Scientific Publishing

Joanne ThomsonImperial College London4th February 2010

Outline

• Who am I?

• RSC Publishing

• General chemistry journals

• How to get published

Who am I?

Joanne Thomson

Deputy Editor

ChemComm, Chemical Science & Chem Soc Rev

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

• Learned Chemistry Society with 46,000 members

• Professional body and charity (not-for-profit)

• International not-for-profit publisher since 1841

RSC Publishing

• Based in Cambridge• ~250 staff• All editorial staff trained:

– Scientists – Professional editors

• Technical editing• Quality of service

RSC Publishing

• 27 Journals– >10,000 articles

published (09)– Online journal

archive • Databases• Chemistry World• Library & Information

Centre (London)

General Chemistry

Communications

Impact factor 5.34

Reviews

Impact factor 17.4?

Chemical Science has the Edge!

All original research published in one format:

Edge Article• Flexible - >3 pages but no upper page limit• Novel research findings presented in a succinct

and exciting way• No lengthy introductions/discussion, extensive

data, excessive experimental details and non-experiment-based conjecture

Two review types: Mini Reviews and Perspectives

http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/chemsci

International Symposia on Advancing the Chemical Sciences (ISACS 1-3)

Visit: www.rsc.org/isacs

A new generation of global conferences• Challenges in Organic Chemistry and Chemical

Biology (ISACS1) 6-9 July 2010, San Francisco, USA   

• Challenges in Physical Chemistry and Nanoscience (ISACS2) 13-16 July 2010, Budapest, Hungary 

• Challenges in Inorganic and Materials Chemistry (ISACS3) 20-23 July 2010, Hong Kong, China 

How to get published

Outline

• Requirements of a scientific article

• Choice of journal

• Writing a paper

• Submission

• Revision

• Top Tips

Requirements of a scientific article

• Articles should be:– within journal scope– interesting to readership– the appropriate scientific quality– novel and advance existing knowledge of

subject

Choosing a journal

• Journal scope – website; ask the Editor!

• Articles from others in your subject area?

• Specialised or General journal?

• Communication or a full paper?

• Impact factor

• Publication times

• Society Publisher?

How to write…

• Emphasise the novel aspects

• Emphasise the impact

• Compare with existing work

• Reference related articles

• Avoid personal criticism

Writing the paper

• Think about audience• Keep the language

simple• Use short sentences

and short words• Use spell and grammar

check• Proof read before

submission

Sections of a Manuscript

• Title• Abstract• Introduction• Results and Discussion• Conclusion• Experimental• References

Introduction – what to include

• Set the scene for the reader– Why is the area important?– What has been done in the past?

• Justify why you have done the work– What advantages will it have?

• Outline your objectives– What do you plan to achieve?

Results and Discussion

• Present your results – Write in a logical order– Describe key processes, results and data– Make reference to tables, schemes, figures

• Discuss the meaning of the results– Unexpected / expected?– What conclusions can you draw? (e.g.

mechanism)– Are further experiments necessary?

Conclusions

• A short summary of your achievements and conclusions– Write in a factual style– Emphasise the most important and novel

findings– Include a sentence about current or future

work, if appropriate

Experimental

• A detailed account of what you did• General info

– Equipment type/brand; source of chemicals

• Synthetic procedures– For all unique compounds– Include quantities and moles in brackets

• Characterisation data– Check journal guidelines– Assign spectra where possible

• Make use of the ESI where appropriate

References

• Ensure that any work referred to in the article is cited in the order they appear in the text

• Check the journal’s reference style

Title

• Along with the abstract, this should be written last

• Short, concise and descriptive

• Include keywords (e.g. “organocatalysis”, “natural products”) to aid database searching

Abstract

• Summarise what you are going to present

• Emphasise the most important and novel aspects of the work

• Keep it factual

• Graphical abstract

Submission

• Cover letter

• Declare in-press papers

• Journal guidelines

• Files and formats

• Ethical statements

Cover letter

• To include: – Summary of work– Statement of importance– Impact on community– Future potential

• Address to the Editor • Ensure all facts updated

– Article type– Journal

• Suggested referees

Manuscript Life Cycle - RSC

Receipt of manuscript

Initial Assessment by Editorial Office

REJECTION ACCEPTANCE

PEER REVIEW

(2+ reports)

Evaluation by Editors

Appeal

65% 35%

20%

4% (30% of which successful)

Author revisions

Editorial Board

“Rejection without external review”

“Pre-screening”

Revision

• Respond to all reviewer comments• Give details if you disagree• Ensure answers are included in article• Itemise all changes in your letter

Rejection• Consider referee comments• Learn from the experience• Appeal if appropriate

Acceptance

• On acceptance:– Edited by a team of professional staff– Help with English language– Proofs

• Check meaning and understanding• Check references, figures and content

– Publication on web as soon as possible

Tips to get published

• Ensure your work has novelty and impact• Provide a clear statement of novelty/impact• Read and follow the Guidelines for Authors

and the Ethical Guidelines• Perform thorough literature search• Keep the language simple, short sentences• Proof read before submission • Suggest referees• On revision, address all reviewer comments

How to write….

• ‘Tips for Writing a Journal Article’

Chem. Eng. News, 2007, August 13, p46.

• For a copy of today’s slides:

e-mail thomsonj@rsc.org

Thank you