INSIGHTS INTO ACADEMIC WRITING AND

PUBLISHING RESEARCH

Dr. Muhammad RamzanPhD (University of Malaya), MLISc-Gold

MedalistChairman, Foundation for Authentic Information and

Research (FAIR)Director, Research Center for Training &

Development (RCTD) mramzaninfo@gmail.com

Outline Session One: Writing for publishing

What and why to publish?

Where to publish? Writing and presenting conference

papers Session Two: Publishing in a scientific journals

Writing a quality manuscriptFinding publishing avenues & choosing

the right journalPublishing processReview process and its handlingImpact factor and HEC accredited

journals Session Three: Converting thesis into journal articles and

books Books publishing: online publishing and self

publishing Enhancing impact of your research

Session OneWhat is research?

Identify a problem Find out what others have done Develop a solution Show your solution:

That works better and sound & complete

Hunting for facts or truth about a subject

An organized scientific investigation to solve problems, test hypotheses, develop or invent new theories, formulas and products

High quality research

It is based on the work of others.

It can be replicated (duplicated).

It is generalizable to other settings.

It is based on some logical rationale and tied to theory.

It is doable!

It generates new questions or is cyclical in nature.

It is incremental.

It is apolitical activity that should be undertaken for the

betterment of society.

What is bad research?

The opposites of what have been discussed.

Looking for something when it simply is not

to be found.

Plagiarizing other people’s work.

Falsifying data to prove a point.

Misrepresenting information and misleading

participants.

Why do we need research?

To get PhDs, M. Phil., Masters and Bachelors??

To provide solutions to complex problems

To investigate laws of nature To make new discoveries To develop new products To save costs To improve our life Human desires

Why publish research?

Ideally to share research findings and

discoveries with the hope of improving the quality of life

Practically To get funding to get promoted to get a job to retain job Being acknowledged

Why write research papers?

Every research needs good and proper documentation.

To attend conferences. To share research results with other

researchers. To get views for improvement of your

research. To obtain some form of degree. To get recognition and promotion

•Journals seek papers that advance knowledge

and

understanding, by

•Presenting new, original methods or results

•Reviewing a field or summarizing a particular

topic

in a way that rationalizes published results or

creates

a new perspective on debates

•Applying best available methods to a

particular

policy problem

What to publish?

Publishers need quality

They want• Originality• Advances inknowledge andunderstanding• Appropriate

methodsand conclusions• Readability• Studies that meetethical standards

They don’t want

• Duplications

• Reports of no

scientific

interest

• Work out of date

• Inappropriate

methods

or conclusions

• Studies with

insufficient data

Can I publish this?

• Have you done something new and interesting?• Have you checked the latest results in the field?• Have the findings been verified?• Have the appropriate controls been performed?• Do your findings tell a nice story or is the story incomplete?• Is the work directly related to a current hot topic?• Have you provided solutions to any difficult problems?

If all answers are “yes”, then start preparing yourmanuscript.

Types of publications

Theses: MS/MPhil /PhD

Conference publications

Focus on a piece of work with limited discussion

Journal publications

More complete (extensive) discussion

Monographs / Book chapters / Text books

Book review

Working paper

Select an outlet for publishing

Conferences: 100 – 500 submissions with a 10-25% acceptance rate

Journals: 30% acceptance rate with long lead times

Publishers: publishing houses, online, self publishing

Subject: narrow, medium, broad Region: National, European, Americas, Asia The higher the level the more competitive For students it is most successful to focus on a

narrow focused workshop or conference

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WRITING, PUBLISHING AND PRESENTING A CONFERENCE PAPER:

Why go to conferences and seminars?Finding a conferenceWriting, structuring and proposing papersPresenting papers in conferences

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You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your brains won't get you anywhere.

Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler CEO

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Credit:www.imageafter.com

Transmitting ideas is a key step in getting feedback and upgrading knowledge

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Why go to seminars and conferences? For faculty Create deadlines using short papers to kick-

start your publications Meet collaborators, friends, age cohort Plug into the wider profession and gain an

understanding of fashions, trends, tribes, taboos, discourses - and where the LSE sits

Bring together oral wisdoms, gossip, tips Book exhibitions, meet with publishers,

network at dinners, receptions, bars

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Why go to seminars and conferences? For phd/M.Phil scholars

Key socializing venues – networking Spot potential examiners, meet key academics

and hear professional gossip Gain valuable critiques of your work –

determine what needs to be changed or improved

Meet others in your peer group involved in the same areas of research (future collaboration potential here)

See how the job market works (early stages) and enter it (later stages)

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Finding a conference

Location Local institution - known audience International conference—first time ??? Big cities, tourist places-Hotels

Global conferences Huge attendance but often tiny audiences at individual

panels – real action in bars, book fairs, receptions, attendance >1000, papers >1000, sessions>50

Audience Postgraduate conferences Specialist groups in your profession- wider audience

Cost—Visa could be a factor, sponsorship, HEC Announcements on discussion groups, newsletters,

website, associations, universities

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Why write conference papers?

Fast dissemination of research / ideas. Documenting progress of your research.

Sequence of conference papers often will lead to a journal paper.

Great experience (even if rejected). In academia, your career depends upon them. Networking. There is a not-so-very-well-known benefit (a very well-

kept secret), which is … New ideas presented at conferences Ideas/work in progress Innovations requiring feedback Projects, works in progress Cutting edge ideas

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Conference paper preparation

Conferences have different submission requirements. Be sure to be familiar with requirements /

deadlines! General trend is towards requiring the submission

of full paper or “extended” summaries for review.▪ Typical of the more “prestigious” conferences.▪ Driven by the desire to have high-quality

papers. How can one fairly review a single page summary?

