Getting Published in the Life Sciences

The goal of this book is to make it easier for scientists, especially those new to scientific writing, to write about their results and to get their manuscripts accepted in peer-reviewed journals. The book covers each step throughout the submission process, from organizing and outlining the manuscript, presenting statistical data and results, to what happens during the in-house manuscript review process and what to do if an article is initially rejected. In addition to providing practical exercises on these topics, the book focuses on helping writers distil their research into concise take-home messages for readers, in order to convey information as clearly as possible to the target audience.

The goal of this book is to make it easier for scientists, especially those new to scientific writing, to write about their results and to get their manuscripts accepted in peer-reviewed journals. The book covers each step throughout the submission process, from organizing and outlining the manuscript, presenting statistical data and results, to what happens during the in-house manuscript review process and what to do if an article is initially rejected. In addition to providing practical exercises on these topics, the book focuses on helping writers distil their research into concise take-home messages for readers, in order to convey information as clearly as possible to the target audience.

Preface viiAcknowledgments ixPART I Preliminary Considerations 1Chapter 1 The Importance of and Need for Publishing 3Chapter 2 Steps in Manuscript Preparation and Getting Started 11Chapter 3 Ethical Issues in Publishing 25Chapter 4 Choosing Your Coauthors 39Chapter 5 Choosing Your Journal 51Chapter 6 Principles and Characteristics of Good Scientific Writing 63PART II Development of the Manuscript 73Chapter 7 Developing the Take-home Messages and a Provisional Title 75Chapter 8 Organizing and Outlining Your Manuscript 89Chapter 9 Results I: Overview 113Chapter 10 Results II: Presentation 121Chapter 11 Results III: Options for Presenting Results 133Chapter 12 Results IV: Guidelines for Preparing Written Text of Results 151Chapter 13 Revising and Editing 155Chapter 14 References 175Chapter 15 Materials and Methods 197Chapter 16 Introduction: Rationale, Review of Literature, and Statements of Objectives209Chapter 17 Discussion 223Chapter 18 Abstract 229Chapter 19 Title, By-line, Keywords, and Authorship Footnote Items 243Chapter 20 Polishing Your Manuscript with Good Word Usage 259PART III Review, Submission, and Postsubmission Issues 277Chapter 21 In-house Manuscript Review Process 279Chapter 22 Cover Letter and Submission Form Preparation 293Chapter 23 Final Checklist and Initial Manuscript Submission 303Chapter 24 The Peer-Review Process of Your Initial Submission 309Chapter 25 Response-letter Preparation and Manuscript Resubmission 315Chapter 26 Proofs, Proofreading, and the Final Steps in the Publication Process 325Index 347