When to publish:

• Now!!!!! Now!!!!! Now!!!!!
• If you've just started a PhD, write a review on your research topic.
• If you've started collecting data, publish your results along the way.
• If you're writing your thesis, publish chapters as papers.

What to publish:

• Full-length contributed articles are around 5000 words. They usually are made of a series of experiments that form a coherent story.
• Short notes are around 2000 words. They usually are made of one or two experiments that are stand alone pieces of work.
• General rule: its better to publish one solid contributed paper than it is to split the same work into two or three short notes!
• Articles in edited books are usually less prestigious than journal articles. First publish your data in a journal then consider publishing in a book. But do publish a review article of a research topic in an edited book.

Where to publish:

• Spend time to select the right journal!
• Seek advice from an experienced publisher in your field.
• Scan current contents for journals matching the paper topic.
• Read articles from recent issues of potential journals.
• Examine the "References" section of your paper for common journals.
• Final decision will depend on:
  • (i) prestige (always go for the best topic based journals).
  • (ii) time to publish (as indicated on first page of every paper).
  • (iii) past performance (avoid journals that consistently reject papers).
  • (iv) animal care and ethics (avoid British journals on animal behaviour).

Submitting the paper:

• Follow instructions to authors (usually given on last page of journal).
• Format paper accordingly.
• Provide correct number of copies of paper.
• Include all required information in a cover letter with the paper
• The players:
  • Managing Editor (deals with administration)
  • Editor (selects reviewers; makes final decision on acceptance)
  • Reviewers (experts in the paper topic; editors choose reviewers whose work is cited in paper and who are not mentioned in the acknowledgments).

Review of paper:

• Example check list:
  • Is the paper too long?
  • Is the paper well organised?
  • Are the design and analysis sound?
  • Do the conclusions follow from the results?
  • Has the author cited all relevant references?
  • Are all the tables and figures necessary?
  • Are the title and abstract fully descriptive of the text?
  • Any ethical concerns with the paper?
  • Are the statistics satisfactory?
• Possible recommendations:
  • Acceptance with little or no revisions
  • Acceptance provided that revisions are carried out according to the reviews specific comments
  • Rejection but allow re-submission after major revision
  • Rejection

Revising the paper:

• Check the time limit given for re-submission.
• Wait at least a few days before revising the paper.
• Write a cover letter to the editor addressing ALL reviewers' comments.
• Don't attack the reviewer.
• Don't be intimidated by the reviewer.
• Address criticisms and refute them if you think you are right.
• Be polite and indicate that you are doing everything possible and more.

Re-submitting the paper:

• Follow instructions from Editor.
• Proof-read carefully.
• Include good laser copies of figures and tables.
• Indicate current date on cover page.

Proofs:

• Galley proofs will arrive shortly before publishing paper.
• Cross-check with original version carefully.
• Respond within 24 hours of receiving proofs.
• Indicate precise changes in a cover letter.

Dealing with rejection:

• A typical paper of average quality submitted to a ranking journal has less than 33% chance of getting a good report from a reviewer.
• Everyone must deal with having a paper rejected.
• Wait before revising paper in line with reviewers comments.
• Sometimes it may be appropriate to challenge the reviewer's decision.
• Don't be discouraged!
• Re-submit to another journal within a month of rejection.

General advice:

• Keep a log book of all paper and the various stages they are at.
• Ask your supervisor to review papers on your research topic or write to journal editors asking to review papers.
• Do a book review!
• Don't give up!
• Start publishing now!
  

Contact details

Email: sharon.downes@anu.edu.au
Telephone: to be announced
Facsimile: +61 2 6125 5573