Presentation on publishing scientific research and how to write high-impact scientific papers by Dr. John Uhlrich as the Editor-in-Chief of Energy Technology, published by Wiley-VCH. Slides were presented on 17 February 2020 at the Technical University of Braunschweig.

1. © 2020
Publishing Scientific Research &
How to Write High-Impact Research Papers
Dr. John Uhlrich
17 Feb 2020

2. © 2020
1) About Wiley-VCH
2) The psychology of editors and reviewers
and demystifying the publication process
3) Writing for scientific success
4) Q & A
Today’s Talk

3. © 2020
• PhD students?
• Post-Docs or beyond?
• Who has already published something?
• Have you had the opportunity to act as a
peer reviewer for a submitted research
manuscript?
• Who can imagine a career in publishing?
• Who has heard of Project DEAL?
Who are you?

4. © 2020
Who am I?
• Chemical Engineering, PhD University of
Wisconsin, USA
• Interface Chemistry of Hybrid Photovoltaic
Materials/Devices
• Postdoc 2009-2011: Fritz Haber Institute, Berlin
Department of Chemical Physics (H.J. Freund)
• Surface Science for Model Catalysis
• 2011– 2012:
– Editor, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional
Materials
• 2012-present:
– Editor, Energy Technology
– Currently Editor-in-Chief, Energy Technology
Editor, Advanced Energy Materials,
Advanced Functional Materials

5. © 2020
Who am I?
• Chemical Engineering, PhD University of
Wisconsin, USA
• Interface Chemistry of Hybrid Photovoltaic
Materials/Devices
• Postdoc 2009-2011: Fritz Haber Institute, Berlin
Department of Chemical Physics (H.J. Freund)
• Surface Science for Model Catalysis
• 2011– 2012:
– Editor, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional
Materials
• 2012-present:
– Editor, Energy Technology
– Currently Editor-in-Chief, Energy Technology
Editor, Advanced Energy Materials,
Advanced Functional Materials

6. © 2020
John Wiley & Sons
South Korea
Founded in 1807 in New York City by John Wiley
To this day family-owned in the 6th generation
Approx. 5,000 staff worldwide
Wiley Online Library has 130 million users
1,600 journals, 1200 society partners
Company headquarters are in Hoboken (New Jersey)
Wiley-VCH (Germany) has been part of Wiley since 1996

7. © 2020
Weinheim office

8. © 2020
• Wiley-VCH, Wiley-Blackwell, Ernst & Sohn, GIT
• Weinheim, Berlin, Zürich (CH)
• 530 employees (450/ 70/ 14)
– ~ 70% female - 30% male
– Average age ~ 42 years
– Average time with Wiley-VCH ~ 10 years
– Foreign employees 40%
from 24 different nations
• Primarily chemists, followed by materials scientists, physicists, biologists,
mathematicians
Our Office

9. © 2020
https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2018/02/06/focusing-value-102-things-
journal-publishers-2018-update/?informz=1

10. © 2020
Some highlights
46. Search engine optimization.
50. Dealing with data.
55. Media relations and publicity.
56. Social media distribution and management.
58. Integrating new standards.
60. Hosting and archiving.
73. Managing and protecting
editorial records.
101. Work together to solve more general
access and fairness issues.
86. Provide training in emerging publishing
markets. (but not just emerging markets!)
34. Copy-editing, proofreading, and styling of
materials.
27. Ethics investigations.
26. Management of peer review process.

11. © 2020
Project DEAL

12. © 2020
Open Access
As an Open Access transitional agreement, Project DEAL is
compliant with the Plan S Open Access movement in Europe.
• Wiley is the first large international publisher to
announce a partnership with Project DEAL for a
countrywide “Publish & Read“ agreement to
better address the growing research market and
evolving needs of researchers. Max Planck Digital
Library GmbH will be the implementation
partner for Wiley’s ca. 1700 journals.
Project DEAL – Transformational Publish and Read
Agreement with Wiley

13. © 2020
Researchers at Projekt DEAL
institutions can publish articles
Open Access in Wiley’s journals at
no cost to the authors.
Under an annual fee, this
transformative three-year
agreement provides all Projekt DEAL
institutions with access to read
Wiley’s academic journals back to
the year 1997.
The partnership will better support
institutions and researchers in
advancing open science, driving
discovery, and developing and
disseminating knowledge.

