Journal Article SubmissionJournal Article Submission

What are journals for?What are journals for?

To create a peer-review process to evaluate new research before publication.

To increase the prestige of the authors, and disseminate their ideas.◦An important step in academic

careers.◦“Publish or perish”

Peer Review ProcessPeer Review ProcessStep 1: An article is submitted

◦In the US, submissions are usually unsolicited.

◦Journal policy dictates the criteria for consideration. Ph.D.s? Graduate students? Members of a particular organization? Open to anyone?

Step 2: The article is considered by an editor.◦The editor can reject the article outright

for: Failure to adhere to the journal requirements. Inappropriate subject matter. Any reason the editor chooses.

◦The editor can reject the article but suggest changes and resubmission.

◦The editor can pass the article to the referees.

Step 3: Referees evaluate the article.◦ Referees are typically anonymous.

Sometimes authors are anonymous to the referees as well.

◦ Referees should have credentials in the field.◦ Referees may :

Accept the article as-is Accept the article pending recommended changes Reject the article but invite changes and resubmission Reject the article outright

◦ When multiple referees disagree, either journal policy or editorial decision determines whether to publish.

Step 4: Final editing process.◦Depending on Journal Policy, any

changes made to the article after the peer review may require resubmission to the referees.

RefereesRefereesReferees are not paid.Referees are typically authors

themselves.◦Particularly, they’re often authors who

have been published by the journal in question. Note to writers: read the journal in question,

especially articles related to your field. These articles may well be written by your

referees. You will also get a closer sense of what they

consider publishable.

Criticisms of peer review Criticisms of peer review processprocessProcess can be slow

◦Can take months to years for a paper to finally be deemed worthy of publication

Unpopular ideas can be suppressed◦Journals can have a natural bias against

ideas that contradict their previously published articles

Subject to control by elitism in a fieldSubject to personal and professional

jealousy

Sokal AffairSokal Affair“Transgressing the Boundaries:

Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity.”◦This article claims:

Quantum theory has progressive political implications

The New Age theory of the morphogenetic field could advance the theory of quantum gravity

“physical ‘reality’ … is at bottom a social and linguistic construct.”

◦Authored by NYU physicist Alan Sokal, published by humanities journal Social Text in 1996.

On the day of publication, Sokal announced the article was a hoax.◦“A pastiche of left wing cant, fawning

references, grandiose quotations, and outright nonsense… structured around the silliest quotations I could find about mathematics and physics.” – Alan Sokal

Sokal claimed the journal “felt comfortable publishing an article on quantum physics without bothering to consult anyone knowledgeable in the subject.”

Social Text accused Sokal of unethical behavior.◦ Said they only published the article as

submitted because 1) Sokal refused to make suggested changes. 2) It was directly relevant to their issue, which was

dedicated to the social implications of quantum physics.

Sokal’s response:◦ Social Text didn’t publish on the basis of an

article’s correctness or coherence, but because of who wrote them and how they sounded.

◦ "My goal isn't to defend science from the barbarian hordes of lit crit (we'll survive just fine, thank you), but to defend the Left from a trendy segment of itself. ... There are hundreds of important political and economic issues surrounding science and technology. Sociology of science, at its best, has done much to clarify these issues. But sloppy sociology, like sloppy science, is useless or even counterproductive."

Types of ArticlesTypes of ArticlesArticles – Cover original, current

research. Typically 5-20 pages, but are frequently much longer.

Supplemental Articles – Large amounts of raw research data, typically without much direct discussion.◦Can be much longer than the articles

themselves◦Many journals now prefer to put this

data online rather than in print.

Types of ArticlesTypes of Articles

Review Articles◦Discuss findings of multiple articles

on a single subject. Can synthesize multiple views on the

same subject Can support or critique other authors’

work Can discuss the state of the art in a given

field

Letters◦Not letters to the editor. (Those are for

magazines.)◦Short descriptions of current research.◦Published without in-depth review.◦Usually reserved for urgent or timely

discoveries.

Research notes◦Also short descriptions of current research.◦Not quite as urgent as Letters.

Typical journal requirementsTypical journal requirements(Taken from ASEE Journal of (Taken from ASEE Journal of Engineering Education)Engineering Education)

Articles are expected to report a significant body of research

Unusually significant commentaries or focused research with important results may be published as Research Briefs.

Both quantitative and qualitative research is encouraged.

Submitted manuscripts must include the following elements:

◦The manuscript title, authors and their affiliations, and a 50-150 word abstract

◦An introduction section following the abstract and preceding the main body of the manuscript;

◦The main body of the manuscript, appropriately divided into sections

Brief biographical sketches for each author.

Black and white figures and tables, if any, either embedded at appropriate locations within the manuscript or collected together and appended at the end of the manuscript.

Manuscripts may also include appendices, a glossary of symbols, and acknowledgments, as deemed appropriate by the authors.

A comprehensive reference for considerations of composition and presentation may be found in the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition;

A more concise source is The Elements of Style, 4th edition, by Strunk and White.

Authors are strongly encouraged to carefully proofread their manuscripts before submission.

The journal does not use endnotes, and footnotes are discouraged. ◦If the material is important enough

for a reader to seek it out, then it is important enough to be included in the body of the text.

◦ ◦Footnotes are to be used only if they

are deemed essential.

The journal generally discourages the publication of a body of research in a series of dependent parts.

◦ Authors should either identify components of the research suitable for publication as independent articles or prepare a condensed manuscript and encourage interested readers to contact the authors for additional information supporting the research reported.

◦ ◦ If the presentation of the research in a series of

dependent parts is deemed essential, authors should first contact the Editor to discuss their approach before submitting their manuscripts

Manuscripts submitted must not have been published as copyrighted material nor be submitted for consideration for publication as copyrighted material while in review by the journal, whether in print or electronic form.

Review CriteriaReview Criteria1) appeal to a broad readership

interested in engineering education

2) address important questions or propositions of lasting value.

3) build upon relevant references and bodies of knowledge.

4) employ appropriate educational or scientific principles and methodologies.

5) present original ideas or results supported by compelling evidence.

6) exhibit clear, concise, and accurate exposition.

7) demonstrate thoughtful layout and presentation.

8) show careful attention to details.

9) present meaningful illustrations, as needed .

10) adhere to accepted standards of style, usage, and composition.

Any questions?