Some conferences still require only one-page summary or an abstract of paper.

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Getting a paper accepted

For conferences that require an abstract or paper summary, there is limited space to state your case.

Some simple rules: Use space efficiently, and don’t be modest, Don’t waste too much time with background and

review, but be sure to place work in context of other work,

State, in positive terms, why your work is important, and the impact it will have, or “may” have,

Convince the reader/reviewer that they really must read your paper, and …

Author reputation (unfortunately) may influence decision.

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Ingredients of a successful paper Clarity in presentation

Are you trying to impress the reader? Or trying to explain something to the

reader? Placing your work in proper context Relevance/Applications/Impact Grammar

“That” and “Which” Efficient and effective use of graphics,

tables, illustrations. Structure, layout and presentation. Familiarize yourself with the conference

and what is expected in the papers! Also remember: You are probably too close

to your work!

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Writing a conference paper Fundamental Fact

In spite of what you believe, only a handful of people will read your paper – make it have impact on those that do.

How do you have an Impact? Not necessary to have the most earth-

shaking results (these are rare), but rather …

One of the best conference papers I have ever read.

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Elements of a typical paper Title – Eye catcher Abstract – The teaser Introduction – Wow – important, cool, relevant Background – Related work by others The new stuff – High impact Experiments, tests, analysis –

Convincing/honest Summary/Conclusions – Assume only thing

read References – Careful balance: complete

sampling, not too many self-references

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Conference papers should be

Short - between 6,000 and 7,000 words Focus on one idea or argument, not on multiple

themes – so do not try to incorporate your entire PhD into a paper

Paper should be a good illustration of your work (e.g., not on a topic peripheral to your PhD or research expertise, in order to fit within a panel theme)

Paper should be designed for publication and meet publication standards in terms of style of presentation and methods

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Implications for proposals

A conference proposal/abstract should be an accurate and concise summary of what the paper delivers

Check the ‘Call for Papers’ carefully What are the key themes of the

conference? What kind of presentation will you do? How long should the abstract be? When is the deadline for submission?

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Implications for proposals

‘Need to know’ criterion should guide abstract What do organisers need to know to

assess whether to accept the paper and where to place it in a panel?

Core argument/bottom-line findings should form centre-piece of the abstract

Don’t waste words on literature review or methodology

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Start writing now

Write a proposal/abstract for the conference of your choice

Follow the ‘Call for Papers’ guidelines in the example you brought in, EXCEPT stick to a maximum of 200 words

If you haven’t brought a ‘Call for Papers’, then try using one of the spare copies at the front of the room

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A good proposal/abstract

Sentence 1 – a hook, indication of motivation (for you and reader)

Sentences 2 –3 – formulation of research problem/question

Sentences 3 – 4 – outline of core finding (maybe a sideways glance at method)

Sentences 5 – 6 - implications

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Get some feedback

Pass your abstract to the person on your left

Read the abstract you have in front of you and think about what you might do to improve it

Feed back to the person who handed you their abstract, and get feedback on your own abstract

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The challenges Fitting our “ideas” and “results” into four

pages. As beginners, we all think this is impossible.

“How can I say all this STUFF in only four pages?”

So, you try to cram everything you have to say into the four pages using micro-fonts and mini-margins. MISTAKE!

Who are you trying to impress? How much are people going to remember? What is your purpose in writing the paper? A gazillion equations will impress no one.

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What not to underestimate Importance of title: the eye-catcher Importance of abstract: the teaser

Abstract should be written and composed in a way that reader is compelled to read the whole paper

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Authorship a sensitive matter Authorship. It is very easy for one to believe

he/she has a claim on a result. The lines around a person’s

inspiration and innovation are very thin, and typically the result of many inputs from many sources.

My advice.

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The review process Reviewers are people too Reviewers are not atypical from your readership,

and are generally very knowledgeable. The conference paper review process often

times is (unfortunately) pressing and less than perfect. A reviewer may have to turn around 10-20

reviews within a matter of weeks. You should write your paper with this

understanding.

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Negative reviews and rejection

Authors take negative reviews personally. “Why don’t they understand?” “Are they stupid?”

Use negative reviews to your benefit. Free advice on how to make your paper

better. Reviewers are usually correct.

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Final paper preparation

You are home free. Make sure you conform to the format and

length. Make sure you get your paper submitted on

time. Use a spell checker

▪ Do not stop here … this is only one check. ▪ Be careful of the proverbial “the the” (not the rock

group)

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Coming up next …

The presentation of your conference paper.

Writing journal papers Much more complex and involved. Huge variety of archival publications Structure, technical content, writing style, and

graphics. The review and revision process Citations, credit, and plagiarism.

Substantial changes More data, deeper analysis and

discussion of findings Use of tables, charts, diagrams Clear findings and new directions Thorough review of recent literature Links to existing research Point to new areas of investigation

Converting conference paper to a journal article

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Presenting a conference paper - I

Normal (written) form is: What do readers really need to know?

Conference (presentation) form is: What does the audience really need to

see on screen? What do listeners really need to have

explained to them?

