit

Transpiration/

photosnthesis/ respirationmol m#- s#., nmol g#. s#. "and up and do7n by

factors of thousand$

mol cm#- h#., mol dm#- min#.

0lectrical conductiit/

electricit and ma%netism

Siemens per meter, S m #. "and up and do7n by

factors of thousand$

millimho per centimeter, mmho cm#.

Irradiance µmol m#- s#.Q W m#-, MF m#- day#. lux

2ressure/ 3ater potential Pa, /Pa, MPa hPa, atmosphere


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The GesultsThe Gesults

5igure . 2 3escribe 7hat it sho7s

2 Iumber figures in order ofappearance in the text

Table . 2 3escribe 7hat it sho7s

Nead the reader throughyour data 2 5rom one 5igure "Table$ to

the next

Arrange a logical flo7from section to section

That ma4es it eas!


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Then continue 7ith 7riting theThen continue 7ith 7riting the 3iscussion3iscussion

Ma/e a structure for your 3iscussion 2 3ecide 7hat you 7ish to discuss 2 3esign the sections in the 3iscussion "dot points$

Then ma/e a structure for each section "dot

points$ 2 3ecide 7hat you 7ish to describe in each section

Place your results in a 7ider context

ompare your results 7ith those in the literature

Then start 7riting

5inish 7ith a paragraph in 7hich you tell thereader 7hat are the main points "=ta/e#home#message=$


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The 3iscussionThe 3iscussion

The order in the3iscussion may differfrom that in Gesults

5igure ., Table . etcE 2 1xplain 7hat they sho7

Place your results in a7ider context

+o7 do your datacompare 7ith those in theliterature4

5inish 7ith the =ta/e#

home#message=

(ounds ecitin%!


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A bit more about the 3iscussion A bit more about the 3iscussion

A good researcher is

excited about the

results Ma/e sure the reader

also gets excited

1xplain 7hy your

7or/ is important andexciting

(ellin% m data!


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TheThe stylestyle in the 3iscussionin the 3iscussion sectionsection

Write about your o7n results in the pastpast

tensetense

3escribe published data in the presentpresent

tensetense Avoid complicated constructions

2 The rates of phosphorus upta$e !ere not

significantly different %.

2 The rates of phosphorus upta$e !ere the

same%.




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Io7 the Materials and MethodsIo7 the Materials and Methods

(nce you /no7 7hich data you 7ill include, 7rite up all

the Materials and Methods used to ac?uire the data Use the passive voice

2 :Plants 7ere harvested< "instead of :We harvested plants


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Materials and MethodsMaterials and Methods

)nclude all relevant details

hec/ your chosen 9ournalfor =ho7 it is done=

3o not use =modified after=,but describe themodifications

3escribe so that someone

else can repeat yourexperiments

Be precise 2 =Goom temperature= is not an

accurate description

$ meticulous 7ob!


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TheThe )ntroduction)ntroduction is nextis next

Briefly revie7 the literature that is

relevant for your manuscript "use your

3iscussion as a guideline$

3o not 9ust 7rite this )ntroduction for half

a doen colleagues 7or/ing in exactly

the same field, but;

Write for a range of interested scientists 5inish 7ith the aims of your 7or/ and

present a clear hypothesis


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The )ntroductionThe )ntroduction

Briefly revie7 the literature

Address a 7ider audiencethan those 7or/ing in

exactly the same field 8ive the aims of yourresearch and a goodhypothesis

A good hypothesis is onethat can be tested, but itdoes not need to be=correct=

Fascinatin% topic!


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A bit more about the )ntroduction A bit more about the )ntroduction

1xplain !hy you did yourresearch

The fact that nobody has

done it before is not agood reason

>our study may follo7logically from previous

7or/ >our pro9ect may have

been inspired by apractical problem

Wh did I do this?


