Recent replies to "how should one publish an article or paper in journal?"

Reply from Maxine Clarke

Maxine Clarke — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:50:44 -0000

I should clarify—I didn’t mean to be abrupt in my sentence about the “ask the Editor” forum—what I mean is that there is quite a bit of useful discussion over there already that you might find helpful! (As well as the links).

Thanks for pointing to the Nature author page, Paul.

Reply from Paul Smaglik

Paul Smaglik — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:42:09 -0000

Nature also has a “for authors” page, which has all you should need to know—for Nature—at least. Some advice I’ve gleaned from my manuscript editor colleagues: follow the directions (this seems obvious, but many don’t); don’t necessarily use the same format/approach for every journal (I’ve seen examples of papers submitted to Nature editors with “Dear Science editor” or “Dear Cell editor” in the cover letter. Needless to say, this does NOT increase your chances!); include a cover letter that explains, in non-technical language, why the paper deserves publication. This is a good place to make your case that you’ve made major, not incremental, steps in your chosen field and have the experiments and data to prove it; spell-check your paper and have another colleague (preferably a native English speaker and someone outside your field) read your manuscript to ensure your paper is clear and understandable. Finally, if and when you get feedback to improve your paper, don’t be disheartened—or defensive with editors (this does not help!). Most papers require revisions and more experiments and data to reach publication. Don’t take criticism personally, but instead as constructive advice to help you succeed. Believe it or not, editors want your to succeed, too. Listening to their suggestions is one way they do this; it’s never meant as a personal attack.
Good luck!

Reply from Maxine Clarke

Maxine Clarke — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 08:56:57 -0000

I suggest you go to the Ask The Editor forum. If you know the journal to which you want to submit, that journal’s website will carry information about the aims and scope of the journal, how to submit, and so on. The Nature journals’ advice is provided as a set of links at the Ask the Editor forum.
Good luck!