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Presenting a conference paper - II

However literary your normal style, plan the talk as a sequence of exhibits

Put all that you want to say/show on screen, in a user-friendly manner

Practice timings for your talk Aim for a fast, well-paced start – do not

‘warm up’ the audience to your subject Sell the paper – don’t be hesitant

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Presenting a conference paper - III

Organise your talk into 3 minute chunks, planning for one display per chunk

Use PowerPoint (not Word) to compose your displays

Text should be free-standing and readily understandable without you speaking (audience will deconstruct it like that)

Try to avoid a build-up of slides or too many ‘flying bullets’ – delays exposition and too controlling

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Presenting a conference paper - IV

Pick a font that is visible to someone in the back row - like this one

Put equations and quantitative tables into separate image screens, magnified so that the smallest subscript is visible

Preferably use summary data tables, rather than detailed ones

Pick the best feasible fonts for display

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Time limits for presentations

Seminars ... 30 to 40 minutes UK international conferences - 20 minutes

per paper, then questions; normally 2 or 3 papers per panel

US and most international conferences - 10 to 15 minutes per paper, followed by questions; often 4 or 5 papers per panel

Workshops and intensive conferences – 20-30 minutes per paper, followed by one-hour discussion time

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WHAT CAN GO WRONG ON THE DAY WITH AN OTHERWISE GOOD SEMINAR OR CONFERENCE PAPER

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SCARY CONFERENCE VISION

- real life is more prosaic

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Be prepared for a realistic audience size

Check the venue in advance for size and features – may indicate audience size

Conference slots respond to multiple factors, including competition, timings etc

– so don’t regard small audiences, dribbling in late, in an over-large room, as unusual or depressing

Alternatively beware of an over-large audience, cramped and uncomfortable in too small a room

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Be prepared for possible presentation problems

Presentation facilities vary unpredictably - you need to be adaptable Take Powerpoint slides in two storage

formats (e.g. USB stick and CD). Email slides to seminar hosts. Take an OHP copy of slides Print readable ‘handout’ copies of slides

for a realistic audience (say 25) Take 10-15 full paper copies, for zealots

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Things to avoid, ideally:- being invisible – by never standing up- have no visuals aids – unexciting- reading the paper word for word

http://www.mcdonald.cam.ac.uk/McD/Seminar.jpg

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Things to avoid, cont’d.Using badly considered visuals – that are unreadable and do not project well on an ohp (or in powerpoint)

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PLAN FOR POSSIBILITY THAT YOU MAY BE ALLOCATED A NOT-SO-IDEAL ROOM AND THINK ABOUT HOW TO ADJUST FOR IT

FAIR--RCTDCredit: http://www.finearts.uvic.ca/visualarts/facilities/images/seminar/seminar-1.jpg

RANDOM UNIVERSITY ROOM – functional but depressing, no daylight, blackboard!

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SMALL ROOM HAZARDS – no OHP, no screen, table dominating the space,.. + dogs!

FAIR--RCTDCredit: http://www.brc.ubc.ca/vtour/images/cell/L3_seminar1.jpg

LARGE ROOM HAZARDS – long thin room, audience obstructs each others’ view, no equipment for visual displays

FAIR--RCTDhttp://www.ccc.ox.ac.uk/conference/images/semnarrm2.jpg

SUBTLE HAZARDS - half the audience can’t see the OHP, narrow tables, and uncomfortable seating arrangment

FAIR--RCTDCredit: http://www.ruwpa.st-and.ac.uk/workshop2002/seminar%2520room3.jpg

Things to aim for, ideallyStand up, and use clear, varied slides for best feasible delivery

FAIR--RCTDhttp://www.sunyit.edu/news/academic/pictures/main.jpg

Things to aim for, cont’d For large audiences (just in case)– Think of the view from the back row

FAIR--RCTDCredit: http://www.reidkerr.ac.uk/conference/images/ante2B.jpg

Ideal seminar room – central display screen + OHP, wide tables, space for moving around, good lighting, smallish group

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PRESENTING DATA poorly

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INDIVIDUAL AND BLOC INCENTIVES UNDERWEIGHTED VOTING *

Patrick Dunleavy and Rolf Hoijer

LSE Public Policy Group,London School of Economics and Political Science,

Houghton Street,London, WC2A 2AE

Abstract: Pioneering work by Laver and Benoit (LB) argues that a drive by individuallegislator’s to maximize their per capita Shapley-Shubik power scores could explain theevolution of party systems in legislatures. But LB’s analysis exhibits several problems.Theoretically their utility premises are incompletely specified and would lead tosystematically irrational and short-termist behaviour by members of vote blocs.Methodologically LB focus on a complex ratio variable, whose patterning essentially dependson another largely unanalysed variable, the power index scores of whole vote blocs. LB haveno framework for economically analysing variations in power index scores across verynumerous and diverse voting situations. Empirically LB’s account radically mis-specifies thefactors conditioning blocs’ incentives or actors’ incentives. We show that: (i) they offer anexaggerated picture of the scope for defection; and (ii) their emphasis on the importance of‘dominant bloc’ status for the largest bloc is incorrect - dominance is often empirically trivialin shaping bloc scores when there are more than five blocs. Instead, the factors that doinfluence blocs’ scores are predictable, (if complex), patterns, which repeat in recognizableways across weighted voting situations, for any given threshold level. We demonstrate amethod for mapping these scores comprehensively and economically, and for analysinginfluences on the scores precisely.

Paper to the panel on ‘New Perspectives on Rights, Freedoms, and Powers’ at the EuropeanConsortium of Political Research, Annual Workshops 2003, University of Edinburgh, 28March – 2 April 2003.

START BADLY – I’ve printed my cover page in tiny font and slapped it on the OHP slide

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a n a l y s i s , a n d h i s l o n e l y f a i t h i n t h e v a l u e o f o t h e r e f f e c t i v e n u m b e r i n d i c e s , f o r w h i c h t h e r e

h a s b e e n l i t t l e o r n o t a k e - u p i n t h e e x i s t i n g l i t e r a t u r e . B y c o n t r a s t w e b e l i e v e t h a t t h e w i d e r

e f f e c t i v e n u m b e r f a m i l y h a s l i t t l e t o o f f e r , a n d t h a t c o n t i n u i n g t o u s e u n m o d i f i e d N 2 i n

p a r t i c u l a r i n q u a n t i t a t i v e a p p l i c a t i o n s c a n n o t b e d e f e n d e d b e c a u s e o f t h e d e f e c t s s e t o u t

h e r e .

