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Research Papers

How to Write and Publish Your Research in a Journal

Last Updated: May 26, 2024 Fact Checked

Choosing a Journal

Writing the research paper, editing & revising your paper, submitting your paper, navigating the peer review process, research paper help.

This article was co-authored by Matthew Snipp, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Cheyenne Main . C. Matthew Snipp is the Burnet C. and Mildred Finley Wohlford Professor of Humanities and Sciences in the Department of Sociology at Stanford University. He is also the Director for the Institute for Research in the Social Science’s Secure Data Center. He has been a Research Fellow at the U.S. Bureau of the Census and a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has published 3 books and over 70 articles and book chapters on demography, economic development, poverty and unemployment. He is also currently serving on the National Institute of Child Health and Development’s Population Science Subcommittee. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 709,461 times.

Publishing a research paper in a peer-reviewed journal allows you to network with other scholars, get your name and work into circulation, and further refine your ideas and research. Before submitting your paper, make sure it reflects all the work you’ve done and have several people read over it and make comments. Keep reading to learn how you can choose a journal, prepare your work for publication, submit it, and revise it after you get a response back.

Things You Should Know

Create a list of journals you’d like to publish your work in and choose one that best aligns with your topic and your desired audience.
Prepare your manuscript using the journal’s requirements and ask at least 2 professors or supervisors to review your paper.
Write a cover letter that “sells” your manuscript, says how your research adds to your field and explains why you chose the specific journal you’re submitting to.

Step 1 Create a list of journals you’d like to publish your work in.

Ask your professors or supervisors for well-respected journals that they’ve had good experiences publishing with and that they read regularly.
Many journals also only accept specific formats, so by choosing a journal before you start, you can write your article to their specifications and increase your chances of being accepted.
If you’ve already written a paper you’d like to publish, consider whether your research directly relates to a hot topic or area of research in the journals you’re looking into.

Step 2 Look at each journal’s audience, exposure, policies, and procedures.

Review the journal’s peer review policies and submission process to see if you’re comfortable creating or adjusting your work according to their standards.
Open-access journals can increase your readership because anyone can access them.

Step 1 Craft an effective introduction with a thesis statement.

Scientific research papers: Instead of a “thesis,” you might write a “research objective” instead. This is where you state the purpose of your research.
“This paper explores how George Washington’s experiences as a young officer may have shaped his views during difficult circumstances as a commanding officer.”
“This paper contends that George Washington’s experiences as a young officer on the 1750s Pennsylvania frontier directly impacted his relationship with his Continental Army troops during the harsh winter at Valley Forge.”

Step 2 Write the literature review and the body of your paper.

Scientific research papers: Include a “materials and methods” section with the step-by-step process you followed and the materials you used. [5] X Research source
Read other research papers in your field to see how they’re written. Their format, writing style, subject matter, and vocabulary can help guide your own paper. [6] X Research source

Step 3 Write your conclusion that ties back to your thesis or research objective.

If you’re writing about George Washington’s experiences as a young officer, you might emphasize how this research changes our perspective of the first president of the U.S.
Link this section to your thesis or research objective.
If you’re writing a paper about ADHD, you might discuss other applications for your research.

Step 4 Write an abstract that describes what your paper is about.

Scientific research papers: You might include your research and/or analytical methods, your main findings or results, and the significance or implications of your research.
Try to get as many people as you can to read over your abstract and provide feedback before you submit your paper to a journal.

Step 1 Prepare your manuscript according to the journal’s requirements.

They might also provide templates to help you structure your manuscript according to their specific guidelines. [11] X Research source

Step 2 Ask 2 colleagues to review your paper and revise it with their notes.

Not all journal reviewers will be experts on your specific topic, so a non-expert “outsider’s perspective” can be valuable.

Step 1 Check your sources for plagiarism and identify 5 to 6 keywords.

If you have a paper on the purification of wastewater with fungi, you might use both the words “fungi” and “mushrooms.”
Use software like iThenticate, Turnitin, or PlagScan to check for similarities between the submitted article and published material available online. [15] X Research source

Step 2 Write a cover letter explaining why you chose their journal.

Header: Address the editor who will be reviewing your manuscript by their name, include the date of submission, and the journal you are submitting to.
First paragraph: Include the title of your manuscript, the type of paper it is (like review, research, or case study), and the research question you wanted to answer and why.
Second paragraph: Explain what was done in your research, your main findings, and why they are significant to your field.
Third paragraph: Explain why the journal’s readers would be interested in your work and why your results are important to your field.
Conclusion: State the author(s) and any journal requirements that your work complies with (like ethical standards”).
“We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.”
“All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to [insert the name of the target journal].”

Step 3 Submit your article according to the journal’s submission guidelines.

Submit your article to only one journal at a time.
When submitting online, use your university email account. This connects you with a scholarly institution, which can add credibility to your work.

Step 1 Try not to panic when you get the journal’s initial response.

Accept: Only minor adjustments are needed, based on the provided feedback by the reviewers. A first submission will rarely be accepted without any changes needed.
Revise and Resubmit: Changes are needed before publication can be considered, but the journal is still very interested in your work.
Reject and Resubmit: Extensive revisions are needed. Your work may not be acceptable for this journal, but they might also accept it if significant changes are made.
Reject: The paper isn’t and won’t be suitable for this publication, but that doesn’t mean it might not work for another journal.

Step 2 Revise your paper based on the reviewers’ feedback.

Try organizing the reviewer comments by how easy it is to address them. That way, you can break your revisions down into more manageable parts.
If you disagree with a comment made by a reviewer, try to provide an evidence-based explanation when you resubmit your paper.

Step 3 Resubmit to the same journal or choose another from your list.

If you’re resubmitting your paper to the same journal, include a point-by-point response paper that talks about how you addressed all of the reviewers’ comments in your revision. [22] X Research source
If you’re not sure which journal to submit to next, you might be able to ask the journal editor which publications they recommend.

Expert Q&A

About This Article

To publish a research paper, ask a colleague or professor to review your paper and give you feedback. Once you've revised your work, familiarize yourself with different academic journals so that you can choose the publication that best suits your paper. Make sure to look at the "Author's Guide" so you can format your paper according to the guidelines for that publication. Then, submit your paper and don't get discouraged if it is not accepted right away. You may need to revise your paper and try again. To learn about the different responses you might get from journals, see our reviewer's explanation below. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Home » How to Publish a Research Paper – Step by Step Guide

How to Publish a Research Paper – Step by Step Guide

Table of Contents

How to Publish a Research Paper

Publishing a research paper is an essential milestone in an academic or professional career. It allows researchers to share findings, contribute to their field, and enhance their credentials. However, the process can seem complex and daunting, especially for first-time authors.

This guide provides a clear, step-by-step roadmap to publishing a research paper, covering everything from selecting a topic to responding to reviewer feedback.

Step 1: Choose a Research Topic

Relevance: Select a topic that addresses a gap in existing literature or solves a current problem.
Interest: Ensure the topic aligns with your interests and expertise.
Scope: Narrow the focus to make the research manageable and specific.
Example Topic: Instead of “Effects of Social Media,” choose “Impact of Instagram on Teen Mental Health.”

Step 2: Conduct Thorough Research

Literature Review: Explore existing studies to understand the current state of research and identify gaps.
Primary Research: Collect data through methods like experiments, surveys, or case studies, if applicable.
Secondary Research: Use credible sources such as academic journals, books, and government reports to support your arguments.

Tip: Use tools like Google Scholar, PubMed, or JSTOR for scholarly articles.

Step 3: Organize Your Findings

Create an Outline: Plan the structure of your paper, dividing it into clear sections such as introduction, methodology, results, and discussion.
Group Data: Organize your data into tables, graphs, or charts for easy interpretation.
Identify Key Insights: Highlight the most significant findings to focus your discussion.

Step 4: Write the Research Paper

Structure of a research paper.

