A practiced editor gives advice to have work published within an journal that is international

By Angel Borja, PhD Posted on 24 June 2014 Updated on 10 July 2019

Editor’s note: This 2014 post conveys the advice of the researcher sharing their experience and will not express Elsevier’s policy. Nonetheless, in reaction to your feedback, we worked so it reflects our practices with him to update this post. For instance, as it had been affordablepapers posted, we now have worked extensively with researchers to boost presence of non-English language research. – July 10, 2019

Upgrade: as a result to your feedback, we now have reinstated the initial text to help you observe how it absolutely was revised. – July 11, 2019

How exactly to prepare a manuscript for international journals — Part 2

In this month-to-month show, Dr. Angel Borja attracts on their substantial history being a writer, reviewer and editor to offer suggestions about planning the manuscript (author’s view), the evaluation procedure (reviewer’s view) and just what there clearly was to hate or love in a paper (editor’s view).

This informative article may be the 2nd into the show. The very first article ended up being: “Six activities to do before composing your manuscript.”divider

The Writer

Dr. Angel Borja is Head of Projects at AZTI-Tecnalia, an extensive research center when you look at the Basque nation in Spain focusing on marine research and meals technologies. Previously he had been also Head for the Department of Oceanography and Head associated with the Marine Management region. their primary subject of research is marine ecology, and it has posted significantly more than 270 efforts, from which 150 have been in over 40 peer-reviewed journals, through their long job of 32 several years of research. During this time period he’s got examined in numerous topics and ecosystem elements, having an sufficient and view that is multidisciplinary of research.

Find out more about his work on ResearchGate, ORCID and LinkedIn, and follow him on Twitter (@AngelBorjaYerro).

When you organize your manuscript, the very first thing to take into account is the fact that purchase of parts are going to be extremely distinct from your order of products for you list.

Articles starts aided by the Title, Abstract and keyword phrases.

The content text follows the IMRAD format, which responds towards the concerns below:

• Introduction: What did you/others do? Why did it is done by you?
• Techniques: exactly How did it is done by you?
• Results: exactly exactly just What did you will find?
• And
• Discussion: So what does it all mean?

The text that is main followed closely by the final outcome, Acknowledgements, References and Supporting Materials.

Although this is the posted framework, nevertheless, we usually make use of a order that is different writing.

Procedures to organizing your manuscript

1. Prepare the numbers and tables.
2. Write the strategy.
3. Jot down the outcomes.
4. Write the Discussion. Finalize the Results and Discussion before writing the introduction. The reason being, in the event that conversation is inadequate, how will you objectively show the significance that is scientific of work with the introduction?
5. Write a definite summary.
6. Compose a compelling introduction.
7. Write the Abstract.
8. Write a concise and descriptive Title.
9. Choose Keyword Phrases for indexing.
10. Write the Acknowledgements.
11. Jot down the Sources.

Upcoming, I’ll review each step of the process in detail. But you should do that will set the groundwork for the entire process before you set out to write a paper, there are two important things.

• This issue become examined ought to be the very first problem to be resolved. Determine your theory and goals (These is certainly going in the Introduction.)
• Review the literary works regarding the subject and choose some documents (about 30) that may be cited in your paper (These will undoubtedly be placed in the recommendations.)

Finally, take into account that each publisher possesses its own design tips and choices, therefore constantly consult the publisher’s Guide for Authors.divider

Step one: Prepare the numbers and tables

Keep in mind that “a figure may be worth a thousand terms.” Ergo, pictures, including numbers and tables, would be the many efficient method to provide your outcomes. Important computer data would be the force that is driving of paper, which means that your pictures are critical!

How can you decide between presenting your computer data as tables or numbers? Generally speaking, tables supply the real results that are experimental while numbers tend to be useful for comparisons of experimental results with those of past works, or with calculated/theoretical values (Figure 1).

Whatever your decision is, no pictures should replicate the information described somewhere else within the manuscript.

Another factor that is important figure and dining table legends must certanly be self-explanatory (Figure 2).

Whenever presenting your tables and numbers, appearances count! For this end:

• Avoid crowded plots (Figure 3), only using three to four information sets per figure; usage well-selected scales.
• Think about appropriate axis label size
• Add clear symbols and information sets which can be an easy task to differentiate.
• Never ever include long bland tables ( e.g., chemical compositions of emulsion systems or listings of types and abundances). They can be included by you as additional product.

If you work with photographs, each should have a scale marker, or scale bar, of expert quality in a single part.

In photographs and numbers, utilize color only once necessary whenever publishing to a printing book. If various line designs can simplify this is, never utilize colors or other effects that are thrilling you’ll be faced with high priced costs. Needless to say, this does not use to online journals. For all journals, you are able to submit duplicate numbers: one out of color for the version that is online of journal and pdfs, and another in black colored and white for the hardcopy journal (Figure 4).

Another universal problem is the misuse of lines and histograms. Lines joining information just may be used whenever time that is presenting or consecutive examples information ( ag e.g., in a transect from coast to offshore in Figure 5). Nonetheless, if you have no connection between examples or there isn’t a gradient, you need to make use of histograms (Figure 5).

Often, fonts are way too tiny for the journal. You must simply simply simply take this under consideration, or they might be illegible to visitors (Figure 6).

Finally, you have to look closely at making use of decimals, lines, etc. (Figure 7)

Action 2: Compose the techniques

This section responds towards the concern of the way the issue had been examined. In case your paper is proposing a brand new technique, you ought to add detailed information so a qualified audience can replicate the test.

Nonetheless, usually do not duplicate the important points of founded techniques; usage recommendations and materials that are supporting suggest the formerly posted procedures. Broad summaries or key recommendations are enough.