14. © 2020
To support the overall advancement of scholarly research, Wiley and
Projekt DEAL are together launching important new initiatives as part of
the partnership.
1. The Wiley editorial office will conduct at least 50 university/institute
visits within Germany to help inform researchers about the project
DEAL agreement and discuss Open Access issues.
2. A new flagship open access journal. This interdisciplinary journal
will publish top-tier scholarship from the global research community
and will serve as a unique forum for the development of new open
access publishing models.
3. Wiley and Projekt DEAL will establish an open science and author
services development group focused on innovating and
accelerating new publishing approaches.
4. The partners will also create and host a new annual symposium for
early-career German researchers focused on surfacing cutting-
edge ideas on the future of research communications.
Partnership

15. © 2020
Open Access
READ
All German institutions that are participating in Project DEAL will
have permanent open access to Wiley’s entire E-journal portfolio
Effective as of 15th January 2019 (already implemented)
Permanent access to journals as far back as 1997
Includes around 1,700 journals
PUBLISH
All responsible corresponding authors affiliated with a
participating institution publish their original research or
review articles with Open Access in Wiley journals (both in
original Gold Open Access journals and in subscription
journals), normally under a CC-BY license.
For Gold Open Access journals, institution-specific policies
For subscription-based journal articles that are accepted
from 1st July 2019
PUBLISH & READ - What does this mean to
you?

16. © 2020
In addition to open access
Increased access:
• Over 800 institutions are eligible.
• 498 institutions have signed up, including all TU9 and
 responsible for 98% of Wiley’s journals output in
• Approx. 130 new institutional customers
Partnership activities :
• Development & launch of a new interdisciplinary OA
• Workshops and Early Career Researcher conference
• The future of scholarly communication development
CC-BY:
• Offered for 89% of Wiley’s portfolio (up from 74%)
• For all authors

17. © 2020
Summary of Project DEAL
• The DEAL publish & read agreement in Germany with
Wiley is the first of its kind – something (for all of us) to
be proud of!
• Take advantage of the opportunity to publish Open
Access free of charge in any hybrid or gold OA journal
in Wiley‘s portfolio (as well as to read the all the works
from the rest of the world without paywall).
• Invite us to come visit!
• Open to new projects (Special Issues, collaborations)
• Germany and Wiley have taken this first step together:
We hope that this is a sign of more deals to come,
around the world.

18. © 2020
Markets in transition: Open Access
agreements
United States
China
United Kingdom
Germany
Japan
AustraliaCanada
Italy
India
France
SpainNetherlands
South Korea
Brazil
Switzerland
Sweden Iran
Turkey
Denmark
Taiwan
Belgium Poland
Austria Israel
Norway
Finland
New Zealand
Other
Geographic distribution of Wiley article output (corresponding authors, 2018)
Hungary

19. © 2020
Wiley-VCH Journal Genealogy

20. © 2020
1600 journals, books
And More...

21. © 2020
• Honestly assess the
importance/impact and
scope of your work
• Journal Impact Factor is not
everything!
• What are the implications
of your research?
• How important will others
find your research?
– In your field?
– In related fields?
• Publication fees? Open
access?
• Speed of publication?
• What is the scope of your
candidate journal?
• Who reads your candidate
journal?
Selecting the Journal

22. © 2020
•Covering the technical aspects of
applied energy research
–Generation
–Conversion
–Storage
–Distribution
•Companion journal of other related
Wiley titles (Advanced Energy
Materials, ChemSusChem, etc.)
•Listed in important databases
(ISI, Web of Knowledge, Scopus)
•Impact Factor (2018): 3.163
•Accepted Article for near immediate publication
following acceptance
Launched in 2013
Editor-in-Chief
Dr. John Uhlrich

23. © 2020
•Covering the technical aspects of
applied energy research
–Generation
–Conversion
–Storage
–Distribution
•Companion journal of other related
Wiley titles (Advanced Energy
Materials, ChemSusChem, etc.)
•Listed in important databases
(ISI, Web of Knowledge, Scopus)
•Impact Factor (2018): 3.163
•Accepted Article for near immediate publication
following acceptance
Launched in 2013
Editor-in-Chief
Dr. John Uhlrich