Title: Should be concise, descriptive, and reflective of your research.
Abstract: A 150–250 word summary of your research objectives, methods, results, and conclusions.
Introduce the research topic and its significance.
Clearly state your research question or hypothesis.
Outline the objectives of the study.
Summarize previous studies related to your topic.
Highlight gaps in the existing research and how your work addresses them.
Explain how the research was conducted.
Describe your data collection and analysis methods.
Present your findings clearly using tables, figures, or text.
Avoid interpretation; focus on stating the results.
Interpret the findings and link them to your research question.
Compare your results with previous studies.
Discuss limitations and potential implications.
Summarize the main findings and their significance.
Suggest directions for future research.
List all sources cited in your paper using the appropriate citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

Step 5: Select a Journal

Scope and Relevance: Choose a journal that aligns with your research topic and field of study.
Impact Factor: Consider journals with a high impact factor for better visibility and credibility.
Target Audience: Select a journal that reaches the readers most interested in your work.
Review Process: Understand whether the journal follows peer review or open review processes.
Submission Guidelines: Check the journal’s specific formatting and submission requirements.

Examples of Popular Journals:

Science (for multidisciplinary research)
Nature (for groundbreaking studies)
IEEE Transactions (for engineering and technology research)
The Lancet (for medical studies)

Step 6: Format and Submit Your Paper

Follow Journal Guidelines: Adhere to formatting rules, including font size, margins, referencing style, and word count.
Cover Letter: Briefly introduce your paper, its importance, and why it fits the journal.
Title Page: Include the title, authors’ names, affiliations, and contact details.
Submit Online: Use the journal’s online submission portal to upload your paper and supplementary materials.

Step 7: Peer Review Process

After submission, your paper undergoes a peer review process where experts in your field evaluate its quality and relevance.

Single-Blind Review: Reviewers know the authors’ identity, but authors don’t know reviewers.
Double-Blind Review: Both authors and reviewers remain anonymous.
Open Review: Both parties are aware of each other’s identities.
Be prepared for revisions based on reviewer comments.
Respond respectfully and address all points in detail.

Step 8: Revise and Resubmit

Make Necessary Changes: Edit your paper according to the reviewers’ suggestions.
Highlight Revisions: Clearly indicate where and how changes were made.
Provide a Response Letter: Explain how each comment was addressed, or justify why certain changes were not made.

Step 9: Acceptance and Publication

Final Proofs: Review the final version of your paper for accuracy and approve the proofs.
Pay Fees (if applicable): Some journals charge publication or open-access fees.
Publication: Your paper is published online and/or in print, making it accessible to the academic community.

Step 10: Promote Your Research

Share on Social Media: Use platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, or ResearchGate to share your publication.
Present at Conferences: Increase visibility by presenting your findings at academic or industry events.
Collaborate: Reach out to other researchers to build connections and further your study.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Solution: Learn from reviewer feedback and revise for submission to another journal.
Solution: Choose journals with shorter review times, or follow up politely if delays occur.
Solution: Double-check the journal’s guidelines before submission.
Solution: Use tools like Turnitin or Grammarly to ensure originality.

Publishing a research paper is a rewarding yet meticulous process that involves careful planning, execution, and adherence to guidelines. By following this step-by-step guide, you can navigate the process effectively, from choosing a topic to promoting your published work. Persistence and attention to detail are key to success in academic publishing, and each publication marks a significant step in advancing your career and contributing to your field.

Day, R. A., & Gastel, B. (2016). How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper . Cambridge University Press.
Elsevier. (2023). Guide for Authors . Retrieved from https://www.elsevier.com.
Cargill, M., & O’Connor, P. (2013). Writing Scientific Research Articles: Strategy and Steps . Wiley-Blackwell.
Taylor & Francis. (2023). Publishing Your Research . Retrieved from https://www.taylorandfrancis.com.
Springer. (2023). Author and Reviewer Guidelines . Retrieved from https://www.springer.com.

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How To Publish A Research Paper? | A Step-By-Step Guide

Published by Alvin Nicolas at September 23rd, 2024 , Revised On October 24, 2024

The process of publishing a research paper can be confusing to many students or first-time authors. It requires careful planning, attention to detail, using academic sources and submitting your manuscript through the submission system.

After writing a research paper comes the most significant step of all. Yes, of course, we are talking about getting it published in a journal. This blog provides you with a step-by-step guide on how to publish your research paper and share it with academic professionals all over the world.

What Is A Research Paper?

A research paper is a piece of academic writing that presents your interpretation, evaluation and findings on a specific topic. It involves extensive research data collection through qualitative and quantitative methods to validate your hypothesis .

A research paper is not easy to write, as it involves understanding the research paper format and guidelines of many journals. It typically consists of an abstract, introduction, literature review, methodologies, results and discussion. But it doesn’t end here, as you need to publish it in well-known journals to create an impact on your work worldwide.

Advantages Of Publishing A Research Paper

Before we dive into the process of publishing a research paper, let’s understand the advantages and benefits of publishing a research paper.

Criteria For Publishing A Research Paper

A well-crafted research paper proves to be a valuable resource in academic fields. However, it should meet specific criteria to be eligible for publishing in journals. These criteria can vary from journal to journal, however, here are some common requirements to publish a research paper:

Originality

The research paper should be original and should not have been published anywhere else or previously in some other journal. Also, it should provide advanced knowledge on the chosen topic. The figures included in the manuscript should not be published anywhere else.

High-Technical Standards

Any research methodology or reagent used in the research should be mentioned in a comprehensive manner. The experiment must be carried out properly, with the sample size large enough for robust results. Moreover, the data presented must support the conclusions drawn.

Scientific Merit

The manuscript must be clear and concise for peers and other academic researchers to understand. The research must be ethical and of the highest standards with clear objectives. All ethical considerations should be taken into review such as transparency, accuracy, data privacy, participant’s consent and animal welfare in the case of experiments.

Relevance To Journal

The research paper must be relevant to the journal approached for publishing, and it must focus on the key areas of it. Every journal has its publication criteria, ethical considerations, figure assessment and more, which should all be taken into account.

Standard English

Authors should avoid using unambiguous words that are difficult to understand. Each journal urges that the research work be in standard English. In case of any problem, authors can seek scientific editing services or manuscript editing services online for ease.

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Steps In Publishing A Research Paper

Publishing a research paper involves a great deal of steps. Here is the process of publishing a research paper:

Step 1: Choose A Journal

The first step in getting your paper published is choosing the right journal. The best way to identify the best journal for your paper is by looking at the reference section of your manuscript. Journals only publish manuscripts of topics they have previously published.

Moreover, the tone, format and writing style must be similar to that of articles and papers published by the journal. Another way to find the right journal is by using a journal finder. This helps specify journals related to your work and also mentions journal rankings. For a better understanding, the following questions must be taken into view while selecting a journal for your paper:

What is my target audience?
Which journal fits my manuscript?
Which journals are ranked better and have a higher impact?
Which journals are open access and which are subscription-based?
What is the publishing fee for journals?

Some well-known online journals in academic fields are:

ResearchGate
Chemical Reviews
Nature Medicine
World Psychiatry

Step 2: Prepare Your Paper

After selecting a journal, you should prepare your paper for submission. The tone, structure and format must be according to the journal you chose. Certain journals have a particular format for how tables, figures, and other materials are presented. You should always keep in mind your target journal, and your audience, and use keywords accordingly. Lastly, it is necessary to be aware of the editorial policies of the journal, to avoid any complications in future.

Step 3: Editing And Revising

Before submitting your paper, it is wise to revise it and correct any factual errors and knowledge gaps that might have occurred.

Step 4: Submit Your Paper

After completing the above steps, submit your paper to the journal. Each journal will have specific journal requirements that should be followed. There is no set time when you can expect to hear from the editor. However, a desk rejection may occur if the editor rejects your paper or sends it back for revision and resubmission.

Step 5: The Peer-Review Process

A peer review is an independent assessment of your work by experts in your field. A few research papers get immediate acceptance from peer-reviewed journals. However, rejection is not something to be scared of. It simply means that the journal requires changes before the publication can be considered. Often you will be asked to revise your paper and resubmit it for further feedback. You can also track your paper by the reference number given to you by the journal.

Step 6: The Production Process

When your paper is accepted for publication, it heads into production. Then it is prepared for publishing in the journal that has accepted your research work.

Step 7: Share And Promote

When your research paper is successfully published, access your article on its impact. Sharing research and making notable achievements can get you recognition in the field.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to publish a research paper in an international journal.

To publish a research paper in an international journal, it is necessary to research international journals that specialise in your field. Your paper should adhere to all international standards. Meeting international researchers and developing connections can also be a plus point. Hence, you can submit a cover letter that highlights your work and its need to be published internationally .

What is the average time to publish a research paper?

The process of publication can vary from journal to journal. It can take a few months to over a year.

