1. Publishing Scientific
Research
Natalie Pafitis, Senior Executive Editor
BioMed Central

2. Outline
About us
Open Access
Publishing scientific articles
Defining impact in scientific publishing

3. About us

4. Hello!
Natalie Pafitis
Natalie.Pafitis@biomedcentral.com
Executive Editor, BMC Public Health
Joined BioMed Central in October 2007
Responsible for the performance and success of BMC Public Health

5. BioMed Central and Springer – open access publishers
BioMed Central
Led the way in open access publishing
Launched its first open access journal in
2000
STM publisher of 258 peer-reviewed
open access journals:
BMC series (65 titles)
Independent journals – some society-affiliated
7 journals with some subscription
content
Owned by Springer Science+Business
Media since October 2008
Open Access journals have a rigorous
peer review system, just like subscription
journals
SpringerOpen
Launched in June 2010
160+ peer-reviewed open access journals
Launched open access books in August
2012
How our journals work
All research articles may be shared and
used freely under a Creative Commons
licence
• You are free to share, remix and make
commercial use of the work
• You must attribute the work in the
manner specified by the
author/licensor
Costs covered by article processing
charge (APC)

6. Open Access

7. 2000 2013
And many more…

8. Differences between subscription and open access models
Subscription journals
Library sales and society membership
subscriptions bring in most of the
revenue
Most born print, so often page
budget restrictions, issue planning
Access (to recent articles) limited to
those who pay for it
Library budgets can be an issue
Copyright and licensing
arrangements govern access.
Copyright remains with the publisher.
Open access journals
Most revenue comes from article
processing/publishing charges (APCs)
Many born online, so often
continuous publication, no issue
planning, no page budget restrictions
No access limits
Author access to funds can be an
issue
Creative commons licensing means
that author keeps copyright and
anyone can use.

9. Similarities between subscription and open access models
Subscription journal
Editors in chief and editorial boards
Peer review
Importance of indexing
Publishing standards
High- and low-threshold journals
There are costs: e.g. editorial,
technical, production, customer
services, marketing, sales PR
Registration, certification,
dissemination, and archiving of
research
Open access journal
Editors in chief and editorial boards
Peer review
Importance of indexing
Publishing standards
High- and low-threshold journals
There are costs: e.g. editorial,
technical, production, customer
services, marketing, sales PR
Registration, certification,
dissemination, and archiving of
research

10. The benefits of open access
Free to read
Free to re-use
All stakeholders benefit
- Easier to find use relevant
literature
- Increases the visibility, readership
and impact of author’s works
- Creates new ways of use
- Enhances interdisciplinary research
- Accelerates the pace of research,
discovery and innovation
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2012/jul/17/open-access-scientific-research

11. How are open access publication fees paid?
Authors pay out of grant funds
Some funders provide dedicated funds
Institutions may cover costs centrally (eg: through open access funds or
membership arrangements with open access publishers)
Some societies cover the costs for their journals

12. How does institutional membership work?
Many publishers offer open access memberships to institutions. BioMed
Central offers these options:
Prepay Membership
The institution covers the whole cost of publishing with no additional fees
paid by their authors. The institution benefits from discounts.
Shared-support Membership
The cost of publishing is split between the institution and author. Discounts
apply.
Supporter Membership
Institutions pay a flat-rate annual membership fee based on the number of
researchers and graduate students at their institution. Authors then receive
a 15% discount.
Foundation Membership
A free service enabling institutions from developing countries to
demonstrate their support for open access publishing. There is no cost but
institutions must fulfil certain criteria. The APC is covered by the BioMed
Central waiver fund.

13. What if an author has no access to publication funds?
At BioMed Central APC waivers are available
for authors from low-income or lower-middle-income
countries
Our waivers team assesses all requests for
waivers or discounts

14. Publishing scientific articles

15. Why you should publish
• Publish or Perish:
Your research is NOT complete until it has been published
• Present new and original results or methods
• Exchange ideas, communicate with peers - Advance (not repeat)
scientific knowledge and enhance scientific progress
• Credibility of results
• Grant writing, research funding
• Recognition and career advancement
• Personal prestige and satisfaction
Funding
Bodies
Grant writing Researchers
Scientific
Publication

16. Why you should publish – in English
• It is currently the international language
of science (it has been e.g. French and
German in the past)
• Foster (international) collaborations
• Scientists will want to hear from other
scientists around the world
• Develop an international status /
reputation
• Your number of publications in journals
with an Impact Factor (i.e. English
language journals) is linked to career
advancement and funding