I n o u r v i e w a v e r a g i n g N 2 s c o r e s w i t h t h e 1 / V 1 s c o r e c r e a t e s a s i m p l e b u t u s e f u l

v a r i a n t o f t h e e f f e c t i v e n u m b e r i n d e x , N b :

T h e d a t a d e m a n d s o f e q u a t i o n ( 3 ) a r e n o g r e a t e r t h a n f o r t h e N 2 i n d e x , a n d N b a n d N 2 a r e

h i g h l y c o r r e l a t e d w i t h e a c h o t h e r . Y e t t h i s s t r a i g h t f o r w a r d m o d i f i c a t i o n h a s u s e f u l e f f e c t s .

F i g u r e 6 s h o w s t h e m i n i m u m a n d m a x i m u m f r a g m e n t a t i o n l i n e s f o r N b w i t h b e t w e e n 2 a n d

8 p a r t i e s , a n d a l s o i n c l u d e s t h e 1 / V 1 l i n e a n d t h e o v e r a l l m a x i m u m f r a g m e n t a t i o n l i n e f o r

N b ( w i t h a 1 p e r c e n t f l o o r f o r p a r t y s i z e s , a s b e f o r e ) . T h e a v e r a g i n g o f N 2 a n d 1 / V 1

c r e a t e s m u c h l e s s c u r v e d m i n i m u m f r a g m e n t a t i o n l i n e s . A n d a l t h o u g h t h e r e a r e s t i l l

t r a n s i t i o n s i n t h e i r s l o p e s a r o u n d t h e a n c h o r p o i n t s , t h e y a r e m u c h l e s s s h a r p t h a n w i t h N 2 .

T h e m a x i m u m f r a g m e n t a t i o n l i n e s f o r d i f f e r e n t r e l e v a n t n u m b e r s o f p a r t i e s a r e a l s o

c o n s i d e r a b l y s t r a i g h t e n e d o u t u n d e r N b , w i t h o u t s t r o n g l y v i s i b l e c u r v e s c l o s e t o t h e i r

t e r m i n a l a n c h o r p o i n t s . T h e o v e r a l l m a x i m u m f r a g m e n t a t i o n l i n e f o r N b i s a p p r e c i a b l y

l o w e r t h a n t h e 1 / V 12 l i n e u n d e r N 2 . I n f a c t t h e N b m a x i m u m f r a g m e n t a t i o n l i n e r u n s q u i t e

c l o s e t o b u t s l i g h t l y a b o v e t h e N 3 m a x i m u m l i n e s h o w n i n F i g u r e 1 . F o r i n s t a n c e , w i t h V 1

a t 6 0 p e r c e n t , t h e m a x i m u m N b s c o r e i s m o r e t h a n h a l f a p a r t y l e s s t h a n w i t h N 2 ; a n d a t

5 0 p e r c e n t s u p p o r t t h e N b u p p e r l i m i t i s 3 p a r t i e s , i n s t e a d o f 4 f o r N 2 . T h u s t h e N b i n d e x

d e l i v e r s m a n y o f t h e s a m e b e n e f i t s i n t e r m s o f m o r e r e a l i s t i c a l l y d e n o m i n a t e d s c o r e s a s N 3 ,

b u t i t a v o i d s N 3 ’ s s e v e r e k i n k s a r o u n d a n c h o r p o i n t s ( w h i c h i s e v i d e n t i n F i g u r e 4 ) .

T a b l e 2 s h o w s h o w t h e N 2 , N b a n d M o l i n a r m e a s u r e s b e h a v e e m p i r i c a l l y a c r o s s t h e

( 3 )

MAINTAIN CONSIS-TENCY:‘Some of you may not be able to see the subscripts here too well’

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Figure 7.1: How health boards compare

Trtmnt rates/pop

Argyll & Clyde

33212.42

Ayrshire &

Arran

33200.32

Border

72331.011

Dumfries &

Galloway

31699.21

Fife

22876.55

Forth Valley

29748.33

Grampian

27681.49

Greater

Glasgow

31827.222

Highland

33855.18

Lanarkshire

23909.83

Lothian

31768.41

Orkney

21727.37

Shetland

28233.25

Tayside

50259.21

Western Isles

30840.19

1 Includes Berwick in 1997-98 only. 2. Estimates only due to data problems.

TABLES – complex, difficult to read, weak heading/title, unnecessary abbreviations, space wasted between data points

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K e y : T h e h e a l t h b o a r d s a r e a s f o l l o w s : 1 A y r e & C l y d e ; 2 A y r s h i r e & A r r a n ; 3 B o r d e r ; 4 D u m f r i e s &

G a l l o w a y ; 5 F i f e ; 6 F o r t h V a l l e y ; 7 G r a m p i a n ; 8 G r e a t e r G l a s g o w ; 9 H i g h l a n d ; 1 0 L a n a r k s h i r e ; 1 1 L o t h i a n ;

1 2 O r k n e y ; 1 3 S h e t l a n d ; 1 4 T a y s i d e ; 1 5 W e s t e r n I s l e s .