How to publish a legal research paper?

To submit your legal research paper, you need to choose a solid legal topic. Write a well-structured paper on it, citing any sources and mentioning all references. Lastly, submit it to legal journals that align with your work.

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9 Steps To Publish A Research Paper

Researchers and scholars undertake academic studies to advance knowledge in their respective fields of study. To this end, they also focus on getting their work published in high-impact and widely read journals. This helps them to highlight and disseminate their work, be known in their respective fields, and grow professionally in their careers.

However, the process of publishing a research paper can be challenging and time-consuming. It requires careful planning, attention to detail, and the ability to receive feedback constructively. In this blog, we outline nine steps to publish research papers successfully in high-impact journals and help researchers contribute to their fields of study.

9 Steps to Publish Research Papers Successfully

Publishing a well-written research paper can be confusing. To achieve a successful publication within a reasonable timeframe, researchers must grasp the intricacies of the publication process outlined below:

Finalize your research topic: A contemporary research topic, reflecting current challenges and trends in your respective field of study, is an aspect that you can seriously consider while finalizing your topic.
Choose the right journal and article type: It is crucial to identify early on the most appropriate journal for your research paper. This will save considerable time and effort and increase the likelihood of its acceptance. Discussing with peers and colleagues in the field who have authored and reviewed articles will undoubtedly be helpful. Review the aims, objectives, and scope of the journal and its area of specialization to assess if your research conforms to the necessary guidelines. Consider also the peer review process, the impact factor of the journal and the time taken to publish an article. Depending on the nature of your work, also decide on the type of article relevant to your work, which may be a completely original research paper, review paper or letter, rapid or short communication.
Write, format, and refine your paper for submission: Even before starting to write the paper , go through the author guidelines and formatting style followed by the journal. This will make the writing process easier. Structure the article according to the type of article you are writing. Going through the published articles in the target journal will also help you in the process. A standard structure for a research paper needs to have the title, abstract, keywords, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, acknowledgements, and references.
Prepare required documents like a cover letter and declaration of conflicts of interest: When you submit your manuscript, a cover letter is a must. It should highlight the central theme of your paper and the significance of your study. Further, clearly state that you comply with all basic requirements and declare any or no potential conflict of interest that could arise.
Check that your work is complete and submission-ready. Read your work several times to identify any gaps and ambiguities. Review your work for innovativeness, rigour, and contribution to topical issues in the field. Seek feedback from supervisors and peers.
Submit your manuscript to your chosen journal : Re-check the paper to ensure that there are no errors in grammar, wording, sentence construction, or formatting and that there is consistency in formatting. Professional proofreading is important in this regard. Check if there is a logical flow of arguments and that any images or graphs used are easy to understand and clear. Ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the paper for submission.
Tackle post-submission revisions (including peer review comments): Nearly all papers submitted to journals undergo a peer review process, which ensures the quality of the papers published in the journal. The reviewers may provide comments and suggestions to strengthen your paper. Review the reviewer’s comments carefully and make sure to respond to each one. Aim to send your responses using the timeline given by the journal editors.
Revise and resubmit the manuscript (responding to peer review comments): It is essential to approach the comments as constructive criticism. Remember to be polite and respectful in your response. Make sure to provide a detailed response on how you have addressed each comment by the reviewers. If you do not agree with any comment, always respond professionally with care; avoid getting into a personal attack. Give a detailed explanation of your arguments. Resubmit the revised manuscript highlighting all the modifications carried out based on the comments by the reviewers. Along with the manuscript, provide a letter stating the author’s responses and that they have addressed the comments by the editor and the reviewers.
Get accepted for journal publication: Once the revisions are made to the satisfaction of the editor and reviewers, the paper is accepted for publication. If your paper is rejected, make the necessary revisions and send it to the journal of your second choice.

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Definition/Introduction

A clinician should continuously strive to increase knowledge by reviewing and critiquing research papers and thoughtfully considering how to integrate new data into practice. This is the essence of evidence-based medicine (EBM). [1] When new clinical queries arise, one should seek answers in the published literature. The ability to read a scientific or medical manuscript remains vitally important throughout a clinician's career. When gaps exist in the literature, clinicians should consider researching these questions. Though typically performed by academic doctors or physician-scientists, medical research is open to all clinicians in informal and formal methods. Anyone who treats patients can collect data on outcomes to assess the quality of care delivered (quality improvement is research). [2] Though beyond the scope of this chapter, many resources provide instruction for clinicians on conducting research and contributing to medical science. [3] [4] [5] Additionally, a clinician integrating a new practice can study its effects on patient outcomes retroactively or prospectively. Continuous practice improvement need not be shared with the larger population of treating providers. Still, dissemination to the entire scientific community allows widespread adoption, criticism, or further testing for replication of findings.

Issues of Concern

Clinicians who seek to conduct retrospective chart reviews, prospective studies, or even randomized, controlled clinical trials should access the many resources to ensure quality methodology. [5] Once you have followed the appropriate steps to conduct a study (Table 1), you should complete the process by writing a manuscript to describe your findings and share it with other clinicians and researchers. Other resources detail the steps in writing a review article, but this StatPearls chapter focuses on writing a scientific manuscript for original research. See also the StatPearls chapter for the different types of research manuscripts. [6]

Clinical Significance

Steps to Conducting Research

Develop a research question
Perform a literature search
Identify a gap in the literature
Design a study protocol (including personnel)
Submit to an institutional review board for approval
Collect, responsibly store, and then analyze data
Write a manuscript to interpret and describe your research.

After conducting a quality investigation or a study, one should assemble an abstract and manuscript to share results. Researchers can write an abstract in a short amount of time, though the abstract evolves as the full manuscript moves to completion. Many published and presented abstracts do not reach full manuscript publication. [7] [8] Although journals and conferences often publish abstracts, studies with important results should be published in full manuscript form to ensure dissemination and allow attempts at replication. [9] IRB protocols, study design, and data collection and aggregation require a team effort. Those involved in the research should discuss who contributes to the full manuscript (ie, qualify as an author) and, thus, the planned order of authorship to reduce complications at the time of manuscript submission. The author who devotes the most effort to the paper is typically the first and corresponding author. In contrast, the last author is often the team's most senior member and often the study's principal investigator. All individuals listed as authors should contribute to the manuscript and overall project in some fashion. [10] The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist is perhaps the most valuable tool for preparing a manuscript for submission [11] . Original research manuscripts have the following sections (in chronologic order):

Introduction (Background and Objectives)
Methods (Design, Setting, Participants, Variables, Statistics)
Results (Participants, Descriptives, Outcomes, Subgroups)
Tables and Figures
Discussion (Key findings, Limitations, Interpretations)
Conflict of Interest (COI), Author affiliations, Acknowledgments, Funding
References [11]

Individuals involved in the IRB submission (before data collection) can write the introduction and methods of the manuscript before and during the data collection and analysis process. This head start on writing makes the full manuscript composition task less formidable. The content of the introduction and methods should be well-known to the study group before data collection and analysis. The introduction should be organized into a “problem/gap/hook” order: what problem this study addresses, the precise gap in the literature, and the study's objectives (in addressing the gap). [12] The methods should provide enough detail so readers who want to replicate the study can do so.

Once data is collected and analyzed, authors can write an abstract to organize the major themes of the research, understanding that the abstract undergoes edits once the manuscript is complete. Similarly, the title can change with revisions as authors determine the most salient trends in the data. Most readers only read the title +/- abstract. Thus, these are the most important sections of the paper. The title should be concise and directly describe the trial result, which also helps generate more citations. The abstract must convey the crucial findings of the paper, ideally divided into sections for easier reading (unless the desired journal does not allow this). [13] With the larger picture in mind, authors should create tables and figures that visually convey the themes of the data analysis. Working with statisticians or data experts, authors should devote much time to this manuscript component. Some general concepts: [14]

Only include tables/figures that you believe are necessary.
Make sure tables/figures are high-quality, simple, clear, and have concise captions.
Do not repeat language in results that appear in tables/figures; the tables/figures should stand alone.
Consider how the figure looks in grayscale (in case the journal is not in color)

As with the abstract and title, the tables and figures likely undergo further edits before the manuscript's completion. The abstract and tables/figures should intuitively evolve together to convey the story of the research project. Now, refer back to the introduction and methods composed during data collection. Make revisions as necessary to reflect the overall narrative of the project. Ensure you have adhered to the originally determined objectives or hypotheses. Next, focus on the results and discussion. The results should contain only objective data with no interpretation of significance. Describe salient results that have not been explained in the figures and tables. The discussion section begins with a lead paragraph highlighting the most important findings from the study. Then, the discussion interprets the current results in light of prior published literature. Ensure citation of keystone papers on this topic, including new papers published since embarking on the current project. Frame your results, describing how this study adds to the literature. The discussion section usually includes study limitations. Attempt to anticipate criticisms of the methodology, the results, the organization of the manuscript itself, and the (ability to draw) conclusions. A stronger limitations section preempts journal reviewer feedback, potentially simplifying the revision/resubmission process.