24. © 2020
•Covering the technical aspects of
applied energy research
–Generation
–Conversion
–Storage
–Distribution
•Companion journal of other related
Wiley titles (Advanced Energy
Materials, ChemSusChem, etc.)
•Listed in important databases
(ISI, Web of Knowledge, Scopus)
•Impact Factor (2018): 3.163
•Accepted Article for near immediate publication
following acceptance
Launched in 2013
Editor-in-Chief
Dr. John Uhlrich
Special Issue on Advances in Battery Production
Guest Editor: Prof. Arno Kwade
Free to access: http://bit.ly/Battery-Production

25. © 2020
“If your research does not generate papers, it
might just as well not have been done.
‘Interesting and unpublished‘ is equivalent to
non-existant.“
“Realize that your objective in research is to
formulate and test hypotheses, to draw
conclusions from these tests, and to teach
these conclusions to others. Your objective is
not to ‘collect data‘.“
George Whitesides, “Whitesides‘ Group: Writing a
Paper“, Essay in Advanced Materials, 2004, 16, 1375 .
Why publish at all?

26. © 2020
Don't underestimate how hard it is or
how long it takes to write a good paper.

27. © 2020
Is the novelty
high enough?
Difference to
prior work?
Important to the
whole readership?
Important to
researchers
in this field?
After the initial check for scope and length is done,
the manuscript is examined more closely:
the most
important
hurdle!
„Publishing space is
limited – choose a journal
whose readership will be
keen to see your results!“
What Editors Look For (Manuscript Suitability)

28. © 2020
Conclusions section of manuscript
While reading new manuscripts, editors will especially look at:
Cover letter “If I‘m interested, my
readers will be, too!ˮ
Literature references
Visual information
Abstract
Where will the Editor look?

29. © 2020
Cover Letter: The Worst Type

30. © 2020
• Why is this topic important?
• Why are these results significant?
• What is the key result? (breakthrough!)
• Why is it an advance on previous work?
• Why are you submitting to this journal?
• Why will this journal’s readers read it?
• Provide reviewer suggestions
Together with the conclusions section of your paper, the cover
letter is one of the first things the editor will see, so make it
count!
Tip: Keep the letter as concise as possible – the longer it is, the
easier it becomes to overlook something important.
Maximizing Success: Writing the Cover Letter

31. © 2020
• Why is this topic important?
• Why are these results significant?
• What is the key result? (breakthrough!)
• Why is it an advance on previous work?
• Why are you submitting to this journal?
• Why will this journal’s readers read it?
• Provide reviewer suggestions
Together with the conclusions section of your paper, the cover
letter is one of the first things the editor will see, so make it
count!
Tip: Keep the letter as concise as possible – the longer it is, the
easier it becomes to overlook something important.
Maximizing Success: Writing the Cover Letter
Solar Cell Example:
We have fabricated a solar cell with high efficiency and stability,
using earth-abundant materials, by using a simple synthetic method,
nontoxic precursors, using a scaleable fabrication procedure, with a
unique combination materials that increase our fundamental
understanding of photovoltaic devices.

32. © 2020
Manuscript rejected on reports
Manuscript submitted
Editors examine &
make initial decision in house
Manuscript sent out
for external peer review
Editor makes decision
based on reports
Manuscript is accepted as
is or with minor revisions
Manuscript transferred
to the publication workflow
Manuscript rejected on reports
but reinvited if
major revisions promising
Manuscript rejected on topic,
novelty, or quality
Revisions requested
if possible in short time
Manuscript rejected on format
but reinvited (e.g., shorten)
Peer Review Editorial Workflow

33. © 2020
• Present data honestly and accurately, not
fabricate or falsify data
• Reference and cite properly, not plagiarize or
ignore related work
• Avoid fragmentation and redundant
publication
• Inform the editor of related manuscripts under
consideration or in press
• Submit to only one journal at a time
• Disclose conflicts of interest
Author Responsibilities

34. © 2020
• Ensure efficient, fair, and timely manuscript processing
• Ensure confidentiality of submitted manuscripts
• Make the final decision for accepting or rejecting
• Base decision to accept or reject only on the merits of
the manuscript
• Not use work reported in a submitted manuscript for
their own research
• Ensure fair selection of referees, including those
suggested or requested for exclusion by author
• Respond to suggestions of scientific misconduct
• Deal fairly with author appeals
Editor Responsibilities