F I G U R E 7 . 4 : H O W H E A L T H B O A R D S C O M P A R E

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5

0

1 0 0 0 0

2 0 0 0 0

3 0 0 0 0

4 0 0 0 0

5 0 0 0 0

6 0 0 0 0

7 0 0 0 0

8 0 0 0 0

T r t m n t r a t e s / p o p

CHARTS – 3D design, small and thin, weak heading, no logic to arrangement of bars, labels in a legend, key details in micro font

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Table 5: The extreme bloc sizes and per capita SS values in the triads, quinns and sevensareas

i. Triads areaBloc sizes Per capita SS scores

Description Blocs V1 V2 V3 V1 V2 V3 DiffBottom left cell All 26 26 25 1.28 1.28 1.33 0.05Bottom right cell 4 48 0.69 0.64

8 44 0.76 0.5714 38 26 25 0.88 1.28 1.22 0.4520 32 1.0 0.3324 28 1.2 0.1326 26 26 25 1.28 1.28 1.33 0.05

Top right cell 4 48 48 3 0.69 0.69 11.11 10.428 44 44 7 0.76 0.76 4.76 4.014 38 38 13 0.88 0.88 2.38 1.420 32 32 19 1.0 1.0 1.67 0.6724 28 28 23 1.2 1.2 1.39 0.1926 26 26 25 1.28 1.28 1.33 0.05

ii. Quinns area

Bloc sizes Per capita SS scores

Description Blocs V1 V2-V4 V5 V1 V2-V4 V5 DiffBottom left cell All 17 17 17 1.18 1.18 1.18 0Bottom right cell 6 31 0.65 0.53

8 29 17 17 0.69 1.18 1.18 0.4914 23 0.87 0.4520 17 17 17 1.18 1.18 1.18 0

Top cell 6 24 24 3 0.69 0.69 6.67 5.988 23 23 5 0.76 0.76 4.0 3.2414 20 20 11 1.0 1.0 1.82 0.1820 17 17 17 1.18 1.18 1.18 0

iii. Sevens area

Bloc sizes Per capita SS scores Description Blocs V1 V2-V4 V5-V6 V7 V1 V2-V4 V5-V6 V7 Diff.Bottom left cell All 13 13 13 13 1.10 1.10 1.10 0Bottom right cell 6 21 13 13 13 0.68 1.10 1.10 1.10 0.42

8 15 13 13 13 0.95 1.10 1.10 1.10 0.1514 13 13 13 13 1.10 1.10 1.10 1.10 0

Top cell 6 16 16 13 9 0.89 0.89 1.10 1.59 0.708 14 14 13 11 1.02 1.02 1.10 1.30 0.2814 13 13 13 13 1.10 1.10 1.10 1.10 0

VERY LARGE TABLES – multiple smudges of micro font are not ideal for presenting full regression results to a crowded room

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PRESENTING DATA properly

FAIR--RCTDCredit: http://www.pi1.physik.uni-stuttgart.de/Soellerhaus2002/Bilder/Soellerhaus2002-12.jpg

Strong exposition – proper display, visible fonts, speaker visible… and using pointer for details

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Formula for effective number of parties

(2)

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Health boards

Treatment rates per 100,000 people

Border

723

Upper outlier

Tayside

503

Upper outlier

Highland

339

Ayrshire and Arran

332

Upper quartile

Argyll and Clyde

332

Lothian

318

Greater Glasgow

318

Dumfries and Galloway

317

Median

Western Isles

308

Forth Valley

297

Shetland

282

Grampian

277

Lower quartile

Lanarkshire

239

Fife

229

Orkney

217

Mean treatment rate

335

Figure 7.2: How Scotland’s health boards compared in treating cataracts, 1998-9 financial year

Notes:Treatment rates per 100,000 people The range is 506, and the midspread (dQ) is 55. Source: National Audit Office, 1999.

Conclusion: conference papers

Get membership of professional societies Subscribe conference announcements Visit university websites Explore Google Study conference themes carefully Prepare paper for target theme Select conferences that publish proceedings Invite comments Q&A for you conference

paper Improve and aim for publication in a

reputed journal

Conclusion: conference papers

Fast publication

Usually need a smaller idea

Smaller trick can be acceptable

Depends on conference

Just accept or reject; no rewrite

It may be incomplete

It may lack key references

Good for networking and Q&A

Publishing in a Scientific Journal

Journal publication Academic reputation

Journals have 4xtime more status than conferences Gives a quality stamp

Reviewers demand corrections & clarifications Archive your work

Wider scope More theory and technical information More references

Highly competitive Accept 36% Reject 58% Refer to other Journal 3% Withdrawn 3%

Things to consider before writing

1.Time to write the paper? - has a significant advancement been made? - is the hypothesis straightforward? - did the experiments test the hypothesis? - are the controls appropriate and sufficient? - can you describe the study in 1 or 2

minutes? - can the key message be written in 1 or 2

sentences? 2. Tables and figures - must be clear and concise - should be self-explanatory

Things to consider before writing

3. Read references - will help in choosing journal - better insight into possible reviewers

4. Choose journal - study “instructions to authors” - think about possible reviewers - quality of journal “impact factor”

5. Tentative title and summary

6. Choose authors

Writing a quality article

Common structure for an article

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

Data

Results

Policy Discussion

Introduction

It should be clear from the introduction:

•What is the policy issue that the paper will address?

•Why is this issue important (across countries)?

•What is the new understanding that the paper will

bring to

this issue?

•How will it do this?

•Why is the chosen country case(s) or method

appropriate for

this purpose?