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GeferencesGeferences

ite in a =balanced= manner and do not ignore specific groups

Avoid too many references of the 7or/ ofyourself or your group

ite the primary literature, if referring to a /eyfinding

ite a revie7, if you 7ish to refer to a fact thathas been found by numerous authors

ite textboo/s only 7hen referring togenerally accepted /no7ledge


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GeferencesGeferences

hec/ the re?uired format

for the chosen 9ournal

2 (rder "in text and list$

2 orrect abbreviations of

9ournals!http!DDisi/no7ledgeEcom

2 5or boo/s! add name of

publisher and city

Are all cited references inthe list4

+ave all references in the list

been cited4

I must be precise!

http://isiknowledge.com/http://isiknowledge.com/


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Ac/no7ledgments Ac/no7ledgments

Ac/no7ledge the input of people andagencies 7ho allo7ed you to 7rite thismanuscript

>our supervisor "if not a co#author$

>our technician "if not a co#author$

>our colleague, 7ho gave you some bright

ideas or critically read your manuscript Someone 7ho helped you 7ith the language

8ranting agencies

(thers


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The title

)t should cover the main aims andDor

message

)t should appeal to your audience )t should not be too long

Avoid titles 7ith a numbered subtitle

2 Subtitles may get lost, and hence your paper

may not be found in searches


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The running title

Some 9ournal also re?uire a subtitle )t cannot exceed a certain number of characters

2 chec/ instructions for authors of the 9ournal

Should cover the main aims andDor message

)t is an abbreviated version of your title

)t is only printed above some pages of yourpaper

)t is not used for literature searches )t is therefore less important than a good title

Use your actual title as a guideline


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The AbstractThe Abstract

)t should contain the aim of your research

3o not use references in this part

)f you must use them, then all details must bethere "as in the references list, but 7ithout the

title$ because an abstract must stand on its

o7n

Ma/e sure the main results and ta/e#home#

message are there


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The ne7 style of the Abstract forThe ne7 style of the Abstract for Plant and Soil Plant and Soil

The Abstract Abstract should not exceed .6' 7ords andshould be divided into the follo7ing sections!

Bac/ground and AimsBac/ground and Aims "stating the main

purposes and research ?uestion$

MethodsMethods

GesultsGesults "stating the main findings$

onclusionsonclusions

http!DD777EspringerEcomDlifeLsciDplantLsciencesD9ournalD...'J4detailsPagecontent)temPageH)PageounterC.J'.'


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ey7ordsey7ords

hoose a limited number of/ey7ords that ade?uatelycover your research

3o not use 7ords thatalready appear in the title

Thin/ of 7ords that you

7ould loo/ for 7hen doing aliterature search

Arrange alphabetically

Let me thin4


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Abbreviations Abbreviations

All abbreviations must be explained

This is commonly done in a section 7ith a

separate heading! Abbreviations Sometimes it is better to "also$ have a

separate Table 7ith all the abbreviations

Avoid using abbreviations in the Abstract

)f you must, these abbreviations must be

explained 7hen used the first time


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Who are the authors and theirWho are the authors and their

addresses4addresses4

Ma/e sure that all authorsall authors have achance to read your manuscript beforeyou submit it

Iever Iever add an author, if this person hasnot had a chance to read themanuscript

)nclude the name of the

instituteDlaboratory 7here the 7or/ 7asdone as the first address

)f you have moved, also add =presentaddress=


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+o7 do you present the names of+o7 do you present the names of

hinese authors in international 9ournals4hinese authors in international 9ournals4

8ive family namefamily name last "unless the 9ournalspecifies other7ise$

This is different from the 7ay you 7ould do itin hina

5or example, 7rite 5usuo hang andTuanyao hai "and not hang 5usuo and

hai Tuanyao$ To avoid confusion, you may 7rite 5usuo+AI8+AI8 and Tuanyao +A)+A)


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What is the order of the authors of yourWhat is the order of the authors of your

paper4paper4

The person 7ho did the 7or/ and 7rote themanuscript should be first "senior $ author

orresponding author is the one that 7ill be

the contact for the 9ournal andcorrespondence that may follo7 afterpublication

That may be the group leader

Senior author and corresponding author canbe the same

The research#team leader appears as the lastauthor

5 tl d i t /5 tl d i t /


54/86

5re?uently made mista/es5re?uently made mista/es

)nvalid statistics

2 5or example, presenting linear regressions 7henone axis is not scaled "for example, sites, species,farmers$

Units lac/ing in tables or figures

)ncorrect units! 2 Use s " seconds$, not S " Siemens$ 2 Use /g, not g 2 Units of time must appear at the end

mmol m#- s#., not mmol s#. m#-

2 µg, µmol and µM, not ug, umol and uM 2 mmol N#., not mM N#.

mM is short for mmol N#.

