How to Get Published?

1. How to Get Published? Jaspreet S Brar, MD, MPH Assistant Professor of Psychiatry University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Pittsburgh, PA

2. Why should I publish & what are my chances? • Motivations to publish: • To advance science • To advance career • For personal fulfillment • What are my chances? • Rejection of manuscripts is usually high • Paper may be rejected before review, after review or after revision

3. Reasons for Rejection • Possible reasons are: • Content mismatch • Old / Outdated • Poor quality of research • Unoriginal / Redundant – More of the same • Instructions not followed • Poorly written • Conflict with reviewer (rare)

4. Rule of Thumb • Poorly conducted research is almost always rejected • Ground-breaking or sensational research usually accepted - even if the quality of writing is poor • The majority of papers are in gray zone

5. Things to Look out for Before Submitting 1) Content & Format (Comply with the format and style requirement of the journal) • Title • Abstract • Key Words • Introduction • Hypotheses • Methods • Results • Discussion • Conclusion • References

6. Things to Look out for Before Submitting 2) Select an appropriate journal • Ideally done before you start writing • Tailor fit to a specific journal 3) Make the paper relevant to its audience 4) Make an outline before writing 5) Revise, revise, revise • accuracy • brevity (one idea per sentence) • clarity • Grace (simplicity)

7. Things to Look out for Before Submitting 6) Use punctuation appropriately 7) Evaluate • Self; read it over several times. Make sure that all the journal instructions have been followed. All references are included, etc • Others; Critical appraisal by colleagues 8) Write a good cover letter to the Editor 9) Do not do the following: • Duplicate publications • Slicing the findings • Disseminating results prior to publication (with the exception of conference presentations

8. What Makes a Good Research Question? Does you study meet the following criteria? - Is it Feasible? - Is it Interesting? - Is it Novel? - Is it Ethical? - Is it Relevant?

9. Authorship • Agree to authorship beforehand • Who qualifies for authorship (What is a ‘substantial’ contribution) • Who does not qualify for authorship • Which authorships are (more) important • First • Last / Senior • Corresponding • What are other ways of acknowledging contributions • Some journals have specific criteria

10. An example from a journal Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contribution to: • conception and design, or data analysis and interpretation • drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content • and final approval of the version to be published All these conditions must be met: • Participation solely in the acquisition of funding or the collection of data does not justify authorship. • All authors included on a paper must fulfill the criteria • No one who fulfills the criteria should be excluded

11. General Guidelines for Writing International Committee of Medical Journal Editors uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals • http://www.icmje.org/ Reporting guidelines for research, at the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) network resource centre • http://www.equator-network.org/

12. What Happens After You Submit • Acceptance rates vary widely depending upon the journal. Can range from 5% to 90%. • Journals with high Impact Factor are more discerning (Impact Factor = Number of citations of articles published in Journal X / Number of articles published in Journal X) • Manuscripts may be rejected: • without review • after review • after revision

13. The Review Process • Article is reviewed by journal editorial staff to determine whether the author has complied with journal instructions • The Abstract is reviewed by the Editor or his/her designee for ‘appropriateness” • Manuscript is send for review (suggested by the author or at the editor’s discretion or both) • At least two for content • One for statistical methods • Reviewers are given specific instructions and a time limit for

14. The Review Process • Editor reviews the recommendations and determines whether the article be revised or rejected. • If the article is not rejected, the critiques of all reviewers are send back to the (corresponding) author. • The revised manuscript may be send to reviewers again or the Journal Editor may take a decision regarding final publication.

15. How to Revise a Manuscript • Don’t take the comments personally! • Always thank the reviewers for all positive comments in the critique. • Address each and every point in the critique in an itemized manner. • Agree/fix whatever you can but if there is something that you feel is right, then stand your ground – but provide a rationale.

16. Always Remember • Journals need papers as much as (prospective) authors need journals • Be persistent • Revise promptly and resubmit • Consider a smaller publication (research letter, brief report, etc) • If rejected, consider another journal

17. How to Get Your Feet Wet • Several journals have ‘Electronic Responses’ (also known as ‘Quick Comments’). Anyone can respond to an article published in these journals: • JRSM (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine) • BMJ (British Medical Journal) • Comments are screened by an Editor within 24 hours and posted on the web-site. • Those who post comments may be invited to write a Letter to the Editor or a Commentary.

18. An excellent option! International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health (IJCRIMPH) http://www.iomcworld.com/ijcrimph/ “IJCRIMPH is an Open Access Online Journal and an interdisciplinary publication for the collaborative discussion and debate on international Internal Medicine and Public Health issues.”