The conclusion section should be concise, conveying the main take-home points from your study. You can make recommendations for current clinical practice and for future research endeavors. Finally, consider using citation management software such as Endnote or Mendeley. Though initially cumbersome, these software platforms drastically improve revision efforts and allow easy reference reformatting. All authors should review the manuscript multiple times, potentially sharing it with other uninvolved colleagues for objective feedback. Consider who should receive acknowledgment for supporting the project and prepare to disclose conflicts of interest and funding. Although authors should have an initial idea of which journal to submit to, this decision is more straightforward once the manuscript is near completion. Journal rankings are beyond the scope of this StatPearls chapter. Still, generally, one should devise a list of the journals within a specialty in order of highest to lowest impact factor (some sites categorize into tiers). High-quality prospective research and clinical trials have a higher likelihood of acceptance into the more prestigious journals within a specialty or to the high-quality general science or medicine journals. Although many journals have an option for open access publication, and numerous legitimate, open access journals now exist, beware of ‘predatory journals’ that charge a fee to publish and may not be indexed in Pubmed or other databases. [12]

Journals have diverse guidelines for formatting and submission, and the manuscript submission process can be tedious. Before submission, review Bordage’s paper on reasons for manuscript rejection. [15] Most journals require a title page and cover letter, representing an opportunity to lobby for your paper’s importance. When (not if) you experience manuscript rejections, take reviewer comments and recommendations seriously. Use this valuable feedback for resubmission to the original journal (when invited) or subsequent submission to other journals. When submitting a requested revision, compose a point-by-point response to the reviewers and attach a new manuscript with tracked changes. Attempt to resubmit manuscripts as promptly as possible, keeping your work in the hands of journals (allowing you to work on other research). [14]

Nursing, Allied Health, and Interprofessional Team Interventions

The above logistic steps differ for review articles, case reports, editorials, and other submissions. [16] However, the organization, precise methods, and adherence to journal guidelines remain important. See work by Provenzale on principles to increase the likelihood of acceptance for original and revised manuscripts. After submission, revision, resubmission, and proofing, you may experience the fulfillment of an official publication. Academics should promote their scientific work, enhancing the dissemination of research to the wider scientific community. [17] [18] [17] [19]

Review Questions
Access free multiple choice questions on this topic.
Comment on this article.

Disclosure: Martin Huecker declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Jacob Shreffler declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

This book is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ), which permits others to distribute the work, provided that the article is not altered or used commercially. You are not required to obtain permission to distribute this article, provided that you credit the author and journal.

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How to Write and Publish a Research Paper for a Peer-Reviewed Journal

Open access
Published: 30 April 2020
Volume 36 , pages 909–913, ( 2021 )

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Clara Busse ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0178-1000 1 &
Ella August ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5151-1036 1 , 2

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Communicating research findings is an essential step in the research process. Often, peer-reviewed journals are the forum for such communication, yet many researchers are never taught how to write a publishable scientific paper. In this article, we explain the basic structure of a scientific paper and describe the information that should be included in each section. We also identify common pitfalls for each section and recommend strategies to avoid them. Further, we give advice about target journal selection and authorship. In the online resource 1 , we provide an example of a high-quality scientific paper, with annotations identifying the elements we describe in this article.

The Point Is…to Publish?

Writing and publishing a scientific paper

How to Write a Scientific Paper

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

Introduction

Writing a scientific paper is an important component of the research process, yet researchers often receive little formal training in scientific writing. This is especially true in low-resource settings. In this article, we explain why choosing a target journal is important, give advice about authorship, provide a basic structure for writing each section of a scientific paper, and describe common pitfalls and recommendations for each section. In the online resource 1 , we also include an annotated journal article that identifies the key elements and writing approaches that we detail here. Before you begin your research, make sure you have ethical clearance from all relevant ethical review boards.

Select a Target Journal Early in the Writing Process

We recommend that you select a “target journal” early in the writing process; a “target journal” is the journal to which you plan to submit your paper. Each journal has a set of core readers and you should tailor your writing to this readership. For example, if you plan to submit a manuscript about vaping during pregnancy to a pregnancy-focused journal, you will need to explain what vaping is because readers of this journal may not have a background in this topic. However, if you were to submit that same article to a tobacco journal, you would not need to provide as much background information about vaping.

Information about a journal’s core readership can be found on its website, usually in a section called “About this journal” or something similar. For example, the Journal of Cancer Education presents such information on the “Aims and Scope” page of its website, which can be found here: https://www.springer.com/journal/13187/aims-and-scope .

Peer reviewer guidelines from your target journal are an additional resource that can help you tailor your writing to the journal and provide additional advice about crafting an effective article [ 1 ]. These are not always available, but it is worth a quick web search to find out.

Identify Author Roles Early in the Process

Early in the writing process, identify authors, determine the order of authors, and discuss the responsibilities of each author. Standard author responsibilities have been identified by The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) [ 2 ]. To set clear expectations about each team member’s responsibilities and prevent errors in communication, we also suggest outlining more detailed roles, such as who will draft each section of the manuscript, write the abstract, submit the paper electronically, serve as corresponding author, and write the cover letter. It is best to formalize this agreement in writing after discussing it, circulating the document to the author team for approval. We suggest creating a title page on which all authors are listed in the agreed-upon order. It may be necessary to adjust authorship roles and order during the development of the paper. If a new author order is agreed upon, be sure to update the title page in the manuscript draft.

In the case where multiple papers will result from a single study, authors should discuss who will author each paper. Additionally, authors should agree on a deadline for each paper and the lead author should take responsibility for producing an initial draft by this deadline.

Structure of the Introduction Section

The introduction section should be approximately three to five paragraphs in length. Look at examples from your target journal to decide the appropriate length. This section should include the elements shown in Fig. 1 . Begin with a general context, narrowing to the specific focus of the paper. Include five main elements: why your research is important, what is already known about the topic, the “gap” or what is not yet known about the topic, why it is important to learn the new information that your research adds, and the specific research aim(s) that your paper addresses. Your research aim should address the gap you identified. Be sure to add enough background information to enable readers to understand your study. Table 1 provides common introduction section pitfalls and recommendations for addressing them.

The main elements of the introduction section of an original research article. Often, the elements overlap

Methods Section

The purpose of the methods section is twofold: to explain how the study was done in enough detail to enable its replication and to provide enough contextual detail to enable readers to understand and interpret the results. In general, the essential elements of a methods section are the following: a description of the setting and participants, the study design and timing, the recruitment and sampling, the data collection process, the dataset, the dependent and independent variables, the covariates, the analytic approach for each research objective, and the ethical approval. The hallmark of an exemplary methods section is the justification of why each method was used. Table 2 provides common methods section pitfalls and recommendations for addressing them.

Results Section

The focus of the results section should be associations, or lack thereof, rather than statistical tests. Two considerations should guide your writing here. First, the results should present answers to each part of the research aim. Second, return to the methods section to ensure that the analysis and variables for each result have been explained.

Begin the results section by describing the number of participants in the final sample and details such as the number who were approached to participate, the proportion who were eligible and who enrolled, and the number of participants who dropped out. The next part of the results should describe the participant characteristics. After that, you may organize your results by the aim or by putting the most exciting results first. Do not forget to report your non-significant associations. These are still findings.

Tables and figures capture the reader’s attention and efficiently communicate your main findings [ 3 ]. Each table and figure should have a clear message and should complement, rather than repeat, the text. Tables and figures should communicate all salient details necessary for a reader to understand the findings without consulting the text. Include information on comparisons and tests, as well as information about the sample and timing of the study in the title, legend, or in a footnote. Note that figures are often more visually interesting than tables, so if it is feasible to make a figure, make a figure. To avoid confusing the reader, either avoid abbreviations in tables and figures, or define them in a footnote. Note that there should not be citations in the results section and you should not interpret results here. Table 3 provides common results section pitfalls and recommendations for addressing them.