17. Before you begin
• To Write = To Read
• Know the status quo of your field of research
• Make sure you have access to the most up-to-date scientific
literature, scientific communication is about advancing - not
repeating - scientific knowledge (remember your library provides
access to most of the scientific publications, e.g. on
http://link.springer.com)
• Work on your writing style, develop concise writing skills as well as
specialized vocabulary
• Refine your skills by reviewing papers of colleagues. This will help
you form a strong framework for your own research writing
• Determine a feel of the (kind of) journal you wish to publish in

18. Before you begin (cont.)
• Make sure you do good quality science:
• Have a hypothesis or research question
• Make sure that the science that supports your research is valid and
supports your conclusions
• Use appropriate methods and controls
• Ensure sample sizes are large enough
• Use appropriate statistical tests
• Remove investigator/researcher/patient bias
• Comply with ethical requirements
• Citation of most appropriate research

19. What journal editors want
Good quality science! (use previous slide as your checklist!)
Work which will stand up to peer review (quality / language)
Novel to the scientific community, original research
Research that is interesting to the journal’s readership (so also make
sure to choose the right journal!)
Active research areas (many citations)
Clear concise writing
“Thank you for your article submission, the
results are new and interesting.
Unfortunately the new results are not
interesting, and the interesting results are
not new.”

20. How to choose the right journal
• Choose the journal after completion of the research, but before
writing the article so you can write it according to the journal specific
guidelines
• Consider your audience (aims and scope of the journal, regional /
global visibility)
• Consider how often the journal is published
• Consider the costs (publishing in traditional - subscription based -
journals is in most cases free to the author, however, in Open Access
publishing there is an Article Processing Fee)
• Read the journal, the product page and the submission guidelines
• Talk to colleagues about their experiences with the journal
• Make use of the expertise of your library staff

21. How to choose the right journal (cont.)
• Check where collaborating / competing research groups and
researchers publish their work
• Is an Impact Factor important to you? Or are you more concerned
about usage / visibility?
• Follow the references in your own paper. Where were the original
papers published and read?
• Check publisher sites, you can often find useful information in the
‘for authors’ section
• Use tools such as the Edanz Journal Selector at
http://www.edanzediting.com/journal_selector
• Avoid journals with no clear submission and reviewing process

22. Types of journals
• Letters journal - Rapid communication of
interim work, peer-reviewed, a good way to get
time sensitive, preliminary or ongoing research
initially published and get feedback
• Traditional academic research journal - The
main venue for primary research, rigorously
peer-reviewed
• Review journal - Publishes overviews of
research, perspective on the state of a field
and/or where it is heading, usually peer-reviewed,
may contain commissioned material
• Professional journal - Mainly review and how-to
articles, heavily edited, not necessarily peer-reviewed,
but the audience may be who you
want to reach with your research outcome:
practitioners

23. How to choose the right journal – biomedcentral.com journal pages

24. How to choose the right journal – BioMed Central’s journal selector

25. How to structure your article
• Follow the author instructions of the journal you chose to submit to
• Tell a story that is easy to understand:
• Beginning (introduction)
• Middle (main body: results)
• End (conclusion)
• The order in which you actually write your paper should be:
• Methods and Results
• Introduction
• Discussion and Conclusion
• Abstract and Title

26. How to structure your article (cont.)
Title Read first and most. Keep it short and to the point. Must reflect the
content of the paper.
Authors Correct spelling, consistency in affiliation.
Abstract 100-300 word summary of objective and results. Includes key
message of paper.
Keywords Synonyms relevant as search terms e.g. in Google. Ideally not words
from the title because title words are automatically keywords.
Introduction Explain i) why the work was conducted ii) what methodology was
employed iii) why you chose this particular methodology iv) How
the methodology accomplished the hypothesis set out in your
abstract.
Methodology Written clearly and concisely so that someone can follow how you
did your research and can reproduce it.

27. How to structure your article (cont.)
Analysis/Results Present the results clearly and carefully.
Discussion Discuss the results here. If the results were not what you
were expecting this is where you can provide insights or
speculations as to what happened and/or what you could
have done differently.
Conclusions Write down your conclusions from the study.
Acknowledgements Acknowledge the people and institutions who have made
your research possible e.g. funding.
References Properly cite your referenced material; use the style of
the journal.
Supplementary Material List any supplementary materials, appendices.

