How to turn PhD thesis into an article?

Presented by Ozge Sertdemir

o.sertdemir@elsevier.com

AGENDA

o What is a journal article?

o Differences of journal article from thesis

o Identifying the right journal

o Typical Journal Article Structure

o How to build your article

o Tips

WHAT IS A JOURNAL ARTICLE?

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What is a Journal Article?

Many first-time authors use the research conducted as a part of their PhD as a basis of for a journal article

While this is logical, requirements of a journal article significantly differ from those of a thesis

Journal articles focus on a specific research written by experts and other professionals and usually scholarly and

peer reviewed

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Different Audience, Different Standards

Editors and reviewers of peer-reviewed journals are experts in their fields and well versed in scholarly communication. Their task is to assess whether papers and projects further the

knowledge and thus should be published!

▪ Dissertation committees assess whether a student’s work has fulfilledprogram outcomes and requirements, not whether it’s ready forpublication or even widespread release.

▪ Dissertation review certifies the student’s capabilities within the contextof the discipline and the institution. (Hawkins AR, et al, The Journal ofAcademic Librarianship)

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Differences between Thesis and Article

THESIS ARTICLE

• Meets academic requirements• Reviewed by selected committee members• Chapters• Lengthy, no word limits• Table of Contents• Lengthy research of literature• Institutional Review Board approval

described in detail• Description and copies of tools used• All findings presented• Verb tenses vary

• Meets journal requirements• Reviewed by panel of blind reviewers• Sections• Word limits• Manuscript format• Succinct research of literature• Institutional Review Board described

in 1-3 sentences• Essential and succinct tool

information• Selected findings presented• Verb tenses are consistent

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Peer – Review Process

The editorial process selects suitable articles for publication and publishes papers in one standard format. The key step is the peer-review process:

▪ Essential filter to separate science from speculation and to determine scientific quality

▪ Peer review helps

• determine the validity, significance and originality of research,

• improve the quality of papers,

• Protect the author’s work and claim to authorship

▪ Publishers have ensured the sustainability of journals and the peer-review system for over 300years. They stand outside the academic process and are not prone to prejudice or favor.

IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT JOURNAL

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Journal Structure

Check if it is open access or based on

subscription

Must be checked carefully before submitting the

manuscript

• Editor• Editorial/

Advisory Board• Publisher

JOURNAL

AIMS AND SCOPE

OPEN ACCESS

PEOPLE

Checking Metrics• Impact factor• CiteScore• SNIP• SJR

QUALITY

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1. PEOPLE - Who are the people in a journal?

Editor in Chief

• Responsible for scientific quality

• Checks papers and decides which papers get published

• Coordinates the peer-review process

• Communicates with authors and reviewers

• Defines aim & scope of journal (with publisher)

• Advises on strategy and direction of journal

• Usually professor at esteemed university

• Often a team of editors

Editorial Members

• appointed by publisher and editors• experts in a subfield of the journal• can be consulted when needed• sometimes involved in review process

Advisory Board

• advises on topics for special issues and review papers

• advises on strategy and future direction of journal

• represent authors and readers of the journal

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• Overall management of journal

• Providing the editorial infrastructure (peer-review process)

• Arranging the publication of accepted manuscripts

• Distribution and promotion of journal to readers/libraries

• Tagging and archiving of all published articles

• Dealing with ethical and copyright issues

• Appointing editors and editorial board

Publisher

1. PEOPLE - Who are the people in a journal?

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2. AIMS & SCOPE

A journal always has an Aims & Scope, a text that describes the goal of the journal:

▪ Subject

▪ Audience

▪ Type of articles

▪ Quality or coverage of field

▪ Association with group

Always check the scope of the journal first! Read Guide for Authors and some recent issues carefully to understand whether it is the right match for your paper.

Don’t forget: Poor match is a common reason for editors to reject papers before peer review!