•Also, define any key or non-standard terms

Literature reviewThe main purposes are to locate your study within

existing knowledge and to show the gap(s) that your

study aims to fill:

•Don’t write an extensive review of the field

•Do ensure that the literature cited is balanced, up to

date and

relevant

•Don’t cite disproportionately your own work or work

that

supports your findings while ignoring contradictory

studies

•Do highlight the gaps in knowledge that you will seek

to fill

•Don’t describe methods, results or conclusions

Methodology

You should provide enough information for reviewers

and readers to be able to know:

•Which model or methods you used

•Possible weaknesses or limitations in your analysis.

Don’t explain an established methodology from scratch,

simply supply a seminal or recent reference

•Do explain aspects that are critical in your context,

e.g. where there might be an inevitable problem and

how you tackled that

Data• What data were collected / used?

• How were they collected?

– Methodology

– Sampling (+ response rate)

• Critical assessment

– Representativeness

– Possible sources of bias• Include survey instrument as an appendix to assist reviewers

Results

Present the main findings that address the question outlined in the introduction

•Use figures and tables to summarize data•Show the results of statistical analysis•Compare “like with like”

•Don’t duplicate data among tables, figures and text•Don’t use graphics to illustrate data that can easily be summarized with text

Policy discussion: decribe

•How the results relate to the study’s aims and

hypotheses

•How the findings relate to those of other

studies

•All possible interpretations of your findings

•Limitations of the study

•Important questions that remain unanswered

by the study

•What lessons policy makers should derive from

the findings

Policy discussion: avoid

•Making “grand claims” that are not

supported by the data

Example: “This novel treatment will

massively reduce the prevalence of malaria

in developing countries”

•Introducing new results or terms

•Straying into policy discussions that the

study sheds no direct light on

Abstract

The quality of an abstract will strongly influence the willingness of reviewers to review the paper and ultimately the interest of readers to read it

A good abstract:•Is brief and specific•Accurately conveys what readers can expect from the paper•Uses no technical jargon and cites no references•Is written in good English

Use the abstract to “sell” your article

Format

• Consult and apply the list of guidelines in the“Guide for Authors”– This will save time for you, the editor and theproduction team• Ensure that you adhere to the correct:– Word limits– Reference format– Presentation of figures and tables– Layout (e.g. line spacing, section headings)• Failure to do so shows a lack of respect

Good English

Poor English annoys reviewers. It wastes their time, the time of editors and of the production team – if the paper gets that far!

•Always read your paper through in full before

you submit

•If English is not your first language, get a

colleague or friend to edit your manuscript

before you submit it

•Specialist scientific editing services are

commercially available at different rates

Finding publishing avenues

Directories, databases & associations

Periodical directories Ulrich’s International Periodical Directory, AuthorAid,

Emerald Literary Network, DOA Journals Indexing/citation databases

Perish or publish, ISI Web of Knowledge, Google Scholar Science citation index, Social sciences citation index

Online databases Business Source Premier, Emerald Insights, Science

Direct, Sage Professional association websites

AMA, Academy of Management HEC website: list of accredited journals Publishers association websites

AuthorAid

89

Emerald Literati Network

90

Ulrich's International Periodical Directory

91

Directory of Open Access Journals

92

Journal citation reports

93

A list of HEC recognized journals in all categories is available atwww.hec.gov.pk/journals

HEC keep on updating this list, so log in and check before publishing in a local journal

94

Publishing process

Publication Process

Completion of research

Preparation of manuscript

Submission of manuscript

Assignment and review

Decision

Revision

Resubmission

Re-review

Acceptance

Publication

Rejection

Rejection

How to select right journal Look at your reference list Ask your colleagues for advice Think about who will want to

read your paper Read papers from short-listed

journals Put your shortlist of journals in

rank order, from first choice to last choice

Discuss your choice with your co-authors

97

Criteria for journal selection Referring system Citation scores Circulation Journal type Time lag Reputation of editors Professional vs. commercial

ownership Quality of production

98

What constitutes a good journal?

Impact factor: average number of times published papers are cited up to two years after publication.

Immediacy Index : average number of times published papers are cited during year of publication.

The h-index reflects both the number of publications and the number of citations per publication. It serves as an alternative to journal impact factor in evaluation of the impact of the work of a particular researcher. Because only the most highly cited articles contribute to the h-index.

Format of paper Format of the paper is determined by

the journal Check their web site for information Differences from one journal to another:

Style of references Tables and figures Line spacing Font Word limit Writing style File type

100

Manuscript submission

Guidelines for authors

Process of submission

Acknowledgement by editor

101

Publishing process

Paying for publication Copyright agreement by author Decision of issue to include paper Copy editing Proof reading Printing Notification of publishing to

author Delivery of printed issue and off-

prints102

The Review Process

Pre-submission “peer” review

Don’t submit your first draft to a journal!

•Get “friendly” comments from colleagues (and coauthors!) before you submit•Test the paper out at workshops or in a conference to see hat response it gets there

Process of review

First scanning by editor Selection of reviewers Double blind review Time for review Decision of reviewers Communication of decision to

author Acceptance, rejection or revision Submission and review of revised

version Final decision

105

Criteria for judging a paper

Does the article add to what is already known?

Is the article demonstrably related to what has been previously written?

Are the arguments employed valid in terms of the body of knowledge?

Is the article easy to read? Do the arguments flow logically? Are the conclusions strong?