Discussion Section

Opposite the introduction section, the discussion should take the form of a right-side-up triangle beginning with interpretation of your results and moving to general implications (Fig. 2 ). This section typically begins with a restatement of the main findings, which can usually be accomplished with a few carefully-crafted sentences.

Major elements of the discussion section of an original research article. Often, the elements overlap

Next, interpret the meaning or explain the significance of your results, lifting the reader’s gaze from the study’s specific findings to more general applications. Then, compare these study findings with other research. Are these findings in agreement or disagreement with those from other studies? Does this study impart additional nuance to well-accepted theories? Situate your findings within the broader context of scientific literature, then explain the pathways or mechanisms that might give rise to, or explain, the results.

Journals vary in their approach to strengths and limitations sections: some are embedded paragraphs within the discussion section, while some mandate separate section headings. Keep in mind that every study has strengths and limitations. Candidly reporting yours helps readers to correctly interpret your research findings.

The next element of the discussion is a summary of the potential impacts and applications of the research. Should these results be used to optimally design an intervention? Does the work have implications for clinical protocols or public policy? These considerations will help the reader to further grasp the possible impacts of the presented work.

Finally, the discussion should conclude with specific suggestions for future work. Here, you have an opportunity to illuminate specific gaps in the literature that compel further study. Avoid the phrase “future research is necessary” because the recommendation is too general to be helpful to readers. Instead, provide substantive and specific recommendations for future studies. Table 4 provides common discussion section pitfalls and recommendations for addressing them.

Follow the Journal’s Author Guidelines

After you select a target journal, identify the journal’s author guidelines to guide the formatting of your manuscript and references. Author guidelines will often (but not always) include instructions for titles, cover letters, and other components of a manuscript submission. Read the guidelines carefully. If you do not follow the guidelines, your article will be sent back to you.

Finally, do not submit your paper to more than one journal at a time. Even if this is not explicitly stated in the author guidelines of your target journal, it is considered inappropriate and unprofessional.

Your title should invite readers to continue reading beyond the first page [ 4 , 5 ]. It should be informative and interesting. Consider describing the independent and dependent variables, the population and setting, the study design, the timing, and even the main result in your title. Because the focus of the paper can change as you write and revise, we recommend you wait until you have finished writing your paper before composing the title.

Be sure that the title is useful for potential readers searching for your topic. The keywords you select should complement those in your title to maximize the likelihood that a researcher will find your paper through a database search. Avoid using abbreviations in your title unless they are very well known, such as SNP, because it is more likely that someone will use a complete word rather than an abbreviation as a search term to help readers find your paper.

After you have written a complete draft, use the checklist (Fig. 3 ) below to guide your revisions and editing. Additional resources are available on writing the abstract and citing references [ 5 ]. When you feel that your work is ready, ask a trusted colleague or two to read the work and provide informal feedback. The box below provides a checklist that summarizes the key points offered in this article.

Checklist for manuscript quality

Data Availability

Michalek AM (2014) Down the rabbit hole…advice to reviewers. J Cancer Educ 29:4–5

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International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Defining the role of authors and contributors: who is an author? http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authosrs-and-contributors.html . Accessed 15 January, 2020

Vetto JT (2014) Short and sweet: a short course on concise medical writing. J Cancer Educ 29(1):194–195

Brett M, Kording K (2017) Ten simple rules for structuring papers. PLoS ComputBiol. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005619

Lang TA (2017) Writing a better research article. J Public Health Emerg. https://doi.org/10.21037/jphe.2017.11.06

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Acknowledgments

Ella August is grateful to the Sustainable Sciences Institute for mentoring her in training researchers on writing and publishing their research.

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Busse, C., August, E. How to Write and Publish a Research Paper for a Peer-Reviewed Journal. J Canc Educ 36 , 909–913 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01751-z

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How to Write and Publish a Research Paper in 7 Steps

What comes next after you're done with your research? Publishing the results in a journal of course! We tell you how to present your work in the best way possible.

This post is part of a series, which serves to provide hands-on information and resources for authors and editors.

Things have gotten busy in scholarly publishing: These days, a new article gets published in the 50,000 most important peer-reviewed journals every few seconds, while each one takes on average 40 minutes to read. Hundreds of thousands of papers reach the desks of editors and reviewers worldwide each year and 50% of all submissions end up rejected at some stage.

In a nutshell: there is a lot of competition, and the people who decide upon the fate of your manuscript are short on time and overworked. But there are ways to make their lives a little easier and improve your own chances of getting your work published!

Well, it may seem obvious, but before submitting an academic paper, always make sure that it is an excellent reflection of the research you have done and that you present it in the most professional way possible. Incomplete or poorly presented manuscripts can create a great deal of frustration and annoyance for editors who probably won’t even bother wasting the time of the reviewers!

This post will discuss 7 steps to the successful publication of your research paper:

Check whether your research is publication-ready
Choose an article type
Choose a journal
Construct your paper
Decide the order of authors
Check and double-check
Submit your paper

1. Check Whether Your Research Is Publication-Ready

Should you publish your research at all?

If your work holds academic value – of course – a well-written scholarly article could open doors to your research community. However, if you are not yet sure, whether your research is ready for publication, here are some key questions to ask yourself depending on your field of expertise:

Have you done or found something new and interesting? Something unique?
Is the work directly related to a current hot topic?
Have you checked the latest results or research in the field?
Have you provided solutions to any difficult problems?
Have the findings been verified?
Have the appropriate controls been performed if required?
Are your findings comprehensive?

If the answers to all relevant questions are “yes”, you need to prepare a good, strong manuscript. Remember, a research paper is only useful if it is clearly understood, reproducible and if it is read and used .

2. Choose An Article Type

The first step is to determine which type of paper is most appropriate for your work and what you want to achieve. The following list contains the most important, usually peer-reviewed article types in the natural sciences:

Full original research papers disseminate completed research findings. On average this type of paper is 8-10 pages long, contains five figures, and 25-30 references. Full original research papers are an important part of the process when developing your career.

Review papers present a critical synthesis of a specific research topic. These papers are usually much longer than original papers and will contain numerous references. More often than not, they will be commissioned by journal editors. Reviews present an excellent way to solidify your research career.

Letters, Rapid or Short Communications are often published for the quick and early communication of significant and original advances. They are much shorter than full articles and usually limited in length by the journal. Journals specifically dedicated to short communications or letters are also published in some fields. In these the authors can present short preliminary findings before developing a full-length paper.

3. Choose a Journal

Are you looking for the right place to publish your paper? Find out here whether a De Gruyter journal might be the right fit.

Submit to journals that you already read, that you have a good feel for. If you do so, you will have a better appreciation of both its culture and the requirements of the editors and reviewers.

Other factors to consider are:

The specific subject area
The aims and scope of the journal
The type of manuscript you have written
The significance of your work
The reputation of the journal
The reputation of the editors within the community
The editorial/review and production speeds of the journal
The community served by the journal
The coverage and distribution
The accessibility ( open access vs. closed access)

4. Construct Your Paper

Each element of a paper has its purpose, so you should make these sections easy to index and search.

Don’t forget that requirements can differ highly per publication, so always make sure to apply a journal’s specific instructions – or guide – for authors to your manuscript, even to the first draft (text layout, paper citation, nomenclature, figures and table, etc.) It will save you time, and the editor’s.

Also, even in these days of Internet-based publishing, space is still at a premium, so be as concise as possible. As a good journalist would say: “Never use three words when one will do!”

Let’s look at the typical structure of a full research paper, but bear in mind certain subject disciplines may have their own specific requirements so check the instructions for authors on the journal’s home page.

4.1 The Title

It’s important to use the title to tell the reader what your paper is all about! You want to attract their attention, a bit like a newspaper headline does. Be specific and to the point. Keep it informative and concise, and avoid jargon and abbreviations (unless they are universally recognized like DNA, for example).

4.2 The Abstract

This could be termed as the “advertisement” for your article. Make it interesting and easily understood without the reader having to read the whole article. Be accurate and specific, and keep it as brief and concise as possible. Some journals (particularly in the medical fields) will ask you to structure the abstract in distinct, labeled sections, which makes it even more accessible.