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3. QUALITY

▪ Several indicators are available to measure the quality of the journal, which assume that the importance of a paper can be assessed by number of citations:

▪ Impact Factor

▪ CiteScore

▪ SJR

▪ SNIP

▪ Always check if the journal is accredited by databases and covered by respected sources such as Scopus

When used correctly, research metrics together with qualitative input give a balanced, multi-dimensional view for decision-making. Always use more than one metric before

making any decision.

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4.Open Access

▪ Most journals are subscription journals, they are purchased by university/library and are onlyaccessible to subscribers.

▪ Currently also ‘open access’ journals are available. Authors (or their funders) pay ‘article processcharges ‘ (APC) and the article is freely available.

▪ Gold open access: author pays to publish in journal

▪ Green open access: manuscripts is available through institutional repository.

▪ Most subscription journals offer option to make an article ‘open access’. These are so-called‘hybrid’ journals.

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Finding the Right Journal

Select the right journal by considering:

▪ Aims & Scope (check journal websites and recent articles)

▪ Types of articles (full paper, letter, review paper)

▪ Audience (specialists, multidisciplinary, general)

▪ Recently published papers

A very common reason for editors to reject a paper is because the paper is not of interest to their journal

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Finding the Right Journal

• Choose only one journal, as simultaneous submissions are prohibited

• Supervisors and colleagues can provide good suggestions

• Articles in your reference list will usually lead you directly to the right journals

• Better to begin with a checklist:

• Is this journal the right fit for my work?

• Do you or your colleagues know the journal?

• Is the journal accredited by relevant databases? E.g Scopus, PubMed etc

• Can you easily identify and contact the publisher?

• Do you recognize the editorial board?

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Finding the Right Journal

• Follow the guide for authors!

▪ All journals have a detailed guide-for-authors which contains precise instructions how to prepare a manuscript

▪ Read carefully and follow the instructions

▪ Pay attention to

▪ Layout and section lengths (stick to word limits)

▪ Nomenclature, abbreviations and spelling

▪ Reference format

▪ Number/type of figures and tables

▪ Statistics

▪ Guidelines to submission

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Finding the Right Journal

Use Elsevier Journal Finder - www.journalfinder.elsevier.com

• Simply insert your title and abstract and select

the appropriate field-of-research for the best results.

• A shortlist of Elsevier journals is recommended if it

has published articles that have a high similarity with

the article

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Finding the Right Journal

Use Scopus Compare Sources Tool

• Type your subject area and list all related journals among 23,507 journals in Scopus database from more than 6000 publishers.

• Compare journals based on different metrics

• Evaluate shortlisted journals more in a detail

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Brief Refreshment

The largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, and features smart tools that allow you track, analyse and visualize scholarly research

+70 Million Multiple regional content types from more than 6.000 publishers and 105countries

*Records back to 1788*Over 8.000 ‘article in press’ *Over 4.000 active Gold Open Access journals are indexed*Additional enhanced metadata,í.e. 100% Medline coverage

*Database is updated daily*40 different languages are covered*Automatically generated researcher and affiliation profiles

23,507 peer-reviewed journals

301 trade journals

• Full metadata, abstracts and cited references (refs post-1970 only)

• Funding data from acknowledgements

• Citations back to 1970

Physical Sciences

Health Sciences

SocialSciences

LifeSciences

106K conference events

8.3M conference papers

Mainly Engineering and Computer Sciences

613 book series

38K volumes

166K stand-alone books

1.5M items

BOOKSCONFERENCESJOURNALS

27M patents

From 5 major patent offices- WIPO- EPO- USPTO- JPO- UK IPO

PATENTS*

Source: Scopus.com, January 30, 2018

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Publishers Coverage -

Scopus covers more than 6.000 publishers worldwide to support your research needs

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Subject Coverage -

Titles on Scopus are classified under 4 subject clusters and indexed into 27 main subject areas:

Number of journals in Scopus by subject area by Jan,2018* Includes active titles. Titles may fall into more than one subject area

