Ruth Yanai
Writing for Scientific Publication
Exercises
Workshop Files
Navigating Class Materials
- About FOR 694
- Grading
- Schedule
- Outlines
- Authorship
- Presentation of Statistics
- The Submission Process
- Proofs and Production
- The Review Process
- Class Notes
- Steps to Publication
Other Resources
The science of scientific writing
Writing Science: How to write papers that get cited and proposals that get funded | Amazon link
Poor writing and the passive voice
How to write consistently boring scientific literature
Economical writing: An executive summary
The advantage of short paper titles
Scientific writing for impact factor journals (Nova Publishers)
Web application which automatically typesets your manuscript to selected journal
On being a scientist: A guide to responsible conduct in research (3rd Ed, 2009) (purchase a print copy, read online, or download free personal use PDF)
Student's Guide on Avoiding Plagiarism
Publishing Your Research 101 - Ep. Episode 5: Ethical Considerations
How to create a research poster
Effective poster design for academic conferences
Books:
Russell, Stephen and David Morrison. Year? Grant Application and Writer's Workbook. Successful Grants for Any Agency / Grant Writers' Seminars and Workshops
Dr. O'Neal, Vanessa S. 2013. Grant Me the Money! - The Practical Guide to Successful Grant Writing Practice. Crystal Spirit Publishing, Inc Kindle Edition ($9.99)
Geever, Jane C. 2012. The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing, 6th Edition. ISBN 978-1-59542-404-4. See also their workshops and podcast
Coley, Soraya M. and Cynthia A. Scheinberg. 1990. Proposal Writing. SAGE Human Services Guides.
Hofmann, Angelika H. 2010. Scientific Writing and Communication: Papers, Proposals, and Presentations. Oxford University Press.
Friedland, Andrew and Carol L. Folt's 2009. Writing Successful Science Proposals. Yale University Press; 2 edition
Schimel, Joshua. 2011. Writing Science: How to write papers that get cited and proposals that get funded. Oxford University Press book /blog
Steps to Publication
Each journal has a "Guide to Authors" that outlines the order of sections within a paper, word limits, costs (if any), instructions for preparing tables and figures, and formatting requirements for the literature cited. You can find these on the journal websites.
You may be prompted for additional information when it comes time to submit—key words, cover letter, article type, suggested reviewers, cover art, and it's unpleasant (and inefficient) to be taken by surprise.
Here are some ppt shows with screenshots of the steps involved in electronic submissions of manuscripts and written summaries provided by students.
- American Society of Agronomy (ASA) PDF
- Biogeochemistry PPS
- Canadian Journal of Forest Research PPS
- Environmental Science and Technology Summary
- Forests Summary
- Forest Ecology and Management PPS | Summary
- Journal of Bryology Summary
- Journal of Forestry PPS
- Plant and Soil PPS
- Soil Science Society of America Journal Guide for Authors | PPS | Summary
Webinar for Journal of American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) that covers the submission process for this journal, about 40 minutes in they discuss the peer review process. Link to view recording
Cover letters are often required, which are sometimes quite cursory. Better cover letters include (especially if requested!) what's new and exciting about this work and why its suited for this journal, and recommended reviewers or why someone might be a particularly poor one.
- Sample Cover letter for a submission to Soil Research
Author contributions - here are some examples from previous papers. Some journals allow free form and others use CRediT.
When your manuscript is received by the journal, an associate editor will send it out for review, Here are examples of the instructions provided to reviewers of manuscripts, from a variety of journals. If you study them, you can be aware of what the reviewers will be looking for in your paper.
- How to conduct a review
- Social Science Society of American Journal
- Journal of Forestry
- Forest Science
- Elsevier
- Ecological Society of America Journals (Ecology, Ecological Monographs, Ecological Applications, Ecosystems)
- Canadian Journal of Forest Research
- Oecologia
- Kluwer Academic Publishing
- Northeastern Naturalists
- Holzforschung assessment form
- Journal of Ecology (pg 1_2_3)
When you write a review, it is important to be fair, professional and not personal in your criticism, and to describe the strengths as well as the weakness of the paper. Specific examples will help the authors and the editors understand your points. Here are some examples of reviews:
- Biogeochemistry in Forests
- Climate Change
- Forest Ecology and Management: Ex 1 and Ex 2
- Journal of Environmental Quality
- Mercury and zebra mussels
- Plant aluminum concentrations
- Trees Ex 1, Ex 2, and Ex 3
as well as an article about reviewing:
The case for (more) diversity in peer review. Exploring the history, importance and benefits of being inclusive.
Want to become a certified peer reviewer? Introducing Elsevier Researcher Academy's latest free offering - a comprehensive course on becoming a confident referee.
Ten reasons to accept your (next) invitation to review. Why saying -yes-could prove an enriching and rewarding experience in more ways than one.
Rights and Responsibilities of Peer Reviewers.
ACS is working on a video series entitled Publishing Your Research 101. Upcoming episode will address: Responding to reviewer comments and manuscript rejections.
Occasionally, there are funny responses.
Examples of Responses to Reviews
After you receive a review, unless your paper is rejected, you will be asked to respond to the reviewer's comments. You will need to submit a detailed accounting of your changes (or your reasons for not making making changes suggested by the reviewers) as well as the revised manuscript. Here are some examples of responses to reviewers.
- Science of the Total Environment
- Global Change Biology
- Invitation and follow up emails 1, 2, 3
- Reviewer sees the results
- Environmental Modeling & Software
- Soil Science Society of America Journal
- Ecosphere
- Timeline on getting enough reviewers to make decision
- CJFR
- Ecosystems (acceptance) October 2023
- Trees Structure and Function (rejection) July 2023
- Forest Ecology and Management (rejection) March 2022
- Canadian Journal of Forest Research (rejection) April 2010
- Variety of decision letters
- Saga of a special issue, authors point of view NAFSC FEM
Once accepted, you may need to visit the system to review page proofs, assign copyright, answer additional questions, etc.
- Ecosphere (Zoom recording)
- Environmental and Experimental Botany (slideshow)
Forest Ecology and Management (slideshow) - Mycorrhiza (copy edited PDF)
Examples of electronic page proofs:
- Canadian Journal of Forest Research
- Canadian Journal of Forest Research (another example)
- Tree Physiology
- Biogeochemistry
- Ecosystems and corrections list
- Ecotoxicology
- Int'l Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry
- Soil Science Society of American Journal
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