106

Editorial decisions

Send for review Reject without

formal review

• Accept as is• Minor revisions• Major revisions• Submit a shorter paper• Reject

Reviewpro forma

108

Responding to revisions

Carefully study the reviewers’ comments and prepare a detailed letter of response

•Respond to all points•If you disagree with a reviewer, provide a polite rebuttal, explaining your reasons

Perform additional calculations, re-run models orconsult additional references if requested

– these usually serve to make the final paper stronger

Handling reviewers’ comments

Make adjustments and attach

explanation

Don’t feel obligated to make all

recommended changes

Don’t take comments personally

Be polite in all correspondence110

Reasons for rejection

The topic does not relate to the journal’s aims

The paper does not appear to have engaged with

the work of others in the same area and may

therefore be repetitious

The paper’s purpose is unclear

The argument in the paper is under-developed

The claims made by the paper are not justified

The style/length/format is not what’s requested by

the journal

Reasons for rejection

The paper is poorly presented with missing

references, typos, poor grammar etc.

Confirmatory (not novel), no new ideas or

discovery

Poor experimental design - Poor controls - Hypothesis not adequately tested

Data in not current

Inappropriate for journal

Poorly written

Particular reasons for rejections

• No public policy story

– Business marketing

– Technical papers (e.g. testing new

technologies)

– “pre-policy” work

• No clear link or contribution to international

debates

– “not done here before”

– Local worldview

These papers are appropriate for national

journals

Accepting rejection

Don’t take it personally!

•Only 25% of papers are accepted

•Try to understand why the paper has been

rejected

•Evaluate honestly – will your paper meet the

requirements of another journal with the

addition of more data or other changes as

suggested by the referees?

•There can occasionally be an element of bad

luck!

From thesis to book: writing an effective first book proposal

From thesis to journal article

Decide how many articles can be published

Cut-paste-edit

Look into your hypotheses

Systematic study of the subject area

Re-write some parts

Each article should be independent with all

required contents

Supervisor as co-author116

From thesis to journal article

Seek permission from university

Improve contents

Improve language

Re-format

Catchy book title and chapter headings

Prepare end book index

Find publisher117

From thesis to book bublishing

Don’t assume that even an award-winning thesis is already a book –

it’s probably not!

Thesis vs Book

Insecure document Audience: small viva panel Academic requirement –

establishing expertise Length: 80k-100k words Didn’t know where you were

going when you started Often not an integrated

whole Generally contains

weak/boring chapters; frequent references to other authors’ work as evidence of knowledge of the field

Numerous examples designed to back up ideas

Few long or many short chapters, often self-standing

Confident piece of work Audience: targeted wider

public Communication tool –

establishing storyline Length: up to 80k words Need to know exactly where

you’re going from the start Must be an integrated whole Contains only strong/‘thesis-

building’ chapters highlighting your argument; others quoted where necessary/compelling

Well-chosen examples designed to move the story forward

Several chapters of readable length, clearly linked

Optional routes for your thesis

Publish the one strong chapter as an article

Publish two or three chapters as articles

Send the thesis off as is and hope it gets published

Revise the thesis lightly (if it was written as a book,

rather than a thesis, from the start)

Revise the thesis thoroughly to clarify main

argument

Slice the thesis to separate out and develop self-

standing arguments, which may result in two books

Moving from thesis to book

Identify what parts within the thesis are of value to a

broader readership and to you

Cut out any boring sections you wrote to show how

well you know your subject

Assess the usefulness of all the different examples

you use to apply your theory/theories

Take the interesting material you wrote and shape it

into a compelling story

This may result in previously unseen insights

Steps needed in revising thesis

Thesis Rethink Rewrite See larger issues

ReshapeWrite more

Rethink more

Rewrite further

Repeat the entire

process as necessary

Book

Questions to consider for book publishing

Audience: Who will want to read this book?

Length: Is it the right length, or too long?

Shape: Are the chapters of even, readable length? Do I

have enough examples, or too many?

Narrative line: Does the book tell a coherent and

compelling story?

Voice: Am I the one telling the story, or am I relying too

much on others’ works to forward my proposition?

Density: Is the research up-to-date? Does it show that I

know the long intellectual history of my subject?

What publishers want

The best, most saleable book they can find

They want to make a profit – or at least not

incur a loss – in the process of publishing

They expect a book to be clear – in writing

style, in purpose and in argumentation

They expect a good story - how you write

matters as much as what you have to say

What makes a nonfiction book successful?

The subject is timely, unique, interesting and appeals to a wide audience.

The title is descriptive, invites inquiry or in some way attracts attention.

It is well-written and carefully edited, with attention to spelling, grammar and sentence structure.

It avoids scientific or technical terminology unfamiliar to the layperson. It is easy to read.

What makes a nonfiction book successful?

The author is a professional in the field about which he/she is writing, and is considered an expert on the subject or has done extensive research on it.

The material is well-organized. The presentation is attractive,

appealing and professional-looking. It has been diligently promoted and

marketed.

Book title and table of contents

The first things an editor looks at – and what you look at in choosing a book for purchase - are a book’s title and table of contents

Title should be intriguing – but best if it’s not too general, or terminological, or long, or cute

Ensure that there are no colons in your chapter headings and no repetition of what’s in the title

Book title and table of contents

Different publishers have different ideas about what is appropriate in terms of titles and headings

Think about what books you like best that are similar to your own project and copy their style. It is likely you will want your book published by the same publishing house

Illustrations, tables, graphs

These add to the length/cost of the book so should

be used sparingly

This is especially true if colour is required

There is also the issue of permissions if you are

using others’ photos/illustrations

Look at books which are similar to yours and see

how many graphs, tables and illustrations they use

Make sure that all graphs/tables are accurate and

correctly labelled with source material cited

Readership and market

A scholarly book, like an other book, has to be

written with an audience in mind

Your publisher wants to know the audience is

large enough to warrant publication

Whomever your audience (strictly academic or

wider base), get an estimate of how many people

there are through marketing data firms

professional bodies, etc.