Health Sciences13,819 titles

31%

Physical Sciences12,263 titles

28%16%

Life Sciences6,809 titles

Social Sciences10,905 titles

25%

JOURNAL ARTICLE STRUCTURE

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Journal Article Structure

Scientific articles all have a precise structure that should be followed:

▪ Title

▪ Authors

▪ Abstract

▪ Keywords▪ Main text

• Introduction• Methods• Results and discussion • Conclusion ▪ Acknowledgements

▪ References▪ Supplementary material

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Figures / Tables (your data)Databases you can use:Science Direct Image search

Mendeley - datasets

Methods Results Discussion

Conclusion Introduction

Title, Abstract & Keywords Use Scopus!

Journal Article Structure

How to turn your thesis into an article?

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1. Shortening the Thesis

2. Changing Introductions into Abstracts

3. Modifying the Introduction

4. Tightening the methods sections

5. Reporting main Findings in Results

6. Ensuring Discussion is clear and Concise

7. Limiting the number of references

8. Determining Authorship

Key Tips

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Key Tips

1. Shortening the thesis

▪ Thesis includes very detailed introduction and explanation of research approach and methods etc. Journal articles are much shorter than theses / dissertations / capstones

▪ It requires tighter framework and more compact style

▪ It is not a matter of copying and pasting

▪ Treat your thesis as a separate work

▪ Paraphrase and express the same ideas in a different way

▪ Select and repurpose

▪ Highlight the key points you want the readers to understand

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Key Tips

2. Reformat the introduction as an abstract

▪ Abstracts in journal articles are typically shorter

▪ Some journals require structured abstracts, others do not →Check Guide for Authors!

▪ The quality of an abstract will strongly influence the editor’s decision

▪ The abstract summarizes in 50-300 words the problem, the method, the results and the conclusion

▪ It gives sufficient details so the reader can decide whether or not to read the whole article

▪ Using your introduction and discussion as bases for the abstract can be a good starting point.

▪ Abstract are usually freely available and available through abstract-databases (like Scopus)

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Key Tips

2. Reformat the introduction as an abstract

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Key Tips

3. Modify the Introduction

▪ Be Concise!▪ Unless otherwise suggested, keep the introduction short and straight

to the point

▪ Use previously published papers (at least three) from the target journal as templates →DO NOT exactly copy-paste, it can be considered as PLAGIARISM

▪ Your thesis may have more than one research question or hypothesis

▪ Combine research questions or focus on one for the article

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Key Tips

3. Modify the Introduction

REMEMBER:

▪ Editors check Introduction very closely to understand how your work is related to previous research, be sure that your work builds upon the most recent insights

▪ A good paper should explain in the introduction:

▪ The topic of the paper and the scientific field

▪ The relevance and significance of the topic

▪ A description of what has been done before, by whom and how

▪ What is known and what is not known

▪ Questions that remain

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Key Tips

4. Tighten the Methods Section

▪ Keep the method section succinct, there is no need for an extensivediscussion about your research approach

▪ Describe how the problem was studied

▪ Do not describe previously published procedures

▪ Identify the equipment and materials used

Experiments on humans or animals must follow applicable ethics standards. Approval of the localethics committee is required and should be specified in the manuscript, covering letter or theonline submission system

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Key Tips

5. Report Main findings in Results

▪ Include only data of primary importance and highlight the main findings

▪ Use sub-headings to keep results of the same type together

▪ Be clear and easy to understand

▪ Feature unexpected findings

▪ Provide statistical analysis

▪ Include illustrations and figures

▪ Describe how the problem was studied

▪ Do not describe previously published procedures

▪ Identify the equipment and materials used

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Key Tips

6. Ensure discussion is clear and concise

▪ Begin by providing an interpretation of your results:

▪ What is it that we have learned from your research?

▪ Do not repeat your results in the discussion section:

▪ Situate the findings to the literature.

▪ Discuss how your findings expand our perspective.