A clear abstract will influence whether or not your work is considered and whether an editor should invest more time on it or send it for review.

4.3 Keywords

Keywords are used by abstracting and indexing services, such as PubMed and Web of Science. They are the labels of your manuscript, which make it “searchable” online by other researchers.

Include words or phrases (usually 4-8) that are closely related to your topic but not “too niche” for anyone to find them. Make sure to only use established abbreviations. Think about what scientific terms and its variations your potential readers are likely to use and search for. You can also do a test run of your selected keywords in one of the common academic search engines. Do similar articles to your own appear? Yes? Then that’s a good sign.

4.4 Introduction

This first part of the main text should introduce the problem, as well as any existing solutions you are aware of and the main limitations. Also, state what you hope to achieve with your research.

Do not confuse the introduction with the results, discussion or conclusion.

4.5 Methods

Every research article should include a detailed Methods section (also referred to as “Materials and Methods”) to provide the reader with enough information to be able to judge whether the study is valid and reproducible.

Include detailed information so that a knowledgeable reader can reproduce the experiment. However, use references and supplementary materials to indicate previously published procedures.

4.6 Results

In this section, you will present the essential or primary results of your study. To display them in a comprehensible way, you should use subheadings as well as illustrations such as figures, graphs, tables and photos, as appropriate.

4.7 Discussion

Here you should tell your readers what the results mean .

Do state how the results relate to the study’s aims and hypotheses and how the findings relate to those of other studies. Explain all possible interpretations of your findings and the study’s limitations.

Do not make “grand statements” that are not supported by the data. Also, do not introduce any new results or terms. Moreover, do not ignore work that conflicts or disagrees with your findings. Instead …

Be brave! Address conflicting study results and convince the reader you are the one who is correct.

4.8 Conclusion

Your conclusion isn’t just a summary of what you’ve already written. It should take your paper one step further and answer any unresolved questions.

Sum up what you have shown in your study and indicate possible applications and extensions. The main question your conclusion should answer is: What do my results mean for the research field and my community?

4.9 Acknowledgments and Ethical Statements

It is extremely important to acknowledge anyone who has helped you with your paper, including researchers who supplied materials or reagents (e.g. vectors or antibodies); and anyone who helped with the writing or English, or offered critical comments about the content.

Learn more about academic integrity in our blog post “Scholarly Publication Ethics: 4 Common Mistakes You Want To Avoid” .

Remember to state why people have been acknowledged and ask their permission . Ensure that you acknowledge sources of funding, including any grant or reference numbers.

Furthermore, if you have worked with animals or humans, you need to include information about the ethical approval of your study and, if applicable, whether informed consent was given. Also, state whether you have any competing interests regarding the study (e.g. because of financial or personal relationships.)

4.10 References

The end is in sight, but don’t relax just yet!

De facto, there are often more mistakes in the references than in any other part of the manuscript. It is also one of the most annoying and time-consuming problems for editors.

Remember to cite the main scientific publications on which your work is based. But do not inflate the manuscript with too many references. Avoid excessive – and especially unnecessary – self-citations. Also, avoid excessive citations of publications from the same institute or region.

5. Decide the Order of Authors

In the sciences, the most common way to order the names of the authors is by relative contribution.

Generally, the first author conducts and/or supervises the data analysis and the proper presentation and interpretation of the results. They put the paper together and usually submit the paper to the journal.

Co-authors make intellectual contributions to the data analysis and contribute to data interpretation. They review each paper draft. All of them must be able to present the paper and its results, as well as to defend the implications and discuss study limitations.

Do not leave out authors who should be included or add “gift authors”, i.e. authors who did not contribute significantly.

6. Check and Double-Check

As a final step before submission, ask colleagues to read your work and be constructively critical .

Make sure that the paper is appropriate for the journal – take a last look at their aims and scope. Check if all of the requirements in the instructions for authors are met.

Ensure that the cited literature is balanced. Are the aims, purpose and significance of the results clear?

Conduct a final check for language, either by a native English speaker or an editing service.

7. Submit Your Paper

When you and your co-authors have double-, triple-, quadruple-checked the manuscript: submit it via e-mail or online submission system. Along with your manuscript, submit a cover letter, which highlights the reasons why your paper would appeal to the journal and which ensures that you have received approval of all authors for submission.

It is up to the editors and the peer-reviewers now to provide you with their (ideally constructive and helpful) comments and feedback. Time to take a breather!

If the paper gets rejected, do not despair – it happens to literally everybody. If the journal suggests major or minor revisions, take the chance to provide a thorough response and make improvements as you see fit. If the paper gets accepted, congrats!

It’s now time to get writing and share your hard work – good luck!

If you are interested, check out this related blog post

[Title Image by Nick Morrison via Unsplash]

David Sleeman

David Sleeman worked as Senior Journals Manager in the field of Physical Sciences at De Gruyter.

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How to Write & Publish a Research Paper: Step-by-Step Guide

This guide is far more than a list of instructions on what to include in each section of your research paper. In fact, we will:

Use a research paper I wrote specifically as an example to illustrate the key ideas in this guide ( link to the full-text PDF of the research paper ).
Use real-world data (on 100,000 PubMed research papers) to show you how professional scientists write in practice, instead of presenting my own opinion on the subject.
Provide practical tips on how to: improve your writing , find the right journal , and submit your article .

Let’s get started!

Structure of a research paper
Writing the Introduction section
Writing the Methods section
Writing the Results section
Writing the Discussion section
Writing the Abstract
Writing the Title
Writing optional sections
Refining and improving your article
Managing and formatting your References
Submitting your article

1. Structure of a research paper

Most research papers follow the IMRaD structure that consists of 4 main sections:

I ntroduction
D iscussion

The paper also has some essential elements–Title, Abstract, and References–and may contain other optional sections–Conclusion, Acknowledgements, Funding, Conflicts of interest, and Appendix.

These sections often appear in the following order:

The advantages of following the IMRaD structure are:

To make the paper easily scannable by readers (since most won’t read the entire manuscript.
To avoid repeating the same information in different places.

To follow the IMRaD structure, you must learn what information goes where.

So, here’s an overview of what each of the main sections represents:

Together, these 4 sections start with the main topic of the paper and end up with a conclusion regarding that topic:

Role of each of the main sections of a research paper

1.1. Where to start?

When writing a research paper, some people prefer to start with the Results section—since it comes out right from the data they just analyzed. Others start with the Methods section—since information about how they designed the study and analyzed the data is still fresh in their mind. Personally, I prefer to start with the Introduction section for 2 reasons:

While doing a literature review for the introduction, sometimes I discover a problem in my approach or an interesting secondary objective that I did not think about, which as you can imagine, changes a lot of things in other sections of the article.
I want to formulate the hypothesis before analyzing the data in order to avoid HARKing (Hypothesizing after the results are known) which is a major problem in statistics (see: 7 Tricks to Get Statistically Significant p-Values ).

2. Writing the Introduction section

The Introduction targets a non-specialized audience, so when writing it, make sure to use simple and beginner-friendly terms.

2.1. Length of the Introduction section

The introduction section should be:

400 to 760 words long (3 to 5 paragraphs).
The shortest section of the article (half the length of the other sections: Methods, Results, and Discussion).

(These data are based on an analysis I made on 61,518 articles from PubMed )

2.2. Structure of the Introduction section

Here’s what you should include in the Introduction:

Step #1: Describe the general context of your work (your aim should be to convince the reader that the topic of your research is interesting).
Step #2: Summarize the results of previous studies on the topic (report what others have found and provide references. But don’t do an in-depth literature review, a short summary of these findings is enough).
Step #3: Identify the gap , problem, or limitations of previous studies (find the missing pieces of the puzzle).
Step #4: State your objective , hypothesis, question that you want to answer, or problem that you want to solve (make sure that the purpose of your study is clear and understandable, otherwise people won’t care about your results).
Step #5: Present your solution : explain the approach you used to achieve the objective, explain what is different about it and what makes it special. Here you have to sell your approach. But keep it short (leave the details to the methods section).

2.3. Verb tense and voice in the Introduction section

Use the past tense for things that were already done and the present tense for things that continue to be true today.

For instance:

“Previous studies found that the rate of heart disease is increasing “.

“The goal of this study is to explore why the rate of heart disease increased in the past 10 years”.

You should write the Introduction using mainly the active voice.

“ A recent study found conflicting results”.

