Download - 20140717 Edanz Kyushu Session 7
Andrew Jackson, PhD
Senior Editor
Kyushu University Department of Agriculture
Session 7 – Communicating with Journals
Kyushu University
17 July 2014
Seminar series
June 5 Effective presentations
June 12 Reviewing the literature
June 19 Academic publishing
June 26 Research and publication ethics
July 3 Effective writing
July 10 Manuscript structure
July 17 Communicating with journals
July 24 Peer review and revisions
Journal selection
Section 1
Journal selection Timing
Choose your target journal:
– After you have decided you have enough results for a publication
– After you have decided on how high to aim—high, medium or low impact
– After you have decided how broadly relevant your findings are
– Before writing your manuscript
Journal selection Factors to consider
Aims & scope Readership
Open access Indexing
Which factor is most important to you?
Publication frequency
Impact factor
Journal selection Type of journals
Broad vs narrow- focused journals
International vs regional journals
Broad Findings have implications across fields
Narrow Findings have field-specific implications
International Findings have worldwide implications
Regional Findings are restricted by geographical
or ethnic boundaries
Journal selection Choosing a target journal
Significance Aims and Scope Impact
Journal selection must be based on an
honest evaluation of your findings
Journal selection
New findings
Evaluating significance: Novelty
Medium to high impact
Low to medium impact
Incremental advances
Conceptual advances
How new are my results compared with those already published?
Journal selection Evaluating significance: Relevance
How broadly relevant is your work?
Specific to country/region? Relevant to other areas (e.g., agriculture)?
Economics
Specific to cell-type or organism? Relevant to human condition?
Biology
How broadly applicable is the design? Is it cost-effective?
Engineering
International or regional journal?
Broad- or narrow- focused journal?
Journal selection Evaluating significance: Importance
Area of popular appeal
Stem cells, GM crops, global warming, artificial intelligence
Important real-world applications
Rice resistant to high salt conditions, shrimp resistant to viral infections
Journal selection
Insert your proposed abstract
Journal Selector www.edanzediting.co.jp/journal_selector
Journal selection
Recommended journals
Filter by: • Impact factor • Publishing frequency • Open access
Journal Selector www.edanzediting.co.jp/journal_selector
Journal selection
Semantic matching terms
Journal’s aims & scope, IF, and publication frequency
Are they currently publishing similar articles?
Similar published articles
Have you cited any of these articles?
Journal Selector www.edanzediting.co.jp/journal_selector
Journal selection Tips to identify the most suitable journal
S
Identify the interests of the journal editor
Identify the interests of the
readers
• Editorials • Review articles • Special issues
• Most viewed • Most cited
Author guidelines
Section 2
Author guidelines Visit journal websites
Author guidelines Navigation
Author guidelines Navigation
Author guidelines
>4500 words
>9700 words!
Navigation
Author guidelines Author Guidelines – Article structure
What are you looking for?
Preparation of manuscripts
Title page, abstract Keywords to
look for?
Important elements
• Article type specifics • Title page information • Abstract • Main text sections • References • Figures and Figure Legends
Author guidelines Word limits
Word limits may apply to:
• Titles • Running titles • Highlights • Abstracts • Main text • Figure legends
Author guidelines References
In-text citations Vancouver : [1] or 1
Harvard: (Name, year)
Reference list Vancouver : Numerical
Harvard: Alphabetical
Author guidelines
Planta
Harvard style
References
Author guidelines
The Plant Cell Harvard style
References
Author guidelines
Initials
Year
Journal title
Volume/pages
Punctuation
Bold/italics
Rice
The Plant Cell
Use reference management software!
References
Cover letters
Section 3
Cover letters
Abstract: First impression for readers
Significance Relevance
Writing style Interesting to their readers?
Is your work important?
Cover letters: First impression for journal editors
Cover letters
Dear Editor-in-Chief, I am sending you our manuscript entitled “Techniques to detect entanglement in cats” by Schrodinger et al. We would like to have the manuscript considered for publication in Quantum Theory Frontiers. Please let me know of your decision at your earliest convenience. Sincerely yours, Albert Einstein, PhD
Bad example
Too short
No information about the manuscript
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
Plant Molecular Biology is an international journal dedicated to rapid publication of original research articles in all areas of plant biology. The Editorial Board welcomes full-length manuscripts that address important biological problems of broad interest, including research in comparative genomics, functional genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, computational biology, biochemical and regulatory networks, and biotechnology. Because space in the journal is limited, however, preference is given to publication of results that provide significant new insights into biological problems and that advance the understanding of structure, function, mechanisms, or regulation.