Io numbers or legends for tables or figures

5 tl d i t / " t*d$


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5re?uently made mista/es5re?uently made mista/es "cont*d$

No7 "very negative$, not high, 7ater potential

ited references not given in reference list )ncorrectDsloppy style of referencing

The data sho7s ; "instead of the data sho7 ;E$

Anthropomorphic reasoning 2 :plants attempt;< or :plants struggled;E<

Too many decimal places 2 'E-&@0C "S1 'E'6-6'.$ should be 'E-& "S1 'E'6$

Io space bet7een values and units, or bet7eendifferent units 2 -'m should be -' m "but -' should be -'$

2 .'mmolm#-s#. should be.' mmol m#- s#.


56/86

Just an example Just an example

• Lpr = Jvr × (α × (Px – Pa))-1 [mLMPa-1h-1g-1

root resh !e"ght#

• $s that%• Lpr = Jvr × (α × (Px – Pa))-1 [mL MPa-1 h-1 g-1

root resh !e"ght#&

• 'r%

• Lpr = Jvr × (α × (Px – Pa))-1 [m L M Pa-1 h-1

g-1 root resh !e"ght#&


57/86

Something you must never doSomething you must never do

Iever copy 7hole sentences or paragraphs

7ithout referring to the original text

This is called plagiarismplagiarism )t is one of the 7orst =crimes= in science

)t 7ill ma/e you loo/ bad, 7hen discovered

"7hich 7ill probably happen$

)t may ruin your scientific career

Fust don*t do itK


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A story about A story about

plagiarism ;Eplagiarism ;E


59/86

5raud in science5raud in science

Publication of results that you have not reallyac?uired is considered fraud

There are examples 7here =scientists= havepublished results that 7ere copied from other

9ournals

(ther =scientists= have published results that

7ere not really based on actual experiments )t is probably the 7orst =crime= in science

>ou are bound to get caught! Fust don*t do itK

Ph t l i t "-''6$' th ( l "-''$


60/86

The photo on the left 7as obviously copied from a

photo in a paper in the Ie7 Phytologist The authors ac/no7ledged the source, but did not

see/ permissionpermission from the o7ner of the copyright

This is not plagiarism, but the authors still made a

mista/e that must be avoided

e! Phytologist "-''6$E 'nother (ournal "-''$

opyright issuesopyright issues


61/86

um"t *our manus+r"pt to onl* as"ngle ,ournal

• um"tt"ng "t to more than one ,ournal atthe same t"me "s rauulent

• um"tt"ng .almost. the same manus+r"pt

to t!o ,ournals "s e/uall* rauulent• 0ou !"ll ver* l"el* get +aught an

la+l"ste

• 0our superv"sors an super"ors ma* e

"norme• $ *our manus+r"pt gets re,e+te2 then *ou

+an sum"t "t to an alternat"ve ,ournal


62/86

5inally, a fe7 comments on language5inally, a fe7 comments on language

and the structure of sentences andand the structure of sentences andparagraphsparagraphs


63/86

A fe7 hints A fe7 hints

Avoid complicated sentences

3o not use 7ords that you thin$ youunderstand, but have not really chec/edcarefully 2 Too easy to do 7hen using your computer program,

7ithout chec/ing in a dictionary

3o not ma/e sentences that are too long

Use a spelling chec/er , and use either U1nglish, or US 1nglish, but not a mi)ture ofoth


64/86

Spelling chec/ersSpelling chec/ers

pic/ up somepic/ up some

mista/es, but not allmista/es, but not all

Sauna

Barber

Ball

8uest


65/86

E)situE)situ!! E) situE) situ

onversation! onservationonversation! onservation

3angerous! 1ndangered3angerous! 1ndangered


66/86

More about spelling chec/ers

Eye have a spelling chequer.Eye have a spelling chequer.It came with my pea sea.It came with my pea sea.