Be realistic: monograph audiences est. 400-500

Intended completion date

Do not allow revisions to take more than a year

Even a deep revision can be finished in less than twelve months

Estimate one month for each chapter requiring more homework prior to revision

One month for each chapter than must be rewritten in light of new research

One month to revise introduction and prepare conclusion

One to three months for cosmetic revision

Things not to do

Don’t assume that even an award-winning thesis is

already a book

Don’t assume that a publisher or a reviewer will treat a

first book as a practice exercise; it will be judged against

other similar books

Don’t submit a manuscript to more than one publisher

without telling them you’re doing so

Don’t conceal arrangements you’ve already made to

publish chapters in journals or edited volumes

Don’t send a manuscript to a publisher unless asked

Online publishing

Better chances of acceptance More control over the process Higher royalties Author-friendly contracts Shorter response times Faster publication Multimedia and format options Mass market place

133

Where to publish online E-publishing company www.lulu.com lets you make, self-publish, print & sell

print-on-demand books, eBooks. Free eBook publishing and book publishing with ...

VDM Verlag www.vdm-publishing.com a German online publishers

American Booksellers' Association (www.bookweb.org)

UK Booksellers' Association (www.booksellers.org.uk) ww.xlibris.com self publishing print on demand

company www.authorsonline.co.uk/ self publishing print on

demand company www.onlinepub.com/ A multi-title publishing

company www.acabooks.net/ Publishers of academic books Institutional website

134

Self publishing

Develop your idea

Write your manuscript

Proofread and market test your manuscript

Prepare your business plan

Who will buy your book?

How will you market and sell it?

Decide how many books you will print and

the format of book you want 135

The self-publishing process Get quotes for typesetting and printing

Get manuscript 'print ready' (typeset)

Design the book cover

Print the book

Market and advertise the book

Fulfill orders

Collect payment and record sales

136

Enhancing impact of your research

137

Maximizing the impact of your research

1. A research impact is recorded/auditable occasion of influence

from academic research on another actor or organization

• Academic impact from research are influences upon actors

in academia or universities as measured by citations in other

academic author’s work.

• External impact are influences on actors outside higher

education, that is in business, government or civil society as

measured by references in trade press, government

documents or by coverage in media.

Maximizing the impact of your research

2. A research impact is an occasion of influence and hence

it is not the same thing as a change in outputs or

activities as a results of its influence.

3. A research impact is also empathetically not a claim for

a clear cut social welfare gain.

4. However, secondary impacts from research can be

traced at a much more aggregate level and some

macro-evaluation of net benefits of university research

can be gauged.

Impact of academic publication citations

•Citation rates are used as a basis for tracking

academic impacts. The shape of citation rates vary

widely across academic disciplines

•There are substantial difference in the general rate

of citing across disciplines with more cites (including

self-cites) being found in the science that the social

sciences.

•The type of output chosen affects citation rates as

on average a book will take longer to be referred to

but will be cited for longer

Knowing your strengths

•Use Publish or Perish, Google scholar & book search and ISI web of Knowledge to track your citation records

•Try to have a distinctive author name to be easily found

•ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus have limited coverage in the social sciences and have an American-based geographical bias, as well as capturing relatively few citations in other than English language.

•Publish or Perish, Google and Scirus cover a wide range of academic outputs and now provide a more reliable analysis in the social sciences

Key measures of academic influence

•Calculating a researchers h-score and g-score provides a more robust picture of how much an authors work is valued by peers

•Journal articles account for majority of citations, books only account for 8-30 percent of citations. Books do impact much h and g-scores of authors.

•Simple indicators of judging citation rates, such as total number of publications, total number of citations and age-weighted citation rate do not accurately capture an academics citation success.

Getting better cited

•Ensure that title names are informative and

memorable and that their abstract contains key

bottom line or take away points

•Book authors should ensure that their titles, sub-

titles are distinctive yet appear in general Google

Book searches around the given theme

•There are difference in self-citation. However, it

is may a time important to cite you own work to

build further on it. A balance approach is

important.

Getting better cited

•Co-authored outputs tend to generate more

citations due to networking effect between

authors in a given research team

•Co-authors from different universities or

countries.

•Go across disciplines

•Use social media and web to promote your

contributions

•Find authors of common interest and share

your papers with them

How to achieve external impact

•Establish academic credibility

•Networking across disciplines

•Personal communication skills and capacity

•External reputation

•Experience

•Track record of successful work

•Organize and participate in seminars and

workshops at national and international level

•Use of web and social media

Promoting your publications

Book review Flyer Book launching ceremony Email discussion groups Sending off-prints to experts/writers Newsletters/newspapers Entry in search engines Pay-per-click advertising Entry in databases Online bookstores Continued work of your

students/research team 146

Self-grooming in publication

Be continuous trained Be updated with publishing trends Are you in the book of peers Are you in the good book of editors? Are you most liked supervisor? Are you favorite co-author? Do you have unmatched skills to be

liked by active researchers Do you have art to produce

research from ongoing context 147

Integration and diversification

Your subject has capacity to be co-researched with other disciplines

Your subject has ability to integrate new context

You have analytical ability to draw very unique inferences and apply over diversified context

Your subject is in the interest of authors of other regions – like emerging economies case

You address upcoming problems rather obsolete concepts

148

Ethical issues and behavior

•Multiple submissions

•Redundant publications

•Plagiarism

•Data fabrication and falsification

•Improper use of human subjects and

animals in

research

•Improper author contribution

Conclusion

Writing for publishing is distinctive Publishing is an art It needs mastery Be systematic, no short cut Use tools and techniques to write Peers are important Collaboration is key in publishing Write good quality manuscript to sell Keep going

151

Thank you