Should be favored over:

“ Conflicting results were recently found “.

2.4. Example: writing an Introduction section

In this section, we are going to verify that the Introduction section of our example article ( link to the full-text PDF ) follows the step-by-step structure discussed above. (The article studies the influence of title length on its attractiveness).

What follows is the Introduction of that article with the main steps highlighted:

INTRODUCTION

The role of a research title is to draw the reader’s attention while providing an overview of the article’s content. Finding a way to engage readers is important since only 18% of those who read the title proceed to read the abstract (Mabe and Amin, 2002).

Title attractiveness may be affected by its length; but studies on this subject have been inconsistent and sometimes contradictory (Subotic and Mukherjee, 2014; Letchford et al., 2015; Guo et al., 2018; Jacques and Sebire, 2010; Habibzadeh and Yadollahie, 2010; Stremersch et al., 2007; Falahati Qadimi Fumani et al., 2015). This may be due to bias and confounding since these studies did not follow a causal model to eliminate alternative explanations and indirect effects.

The confusion over the effect of title length led to a gap between what professional writers recommend and what researchers do in practice: while professionals recommend keeping titles as short as possible (Zeiger, 1999; Neill, 2007), in practice, titles are getting longer (Milojevi¢, 2017; Whissell, 2012) and more descriptive (mentioning the study objective, the variables involved, the main result, and the study design).

To help resolve this issue, the present study aims to quantify the direct influence of title length on its attractiveness by analyzing data on 9,830 biomedical research papers from PubMed and adjusting for confounding and indirect effects through the use of a causal diagram.

Writing is not just about following a series of rules: you should keep an eye on the flow of your story that ties your paragraphs together.

Here’s an overview of the story of our Introduction section:

Mains ideas in our example introduction section

3. Writing the Methods section

The Methods section is the recipe for the study: it should provide enough information to replicate the study without looking elsewhere (although most of those who read the Methods section will not be interested in replicating your study, instead they just want to make sure that your study is credible).

The Methods is the most technical section of the article. So, unlike the Introduction, don’t shy away from technical terms, since those who are not interested in such details will most likely skip this section.

3.1. Length of the Methods section

The Methods section should be:

760 to 1,620 words long (6 to 14 paragraphs).
The same length as the Results or the Discussion, and about double the length of the Introduction.

(These data are based on an analysis I did on 61,514 articles from PubMed )

3.2. Structure of the Methods section

Here’s what you should include in the Methods section:

The date and duration of the study.
The sampling procedure.
The assignment to different study groups.
The source of the data.
Any approval needed to conduct the study.
Step#3: List the inclusion and exclusion criteria (i.e., the characteristics that participants must have to be included in the study).
The reason behind choosing such procedure.
The order in which things were done (a flow diagram can simplify the description of complex procedures).
The calculation of the minimum sample size needed.
The role of each variable (dependent, independent, or control variable).
The methods used to address bias in the study.
The methods used to handle missing data.
The measures used to summarize the data.
The type of statistical test or model you used to test your hypothesis and the threshold for statistical significance (don’t go into detail about obvious statistical tests or models, but advanced methods should be either described or referenced).
The statistical software used [optional].

3.3. Verb tense and voice in the Methods section

Use the past tense (because the things you did took place in the past).

“The data were downloaded “.

“A linear regression model was used “.

Use the passive voice (to avoid repeating the pronouns: “I” or “We”).

“Variables were summarized using the mean and standard deviation”.

Instead of:

“I summarized the variables using the mean and standard deviation”.

3.4. Example: writing a Methods section

In this section, we are going to verify that the Methods section of our example article ( link to the full-text P D F ) follows the structure discussed above. (Remember that this article is about studying the influence of title length on its attractiveness).

What follows is the Methods section of this article with the main steps highlighted:

For this cross-sectional study, data were downloaded from PubMed Central in March 2021 using a web API created by Comeau et al. (2019). From a collection of about 3 million biomedical research articles from various journals, 105,984 were chosen at random from those uploaded between the years 2016 and 2021.

From these 105,984 articles, a total of 96,154 were discarded for incomplete data, leaving 9,830 articles ready for analysis (Figure 4). Reasons for discarding articles included: unavailable full text, unmentioned study design, missing impact factor of the journal in which the article was published, missing article DOI, and unavailable citation count.

To study the influence of title length on its attractiveness, and in order to avoid defining and measuring Title attractiveness , I substituted this variable with another closely related one: the Citation count for a given article; this can work provided that we block all alternative paths other than the direct effect of Title attractiveness on Citation count . Looking at the causal diagram in Figure 5, we notice that there is only one alternative path, and it can be blocked by adjusting for the Journal in which the article was published. Since the data contained articles from 1,040 different journals (and to avoid complicating the analysis by creating 1,039 dummy variables), I ended up adjusting for the Journal impact factor , a direct descendent of the deconfounding variable Journal , thus representing most of its effect.

Example of a figure format in a research paper

To compute the direct causal effect of Title length on Title attractiveness , alternative explanations of the association between these two such as confounding and indirect effects must also be eliminated. From Figure 5, we see that this can be accomplished by adjusting for the Mention of study design in the title (a confounder) and the use of Comma in the title and Colon in the title (indirect effects).

After determining the variables that we want to adjust for, Poisson regression was used to compute the effect of Title length on Citation count . In our case, a Poisson model has 2 major advantages over linear regression: (1) it fits the data better, since counts follow a Poisson rather than a normal distribution, and (2) it accounts for different publication dates of different articles, which is important to offset the advantage of older articles regarding the time they had to collect citations (this can be accomplished by including Years since publication as an offset in the model).

The Poisson model described above can be summarized with the following equation:

log(Citation count) =β 0 + β 1 × Title length + β 2 × Journal impact factor + β 3 × Mention of study design in the title + β 4 × Comma in the title + β 5 × Colon in the title + log(Years since publication)

Variables in the model, such as Citation count , Title length , and Journal impact factor , were summarized using the median and the interquartile range (IQR), since they follow either a Poisson or a skewed non-normal distribution.

Note that in some cases, you will be forced to include some results in the Methods section. Although the research paper has a separate Results section (which we will discuss next), sometimes we include some results in the Methods section to justify the use of a certain material or method.

For example, in the Methods section above, in order to defend the use of the variable Journal impact factor instead of Journal , I ended up reporting the number of journals in the study (which is a number calculated from the data, so it normally belongs to the Results section):

“Since the data contained articles from 1,040 different journals (and to avoid complicating the analysis by creating 1,039 dummy variables), I ended up adjusting for the Journal impact factor, a direct descendent of the deconfounding variable Journal, thus representing most of its effect.”

4. Writing the Results section

In the Results section, you should describe and summarize your findings without explaining them (the interpretation should be left for the Discussion section).

4.1. Length of the Results section

The Results section should be:

610 to 1,660 words long (5 to 11 paragraphs).
The same length as the Methods or the Discussion, and about double the length of the Introduction.

(These data are based on an analysis I did on 61,458 articles from PubMed )

4.2. Structure of the Results section

Here’s what you should include in the Results section:

At each stage and for each group of the study, report the number of participants (if some were lost to follow-up, provide the reasons).
Describe participants’ characteristics.
Compare participants in different groups.
Describe the main variables in the study.
The statistical significance (the p-value).
The precision (the 95% confidence interval).
The practical significance (the effect size).

4.3. Using figures and tables

A table or a figure are useful to highlight important results or to represent a lot of numbers that, if reported in the text, can be unpleasant for the reader.

Here are a few rules regarding figures and tables:

The supporting text should complement the table or figure but not repeat the same content.
The table or figure should stand alone (i.e., the reader can understand it without referring to the text).
No vertical lines.
A line above the header row.
A line below the header row.
A line at the bottom of the table.
No horizontal lines to separate data rows.

(Refer to the example below to see how your tables should look like)

4.4. Verb tense and voice in the Results section

Use the past tense for completed actions.

“In our sample of 9,830 articles, the median title length composed of 16 words (IQR = 6), had 2.2 yearly citations (IQR = 3.33), and was published in a journal with an impact factor of 2.74 (IQR = 1.67).”

Use the present tense for things that continue to be true today.

“The Poisson model shows a significant negative effect of longer titles on citation count.”

Use the active voice when possible.

4.5. Example: writing a Results section

In this section, we are going to verify that the Results section of our example article ( link to the full-text P D F ) follows the structure discussed above. (Remember that this article is about studying the influence of title length on its attractiveness).