It plainly marques four my revue.It plainly marques four my revue.

Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.


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:The information that begins a sentence

establishes for the reader a perspectivefor vie7ing the sentence as a unitE<

8open, 8E3E H S7an, FEAE .@@'E American Scientist 0! 66'#660E


68/86

An example of ho7 "not$ to begin a An example of ho7 "not$ to begin a

sentencesentence

-E-E The P concentrations in root halves supplied 7ith

. M P 7ere lo7, regardless of the P concentration

supplied to the other root halfE

.E.E Gegardless of the P concentration supplied to the

other root half, the P concentrations in root halves

supplied 7ith . M P 7ere lo7E

)n -E-E, the important partthe important part is placed at the beginningE

Therefore, that is the sentence order you should useK


69/86

That means! :Iever ever use the elevator,That means! :Iever ever use the elevator,

because, one day, there may be a fire


70/86

:Beginning 7ith the exciting material and

ending 7ith a lac/ of luster often leaves usdisappointed and destroys our sense of

momentumE<

8open, 8E3E H S7an, FEAE .@@'E American Scientist 0! 66'#660E

Therefore the structure of the 3iscussionTherefore the structure of the 3iscussion


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Therefore, the structure of the 3iscussionTherefore, the structure of the 3iscussion

should be bothshould be both logicallogical andand excitingexciting

Begin 7ith a brief overvie7 of the importanceof your findings

ontinue to explain the rest in context of the

literature +ide 7hat must be included, but is not really

exciting 2 This can be done by presenting it in a Table in

Gesults, 7ithout further discussing in 3iscussion 5inish 7ith the most important and exciting

aspects! the =ta/e#home#message=

Io need to use the same order as in Gesults


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The structure of a paragraphThe structure of a paragraph

Text is organised in paragraphs

Paragraphs have a distinct structure

They are not arranged so as to have a certain

number of sentences or lines Paragraphs deal 7ith one topic

Paragraphs begin 7ith a sentence that =setsthe scene=

2 An introduction to 7hat the paragraph is about

Paragraphs finish 7ith a conclusion 2 A sentence that refers bac/ to the first sentence




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3n example o a .a. paragraph3n example o a .a. paragraph

)n such a relationship, day respiration is as an additional term

that decreases 'E Such an effect is nevertheless small, as the

order of magnitude of *d ordinarily lies belo7 . Vmol m#- s#.

"see also belo7$E +o7ever, the ratio *d+' becomes much more

important under stress conditions "eEgE, drought$ 7hen

photosynthesis can decrease by nearly @' 7hile respirationmight be little affected or even increasedE Ievertheless, it

should be recognied that photosynthesis under drought may

also be accompanied by an increase of refixation of respired

(- due to stomatal closure "+aupt#+erting et al. -''.$, andso uncertainty %%.

Because the first sentencefirst sentence is not an =introductionintroduction=, but

itcontinuescontinues the preceding paragraph


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) found the follo7ing 7ebsites very useful) found the follo7ing 7ebsites very useful

for rules 7here "not$ to place commas, forfor rules 7here "not$ to place commas, for

synonyms, and for explanations of 7ordssynonyms, and for explanations of 7ords

Website for Strun/ H White*s :1lements ofStyle< is!

http!DD777EbartlebyEcomD.J.Dstrun/Ehtml. Website for Goget*s :Thesaurus< is!

http!DD777EbartlebyEcomDC-D

Web Site for 5o7ler=s :3ictionary< is!http!DD777EbartlebyEcomD..CD "great to readabout mista/es made in the Times, the 3ailyTelegraph, and 3ic/ens$

A final chec/A final chec/

http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html#Slide%201http://www.bartleby.com/62/http://www.bartleby.com/116/http://www.bartleby.com/116/http://www.bartleby.com/62/http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk.html#Slide%201


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A final chec/ A final chec/

hec/ the instructions forauthors again

3id you follo7 allinstructions properly4

Gemember! it is not the tas/it is not the tas/

of the revie7ers or theof the revie7ers or theeditor editor to ta/e care of detailsyou should have chec/edyourself