Plant Molecular Biology
Read the aims and scope
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
Read the aims and scope
Plant Molecular Biology is an international journal dedicated to rapid publication of original research articles in all areas of plant biology. The Editorial Board welcomes full-length manuscripts that address important biological problems of broad interest, including research in comparative genomics, functional genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, computational biology, biochemical and regulatory networks, and biotechnology. Because space in the journal is limited, however, preference is given to publication of results that provide significant new insights into biological problems and that advance the understanding of structure, function, mechanisms, or regulation.
Plant Molecular Biology
Key points
Broad interest
Biological problems
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
Building your cover letter
Dr Wilhelm Gruissem Editor-in-Chief Plant Molecular Biology 17 July 2014 Dear Dr Gruissem, Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled “Identification of the histone acetyltransferase HAF2 as a factor involved in natural variation for seed dormancy in Arabidopsis thaliana”, which we would like to submit for publication as a Research Article in Plant Molecular Biology.
Journal editor’s name
Manuscript title
Publication type
Did you read the website carefully?
Aims and scope? Author guidelines?
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
Building your cover letter
Seed dormancy is an important life-history strategy that allows plants to select favorable conditions for germination, thereby affecting long-term survival. Dormancy can be released by specific environmental factors, such as cold or dry-storage (after-ripening). However, the genetic factors that regulate this process have not been clearly elucidated. The model plant Arabidopsis has substantial natural variation in seed dormancy, and identifying genes associated with this trait is of broad interest to geneticists, ecologists, and agricultural researchers.
Introduction Problem Relevance
Second paragraph:
Current state of the field Problem researchers are facing
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
We combined genome-wide association (GWA) mapping with transcriptome analyses to screen candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms correlated with variation in seed dormancy in 108 accessions of Arabidopsis. The most likely candidate was a plant-specific histone acetyltransferase gene, HAF2. HAF2 expression was down-regulated by cold and after-ripening, which break seed dormancy, and was up-regulated in accessions with high levels of dormancy. When the HAF2 gene from a non-dormant accession was inserted into a dormant accession…
Building your cover letter
Methods Key results
Third paragraph:
Briefly describe your methodology Summarize your key findings
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
Building your cover letter
These findings are significant in elucidating the genetic mechanisms underlying a fundamental life-history trait of plants and will be of interest to Plant Molecular Biology readers, especially those focused on Arabidopsis seed dormancy. Furthermore, our integrated approach combining GWA mapping and transcriptomics offers a promising strategy to identify candidate loci in future studies.
Relevance Implications
Fourth paragraph:
Why interesting to the journal’s readership
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
Building your cover letter
We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors have approved the manuscript, including authorship and order of authorship, and agree with submission to Plant Molecular Biology. This study was funded by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Ethics Conflicts of interest
Last paragraph:
Disclaimers related to publication ethics Funding Conflicts of interest
Funding
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
Building your cover letter
We would like to recommend the following reviewers to evaluate our manuscript: 1. Reviewer 1 and contact information 2. Reviewer 2 and contact information 3. Reviewer 3 and contact information 4. Reviewer 4 and contact information Please address all correspondence to:
Reviewers Contact information
Other important information:
Recommended reviewers Author’s contact information
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters A good cover letter
Dr Wilhelm Gruissem Editor-in-Chief Plant Molecular Biology 17 July 2014 Dear Dr Gruissem, Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled “Identification of the histone acetyltransferase HAF2 as a factor involved in natural variation for seed dormancy in Arabidopsis thaliana”, which we would like to submit for publication as a Research Article in Plant Molecular Biology. Seed dormancy is an important life-history strategy that allows plants to select favorable conditions for germination, thereby affecting long-term survival. Dormancy can be released by specific environmental factors, such as cold or dry-storage (after-ripening). The model plant Arabidopsis has substantial natural variation in seed dormancy, and identifying genes associated with this trait is of interest to geneticists, ecologists, and agricultural researchers. We combined genome-wide association (GWA) mapping with transcriptome analyses to screen candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms correlated with variation in seed dormancy in 108 accessions of Arabidopsis. The most likely candidate was a plant-specific histone acetyltransferase gene, HAF2. HAF2 expression was down-regulated by cold and after-ripening, which break seed dormancy, and was up-regulated in accessions with high levels of dormancy. When the HAF2 gene from a non-dormant accession was inserted into a dormant accession, seed dormancy was increased and HAF2 expression levels reduced. Finally, we sequenced HAF2 from 78 accessions and found that mutations were enriched in the promoter region. These findings are significant in elucidating the genetic mechanisms underlying a fundamental life-history trait of plants and will be of interest to Plant Molecular Biology readers, especially those focused on Arabidopsis seed dormancy. Furthermore, our integrated approach combining GWA mapping and transcriptomics offers a promising strategy to identify candidate loci in future studies. We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors have approved the manuscript, including authorship and order of authorship, and agree with submission to Plant Molecular Biology. This study was funded by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. We would like to recommend the following reviewers to evaluate our manuscript: Reviewer 1 and contact information Reviewer 2 and contact information Reviewer 3 and contact information Reviewer 4 and contact information Please address all correspondence to: We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Yours sincerely,