35. © 2020
• Treat it as a discussion of your paper from one of the top
experts in your field.
• Don’t take it personally – it is not an attack on you!
• Be thorough and a little self-critical; remember that the referee
is trying to help you improve your work and its presentation.
• Remember that everyone is human! Take every criticism as
an opportunity for improvement; this is a “trial run“ for how
your work may be perceived after publication.
How to Read a Referee Report
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2017/01/18/15-steps-to-revising-journal-articles/

36. © 2020
• Treat it as a discussion of your paper from one of the top
experts in your field.
• Don’t take it personally – it is not an attack on you!
• Be thorough and a little self-critical; remember that the referee
is trying to help you improve your work and its presentation.
• Remember that everyone is human! Take every criticism as
an opportunity for improvement; this is a “trial run“ for how
your work may be perceived after publication.
How to Read a Referee Report
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2017/01/18/15-steps-to-revising-journal-articles/
https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-
network/2017/mar/31/dear-anonymous-peer-reviewer-
your-criticism-made-me-a-better-researcher

37. Credit: Nick Kim (www.nearingzero.net)
Stay Calm 

38. © 2020
1. Have something to say.
2. Say it.
3. Stop as soon as you have said it!
4. Give the paper a proper title!
Source:
John S. Billings:
An Address on
our Medical
Literature.
Br Med J (1881)
2:262-268.
The Four Basic Rules

39. © 2020
Titles and abstracts are searchable separately from the
main paper in databases and online
Therefore to increase your paper’s “discoverability”:
give it a specific and concise title
include many appropriate keywords
“search-engine optimization”
Title & Abstract

40. © 2020
What effect?
Which metal(s)?
What type of coupling reaction(s)?
Which aryl alcohols?
Specific
Concise
Contains many keywords
Effect of Metal Catalyst on the
Outcome of Coupling Reactions
with Aryl Alcohols
Ruthenium Trichloride:
An Effective Catalyst for C-H
Activation with 2,4-Disubstituted
Aryl Alcohols
Targeting Your Title

41. © 2020
DOI: 10.1126/science.355.6320.102
Telling a Story

42. © 2020
DOI: 10.1126/science.355.6320.102
Answer 3 Questions:
• What is the Status Quo?
– Too little: Risk losing a large audience who may
not be experts on this topic.
• What is wrong with the Status Quo?
– Too little: “Why do we need yet another paper
on this topic?“
• How does this work go beyond the Status
Quo?
– Too little: The novelty of your work is not clear.
Telling a Story

43. © 2020
• Don‘t forget to factor in time to work on
the presentation of your work
• Have a friend/colleague read your
manuscript; read your own work again
after setting it aside for a couple of days
• Have a native speaker proofread for
language, if available (editorial services
are also available)
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/ www.ChemistryViews.org
A Few More Tips

44. © 2020
• Don‘t forget to factor in time to work on
the presentation of your work
• Have a friend/colleague read your
manuscript; read your own work again
after setting it aside for a couple of days
• Have a native speaker proofread for
language, if available (editorial services
are also available)
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/ www.ChemistryViews.org
A Few More Tips
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/

45. © 2020
• Don‘t forget to factor in time to work on
the presentation of your work
• Have a friend/colleague read your
manuscript; read your own work again
after setting it aside for a couple of days
• Have a native speaker proofread for
language, if available (editorial services
are also available)
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/ www.ChemistryViews.org
A Few More Tips
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/Sharing your work after publication: www.howcanishareit.com

46. © 2020
1) Unpublished work is lost and properly communicating science
takes effort
2) A simple writing style is best!
3) Optimize your content for internet use
4) Peer review isn’t perfect but it is the best we have
5) Competition is hard, so make your work stand out
6) Take an active role in promoting your work
Conclusions

47. © 2020
Questions?
jjuhlrich@wiley.comJohn Uhlrich
Wiley Author Services
bit.ly/DEALAuthor
www.projekt-deal.de/wiley-contract
OA questions
cs-openaccess@wiley.com
@EnergyTechnol
www.entechnol.com
Submissions:
www.editorialmanager.com/ente/
https://www.facebook.com/EnergyTechnologyJournal/
Online: http://bit.ly/jlugiessen-2020