28. The importance of your title
Grabs the reader’s
attention
Introduces
your manuscript
to an editor
Label
for indexing
World Class
Physics Manuscript
• Convey the main topics of manuscript
• Be specific and concise
• Avoid jargon, abbreviations and acronyms

29. Abstract
• The majority of people will only read this section
• It must be able to ‘stand alone’
• An accurate summary of your research and conclusions reached
• No data!
• Structured or unstructured?
ALWAYS consult the ‘Instructions for Authors’ for specific
requirements

30. How to structure your article - Introduction
• Provide background information to put your work into context
• It‘s about the research, not the results
• Why did you do this research?
• How does it provide new insights?
• Where does it fit in with the published literature?
• DO NOT write a comprehensive literature review of the field

31. How to structure your article - Methodology
• Follow Author Instructions on how to write up the methodology
• New methods should be described in such a way that they can be
reproduced
• Existing methods can be referenced
• Statistical methodology
• Ethical declarations
• Use past tense for write up

32. How to structure your article – Analysis/Results
• Accurately describe your findings
• Assemble your findings in a logical order
• Use past tense to describe your analysis / results
• Use present tense when referring to figures and tables
• Do not duplicate data (text, graph, table)
• Present the facts, DO NOT explain your results
• Include results of statistical analyses in the text

33. How to structure your article - Discussion
• The most difficult section to write.
• Present principles, relationships and generalizations
shown by the results.
• Summarize and discuss your results –
DO NOT just repeat them
• Past tense to describe results
• Present tense to describe their implications

34. How to structure your article - Acknowledgements
• Give credit to those who have contributed
• Give credit to those that made the research possible
• Declare any conflicts of interest

35. How to structure your article - References
• Format your references according to the author instructions
• Be precise in your references; references form the link between your
paper and the scientific literature
• Tools available to manage your own scientific library

36. Discoverability of your work: metadata
• Your article needs to be found, read, used and cited!
• Metadata ensures your work appears with the proper audience
through for example
• Abstracting and Indexing Services
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

37. Getting ready to submit
• Get the agreement from all co-authors on what is submitted and to
which journal
• Prepare a cover letter
• Language editing
• Read the guidelines for the journal very carefully and make sure that
you conform to the author instructions in terms of set up, reference
style, etc.
• NEVER submit your paper to more than one journal at the same time,
that would be violating publishing ethics

38. Getting ready to submit – Prepare a cover letter
• This is your chance to sell your manuscript to the Editor in Chief (EiC)
• Remember that the EiC receives an increasing amount of
manuscripts, so be clear and concise
• Address the EiC personally in your letter
• Give the background to your research
• Explain the importance of your article in relation to the scope of the
Journal
• Emphasize the key take away points - the USPs, the Unique Selling
Points - from your article
• Recommend reviewers, it will be very much appreciated
• Exclude reviewers and include the reason (e.g. members from a
competing research group)

39. Getting ready to submit – Language editing
• Professional editing services can help you to improve the text on
grammar and to enhance the readability of your manuscript
• It is neither a requirement nor a guarantee for acceptance for
publication
• Professional editing services will raise your chances of acceptance and
ensures clear communication of your research
• Edanz will give authors who plan to submit to a Springer or BioMed
Central journal a 10% discount www.edanzediting.com/springer_lp

40. Publishing ethics
• The work described has not been published before
• It is not under consideration anywhere else
• Publication has been approved by co-authors and responsible
authorities
• Permissions have been obtained from copyright owners
• No data fabrication or falsification
• No plagiarism
• No improper contribution of authors
• No improper use of humans or animals
CrossCheck powered by iThenticate is an
initiative started by CrossRef to help its
members actively engage in efforts to
prevent scholarly and professional plagiarism

41. Publishing ethics - Common types of misconduct
“Scientific misconduct is a continuum ranging from honest errors to outright fraud”
(Nylemma and Simonsen (2006) Scientific misconduct: a new approach to prevention. The Lancet 367, 1882-1884)
Data
Fabrication
Falsification
Plagiarism
Duplicate
Publication
Disputed
Authorship
Undeclared
Conflict of
Interest
W.F.C. Curtis, March 2012

42. Publishing ethics – Publication and research ethics guidelines
• ICMJE – International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
• COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics
• WAME – World Association of Medical Editors
• EQUATOR – Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health
Research

43. The life of a manuscript
Writing
Editing
Submission
Peer review
Revisions
Acceptance
Production
Publication
Marketing
Published article
critiquemynovel.com

44. Publishing timeline
Submission to publication, 3–12 months
Manuscript
submitted
Quality check
Editor assigned
rapid rejection
or peer review
Editor sources
reviewers
Reviewers
evaluate accept,
reject or revise
Revise
manuscript
Publication!