>our manuscript may besent bac/ 7ithout revie7, ifyou have not addressedthese items

hec4 care*ull


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Before youBefore you submitsubmit your manuscript toyour manuscript to

a 9ournala 9ournal

Al7ays as/ a colleague, friend or adiscussion group to =revie7= your

manuscript

Their suggestions may lead to eliminationof small mista/es and improve the

readability of your manuscript


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Fournals often as/ to nominate a SectionFournals often as/ to nominate a Section

1ditor or Gevie7ers1ditor or Gevie7ers

Select a Section 1ditor 7ho is an authority inauthority inyour fieldyour field, preferably from outside your o7ncountry

Suggest Gevie7ers 7ho are active in youractive in yourfield of researchfield of research, preferably from outside youro7n country

Avoid suggesting close friends or colleaguesin the same institution

Ma/ing the right choice sho7s the 1ditorialBoard you have given this some thoughtyou have given this some thought


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4hat shoul *ou "n+lue "n a4hat shoul *ou "n+lue "n a

+over"ng letter&+over"ng letter&

• 3 senten+e or t!o aout the su,e+t annovelt* o *our results

• 3n explanat"on !h* *ou have +hosenthe ,ournal *ou sum"t *our manus+r"ptto

• 3n explanat"on expla"n"ng ho! *our

paper 5ts !"th the s+ope o the ,ournal

Send it off and 7ait for the editorialSend it off and 7ait for the editorial


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Send it off, and 7ait for the editorialSend it off, and 7ait for the editorial

decisiondecision

Iever send the same manuscript to more than oneIever send the same manuscript to more than one

9ournal 9ournal


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What next4What next4

>ou should receive a note from the 9ournal thatyour manuscript has been received 2 )f this does not happen, chec/ 7ith the 9ournal

After several 7ee/s you 7ill receive theeditorial decision 2 )f this does not happen in a reasonable time, chec/

7ith the 9ournal

This decision can be! 2 Accepted 7ithout revision "extremely rare$

2 Accepted 7ith minorDma9or revision

2 Ge9ected 7ith"out$ an invitation to resubmit yourmanuscript

+o do o respond hen minorDma9or+o7 do you respond 7hen minorDma9or


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+o7 do you respond 7hen minorDma9or+o7 do you respond 7hen minorDma9or

revision is re?uired4revision is re?uired4

arefully consider all the points raised by the

revie7ers and the editor

2 They have spent time on your manuscript, and you

must give all their points careful attention Ma/e the re?uested changes if you consider

that these changes are appropriate

1xplain in a letter to the editor 7hy you did not

ma/e the changes

2 >ou 7ill need good reasonsK

Geturn the revised manuscript as soon as

possible


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)f your manuscript is re9ected;

8on’t 3rite an an%r rebuttal!!8on’t 3rite an an%r rebuttal!!

+o7 to 7rite a rebuttal letter+o7 to 7rite a rebuttal letter


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+o7 to 7rite a rebuttal letter +o7 to 7rite a rebuttal letter

Be politeK

Than/ the revie7ers and editor for the time they

have spent on your manuscript

1xplain your case clearly

Accept the editor*s response

+o7 to respond 7hen a manuscript has been+o7 to respond 7hen a manuscript has been


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+o7 to respond 7hen a manuscript has been+o7 to respond 7hen a manuscript has been

re9ected, 7ith"out$ an invitation to resubmit4re9ected, 7ith"out$ an invitation to resubmit4

arefully consider the critical points 2 Use the critical points to improve your manuscript

2 >ou may need to read more literature

2 More experiments may be re?uired

Gevise your manuscript 2 Gesubmit your manuscript to the same 9ournal "if

invited to do so$

2 hoose an alternative 9ournal "if not invited to

resubmit to the same 9ournal$

Iever submit your manuscript to an alternative 9ournal 7ithout appropriate revision 2 >our revised manuscript may end up in the hands of

the same revie7er


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Send it off again, and 7ait for the finalSend it off again, and 7ait for the final

editorial decisioneditorial decision


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With the right aptitude, it is 9ustWith the right aptitude, it is 9ust

a matter of learning a fe7 tric/sa matter of learning a fe7 tric/s

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