▪ Briefly present ways in which future studies can build upon your work andaddress limitations in your study

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Key Tips

6. Ensure discussion is clear and concise

▪ Most important section

▪ Make the discussion correspond to the results and complement them

▪ Compared published results with your own

BE CAREFUL NOT TO USE THE FOLLOWING:

• Statements that go beyond what the results can support• Non-specific expressions• New terms not already defined or mentioned in your paper• Speculations on possible interpretations based on imagination

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Developing A Manuscript

7. Limit number of References

Journals limit the number of references and editors check references to see:

▪ Are recent papers included?

▪ Are papers from top-journal included?

▪ Are leading scientists cited?

▪ Are there too many self-cites?

▪ Are references internationally distributed?

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Key Tips

7. Limit number of References

▪ Do not use too many references

▪ Always ensure you have fully absorbed the material you are referencing

▪ Avoid excessive self-citations

▪ Avoid excessive citations of publications from the same region or sameinstitute

▪ Journals require specific reference style - Conform strictly to the style givenin the Guide for Authors → get help from Mendeley!

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Key Tips

7. Limit number of References

▪ Generate citations and bibliography by using more than 8,000 differentstyles

▪ Connect with colleagues, securely share papers, notes and annotations

▪ Expand your network with more than 10 million Mendeley

user worldwide!

▪ Benefit from social network to identify potential

collaborations

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Key Tips

8. Determining Authorship

▪ Decide at the outset who will be listed as authors of any journal articles that come fromdegree papers (committee chair, members, academic mentors)

▪ An “author” is generally considered to be someone who has made substantiveintellectual contributions to a published study

▪ Avoid ghost authorship: excluding authors who participated in the work▪ Avoid gift authorship: including authors who did not contribute to the work▪ All authors should be aware that they are being included!

▪ Ensure complete understanding of roles / responsibilities for manuscriptdevelopment and submission

Some TIPS

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Golden Rules

Keep in mind the interest and expertise of the journal readers, not necessarilycolleagues or the institutions at which the doctoral work was done→ Think as a Readerand an Editor!

1

Follow a journal’s guide for authors closely on format, word count, references, etc.2

Consult an experienced author before submitting to a journal; do not rely on facultymentors who have not published something themselves3

Ask someone who speaks the language in which the journal is published to review thesubmission, or consider using a professional language service4

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Golden Rules

Language

▪ Journal editors and in particular reviewers may reject a manuscript simply because of frequent language mistakes.

▪ Publishers do not language edit manuscripts

▪ If English is not your mother-tongue:

▪ Find a native-English speaker to read and correct your manuscript

▪ Use a paid-for editing service. More information at http://webshop.elsevier.com/languageediting/

▪ DO NOT copy complete phrases from other papers, it may be considered plagiarism!

▪ REMEMBER: All editors and reviewers hate wasting time on poorly prepared manuscripts and will reject!!

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Golden Rules

Language

TIPS▪ Write short and direct sentences

▪ Convey one piece of information per sentence and avoid multiple statements in one sentence

▪ The average length of sentences in scientific writing is only about 12-17 words

▪ Double-check unfamiliar words or phrases

▪ Clearly explain abbreviations

▪ Use ‘present tense’ for known facts and hypotheses

▪ Use ‘past tense’ for conducted experiments and results

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Golden Rules

Language

Use single words instead of phrases: a number of several

a small number of a feware in agreement agree

are found to be are

at the present time nowbased on the fact that becausedespite the fact that although

due to the fact that because

fewer in number fewerfor the reason that becauseif it is assumed that if

in spite of the fact that although

in the near future soonin view of the fact that because

it is clear that clearly

of great importance important

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Golden Rules

Present content that is current, clear, practical, and meaningful – no one will beinterested in reading your paper if it is poorly prepared5

Emphasize what is new in order to justify publication—answer the “so what?” question.REMEMBER – Editors want originality and significant advances to the field!6

Ensure that the text for the aims, most of the literature review, and all of the findingsand discussion sections are different for each manuscript submitted for publication7

Use language that is interpretable from a scientific perspective and free of bias8

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