45. Peer review – what it is
• Peer review is a process of self-regulation. When you submit an
article, other experts in the field evaluate your article, your research
and methodology, to determine if your paper is suitable for
publication
• Peer review is employed to maintain a high quality standard of
published papers and to provide credibility

46. Peer review – how to deal with the feedback
• Nearly every manuscript requires revisions, often two or three revisions
• If you receive reviewer comments for re-submission, act on them
• Consider peer review feedback as advice to help you improve your
article, do NOT take offense
• Minor revision does not guarantee acceptance after revision; address
all comments carefully
Acceptance
Minor
revision
Rejection
Major
revision
Very few manuscripts get
accepted without the need for
any revision
(Daniel McGowan, Edanz, 2012)

47. How to respond to reviewers
• Politely respond to ALL the reviewers’ comments
in a response letter
• Make it easy to see the changes
• Refer to line and page numbers
• Different color font
• Highlight the text
• Consider additional experiments when suggested
• You can disagree with reviewers BUT provide evidence
in your rebuttal (cite references)
• Comply with deadlines

48. Editorial decision after peer review
The editor integrates the information received from different experts
• ALL important issues must be resolved.
• First decision: Rejection
Major revisions
Minor revisions
Acceptance
A rejection should not be a negative experience – it ensures that your paper is
as scientifically correct and complete as possible before joining the literature

49. Frequent reasons for rejection
Science
• Novelty
• Research question
• Methodology
• Statistics
• Analysis
• Conclusion
Manuscript
• Formatting
• References
• Language
• Presentation
Other
• Scope
• Expected Impact
• Audience
• Too hypothetical
• Ethical issues
http://www.maxbingham.com/blog/2012/03/how-to-deal-
with-rejection-without-review/

50. Acceptance and publication of your article
Congratulations!
Manuscript will enter production
• Tight deadlines
• Proof reading – last chance to correct mistakes!
• Check title and all names! Check again!

51. Acceptance and publication of your article (cont.)
• Once the article has been accepted and is ready for publication, it will
immediately be published online.
• The article receives a DOI number (Digital Object Identifier) and can
now be read and cited, e.g.: DOI: 10.1007/s10681-012-0632-1
• This is the official publication of the article and can not be changed
afterwards
Marketing is important!
• Meetings and conferences
• Social Media, Blogs, websites
• Talk to other scientists
• Upload your version to an OA repository (like Europe PubMed Central)
• Always use the DOI as a reference

52. Visibility and impact

53. Defining impact in scientific publishing

54. Rankings in scientific publishing
• Impact Factor
• The h-index
• Article Level Metrics
• Social (media) impact

55. Impact factor
• Measure of the average number of citations articles in a particular
journal received in a particular year
Formula for the 2012 Impact Factor:
Number of citations in 2012 to articles published in 2010 + 2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total citable articles published in 2010 + 2011
Example:
120 citations in 2012 (to articles published 2010 or 2011)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ = 1.5
80 articles published in 2010 and 2011

56. Impact factor – points to consider
• There is much debate over the Impact Factor (IF) in the scientific
community, particularly with regard to the fairness of the system
• Compare the IF only with journals within the same discipline because
the average IF is very different among different disciplines (see chart)
• E.g. In mathematics researchers will often cite older work but only
citations in the two years after publication count toward the IF
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Economics Computing,
Cybernetics
Environmental
Sciences
Physics,
Multidisciplinary
Infectious
diseases
Biochemical
Methods
Average Impact Factor 2010

57. The h-index
• The h-index is intended to measure simultaneously the quality and
quantity of scientific output.
• A scholar with an index of h has published h papers each of which has
been cited in other papers at least h times
• Evaluation of impact of the work of individual researcher, the h-index
grows over time, depends on the academic age of the researcher
• The index can also be applied to the productivity and impact of a
group of scientists, such as a department or university or country, as
well as a scholarly journal
• A journal with an index of h has the largest number of h such that at
least h articles in that publication were cited at least h times each.
• The h-index serves as an alternative to more traditional journal
impact factor metrics in the evaluation of the impact of the work of a
particular researcher

58. Article Level Metrics
• Article-Level Metrics (ALMs, altmetrics, alternative metrics) are not
just about citations and usage; the concept refers to a whole range of
measures which might provide insight into ‘impact’ or ‘reach’

59. Article Level Metrics (cont.)
• Visit http://article-level-metrics.plos.org for more information
• Here you can find real time listing of:
• Usage
• Citations
• Mention in social networks
• Post publication review

60. Social (media) impact - Growth of non-scholarly citations
• Consider the non scholarly citations through the different social
media platforms
Altmetric data for Sept 2012
24052
2077 2195
471 833
73 174
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
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