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
Dr Wilhelm Gruissem Editor-in-Chief Plant Molecular Biology 17 July 2014 Dear Dr Gruissem, Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled “Identification of the histone acetyltransferase HAF2 as a factor involved in natural variation for seed dormancy in Arabidopsis thaliana”, which we would like to submit for publication as a Research Article in Plant Molecular Biology. Seed dormancy is an important life-history strategy that allows plants to select favorable conditions for germination, thereby affecting long-term survival. Dormancy can be released by specific environmental factors, such as cold or dry-storage (after-ripening). The model plant Arabidopsis has substantial natural variation in seed dormancy, and identifying genes associated with this trait is of interest to geneticists, ecologists, and agricultural researchers. We combined genome-wide association (GWA) mapping with transcriptome analyses to screen candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms correlated with variation in seed dormancy in 108 accessions of Arabidopsis. The most likely candidate was a plant-specific histone acetyltransferase gene, HAF2. HAF2 expression was down-regulated by cold and after-ripening, which break seed dormancy, and was up-regulated in accessions with high levels of dormancy. When the HAF2 gene from a non-dormant accession was inserted into a dormant accession, seed dormancy was increased and HAF2 expression levels reduced. Finally, we sequenced HAF2 from 78 accessions and found that mutations were enriched in the promoter region. These findings are significant in elucidating the genetic mechanisms underlying a fundamental life-history trait of plants and will be of interest to Plant Molecular Biology readers, especially those focused on Arabidopsis seed dormancy. Furthermore, our integrated approach combining GWA mapping and transcriptomics offers a promising strategy to identify candidate loci in future studies. We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors have approved the manuscript, including authorship and order of authorship, and agree with submission to Plant Molecular Biology. This study was funded by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. We would like to recommend the following reviewers to evaluate our manuscript: Reviewer 1 and contact information Reviewer 2 and contact information Reviewer 3 and contact information Reviewer 4 and contact information Please address all correspondence to: We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Yours sincerely,
A good cover letter
Manuscript information
Background
Key findings
Relevance
Disclaimers
Recommended reviewers
Coverage and Staffing Plan Cover letters
Specific cover letter styles
http://www.nature.com/nature/authors/submissions/subs/#a6
Journal selection activities
Using the Journal Selector, find the most appropriate journal for the given abstract. Find two different journals (not PNAS):
• One with an impact factor of 5–10 (with open
access options)
• One with any impact factor and open access
For the first journal (IF 5–10 plus OA): 1. Who is the Editor-in-Chief?
2. What is the word limit of the abstract and
manuscript?
3. How much does OA cost?
Journal selection activity 1
Journal selection activity 1
Journal selection activity 1
Journal selection activity 1
For the first journal (IF 5–10 plus OA): 1. Who is the Editor-in-Chief?
2. What is the word limit of the abstract and
manuscript?
3. How much does OA cost?
Loren Rieseberg (Chief Editor)
Journal selection activity 1
Journal selection activity 1
Journal selection activity 1
For the first journal (IF 5–10 plus OA): 1. Who is the Editor-in-Chief?
2. What is the word limit of the abstract and
manuscript?
3. How much does OA cost?
Loren Rieseberg (Chief Editor)
Abstract < 250 words, main text < 8000 words
Journal selection activity 1
Journal selection activity 1
Search for “Open Access”
Search for “OnlineOpen”
Journal selection activity 1
Journal selection activity 1
Journal selection activity 1
For the first journal (IF 5–10 plus OA): 1. Who is the Editor-in-Chief?
2. What is the word limit of the abstract and
manuscript?
3. How much does OA cost?
Loren Rieseberg (Chief Editor)
Abstract < 250 words, main text < 8000 words
US$3000
Journal selection activity 1
Using the Journal Selector, find the most appropriate journal for the given abstract. Find two different journals:
• One with an impact factor of 5–10 (with open
access options)
• One with any impact factor and open access
Journal selection activity 2
Journal selection activity 2
For the second journal (any IF, but OA): How much does it cost?
Journal selection activity 2
Journal selection activity 2
Journal selection activity 2
Journal selection activity 2
“Why publish with PLOS ONE?”
Journal selection activity 2
Journal selection activity 2
Journal selection activity 2
Journal selection activity 2
Journal selection activity 2
For the second journal (any IF, but OA): How much does it cost?
Transgenic Research: US$3000 n
PLOS ONE: US$1350
Journal selection activity 2
Thank you!
Any questions?
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Jeffrey Robens: [email protected] Andrew Jackson: [email protected]