What follows is the Results section of this article with the main steps highlighted:

In our sample of 9,830 articles, the median title composed of 16 words (IQR = 6), had 2.2 yearly citations (IQR = 3.33), and was published in a journal with an impact factor of 2.74 (IQR = 1.67). Also, 4,317 (43.9%) of titles contained at least one colon, 1,442 (14.7%) contained at least one comma, and 2,794 (28.4%) mentioned the study design.

The Poisson model shows a significant negative effect of longer titles on citation count (Table 2). Specifically, each additional word in the title causes a drop of 2.5% in the citation rate (95% confidence interval: [-2.7%, -2.3%]; p < 0.001). Equivalently, we can say that removing one word from the title causes an increase of 2.5% in the citation rate. To put that into perspective, removing one word from the title of the median article (that has 2.2 citations per year) causes a gain of 0.055 (= 2.2 × 0.025) citations per year, equivalent to 1 citation every 19 years.

Example of a table format in a research paper

5. Writing the Discussion section

In the Discussion section, you should explain the meaning of your results, their importance, and implications.

5.1. Length of the Discussion section

The Discussion section should be:

820 to 1,480 words long (5 to 9 paragraphs).
The same length as the Methods or the Results, and about double the length of the Introduction.

(These data are based on an analysis I did on 61,517 articles from PubMed )

5.2. Structure of the Discussion section

Here’s what you should include in the Discussion section:

Step #1: Answer the study objective (i.e., where the Introduction ended). Your first sentence can be: “We/I found that” , “This study shows/proves that” , etc.
Explain its consequences.
Comment on whether it supports or refutes your initial hypothesis (i.e., was this result expected or unexpected?).
Compare it with the results of other studies (if they contradict each other: explain why, and suggest a way for further studies to resolve this contradiction).
Then discuss your secondary finding (if you have any) by following the same steps as you did for the main finding.
Step #3: Point out the strengths of your study (e.g., the use of a new and superior method, a larger sample size, etc.).
How you addressed these limitations in your design and analysis (i.e., justify the methods used in your study).
What future studies should do to address these limitations.
Step #5: Conclude with a takeaway message that reminds the reader of your most important finding and its implications (this Conclusion paragraph is sometimes put in a separate section after the Discussion [for more information, see: Length of a Conclusion Section: Analysis of 47,810 Examples ]).

5.3. Verb tense and voice in the Discussion section

Use the past tense for completed actions. For instance:

“I found that…”.

Use the present tense for things that continue to be true today. For instance:

“This study shows that…”.

5.4. Example: writing a Discussion section

In this section, we are going to verify that the Discussion section of our example article ( link to the full-text PDF ) follows the structure discussed above. (Remember that this article is about studying the influence of title length on its attractiveness).

What follows is the Discussion section of this article with the main steps highlighted:

This study shows that shorter research titles are more engaging by proving that they attract more citations. However, this effect, although statistically significant, is practically negligible since removing one word from a title will attract, on average, a single additional citation every 19 years–so I would not recommend shortening research titles as a strategy for increasing the citation count.

Previous studies on the subject reported conflicting results for articles in different disciplines since they did not use a causal approach to control bias and confounding. For instance, they found that shorter titles attracted more citations in psychology (Subotic and Mukherjee, 2014) and general scientific research (Letchford et al., 2015), but less in economics (Guo et al., 2018) and medicine (Jacques and Sebire, 2010; Habibzadeh and Yadollahie, 2010), and had no effect in marketing research (Stremersch et al., 2007) and scientometrics (Falahati Qadimi Fumani et al., 2015). What distinguishes the present study was the use of a causal diagram to identify and block alternative paths between title length and citation count, removing all but the causal explanation of any association between the two.

However, there are some limitations: (1) the 3 million biomedical research articles that are freely available on PubMed Central from which our sample was drawn may not accurately represent all published articles—thus introducing selection bias; (2) adjusting for the journal impact factor instead of the journal itself (to reduce model complexity) may have resulted in some residual confounding; and (3) the general approach taken to adjust for bias and confounding using a causal diagram (Figure 5) created based on my understanding of the subject may have incorporated an element of subjectivity into the analysis. Future studies can address these issues by: (1) collecting data on articles from different disciplines (to increase the result’s generalizability), (2) including a larger number of articles from each journal (to enable adjusting for Journal instead of Journal impact factor ), and (3) validating, either theoretically or analytically, the structure of the causal diagram (to reduce subjectivity).

Finally, this study proves that shortening a research title is not an effective strategy for earning more citations. Yet, writing shorter titles may still have other benefits, such as: getting more reads on Mendeley (Zahedi and Haustein, 2018; Didegah and Thelwall, 2013), tweets (Haustein et al., 2015), appearances in social media in general (Zagovora et al., 2018), and avoiding truncation when they appear on the results page of an online search engine like Google.

6. Writing the Abstract

The Abstract is a summary of the article.

6.1. Length of the Abstract

The Abstract should be 220 to 320 words long (1 to 4 paragraphs).

(These data are based on an analysis I did on 61,429 articles from PubMed )

6.2. Structure of the Abstract

In the Abstract, you should provide a summary of each section of your paper (It can be divided into subheadings, if the journal allows it):

Step #1: Start with a one sentence introduction to the subject.
Step #2: Mention the study objective .
Step #3: Summarize the Methods section .
Step #4: Highlight key results in numbers (including data is important for researchers who want to cite your article based only on the Abstract).
Step #5: End with a one sentence conclusion (i.e., skip the detailed discussion of the results and go straight to the takeaway message).

6.3. Example: writing an Abstract

In this section, we are going to verify that the Abstract of our example article ( link to the full-text PDF ) follows the structure discussed above. (Remember that this article is about studying the influence of title length on its attractiveness).

What follows is the Abstract of this article with the main steps highlighted:

Attractive titles are expected to drive more reads and thus more citations to a research article, so studying the effect of title length on its attractiveness can be reduced to analyzing its influence on the citation count. Previous studies on the subject showed conflicting results that are probably attributable to bias and confounding, since they mostly focused on predicting citation count based on title length instead of using a causal model to explain the relationship between the two. The present study aims to quantify the direct influence of title length on its attractiveness guided by a causal diagram to identify and eliminate alternative explanations such as indirect effects and confounding. The study used data on 9,830 biomedical research articles from PubMed Central, downloaded through an API created by Comeau and colleagues. Poisson regression modeled the citation rate as a function of title length, adjusting for mediators of indirect effects—such as the use of a comma and a colon in the title—and confounders—such as the journal impact factor and the mention of study design in the title. The model shows that each word removed from the title increases the citation rate by 2.5%. This means that, for the median article that receives 2.2 citations per year, each word removed from the title causes a gain of 0.055 citations per year, equivalent to 1 citation every 19 years. Although statistically significant, this effect is practically negligible—so shortening a research title is not an effective strategy for earning more citations.

7. Writing the Title

The last thing one discovers in composing a work is what to put first. Blaise Pascal

The Title’s role is to describe the content of the article and attract people to read it. Remember that only 18% of those who read the title proceed to read the Abstract [Source: Mabe and Amin, 2002 ].

7.1. Length of the Title

The Title should be 11 to 18 words long (80 to 129 characters).

Keep your Title as short as possible, since:

Google shows only the first 60 characters of titles in their results page, so longer titles will be truncated when they appear in Google search.
High-impact journals tend to publish articles with short titles.

(These data are based on an analysis I did on 104,161 titles from PubMed )

7.2. Structure of the Title

The Title should:

Mention the central question or the purpose of the study (including important variables).
Be front loaded : this means that the keywords should be close to the beginning of the title (remember that readers are scanning the title and they want to determine as fast as possible if they are interested in your article).
Have a meaningful short version . For those searching online, Google will show them only the first 60 characters of your title and the rest is truncated. So, make sure to pack enough information in this part for users to be able to judge whether they want to click it.
Mention the study design [optional].
Avoid abbreviations and jargon . For instance: “ The effects of having CVD on the psychological status “ should be replaced by “Psychological effects of cardiovascular disease” .

7.3. Example: writing a Title

The following figure shows how the Title of our example article follows the structure discussed above:

Example of writing a title for a research paper

8. Writing optional sections

8.1. writing the acknowledgement section.

In this section, you should acknowledge any significant technical contribution, permission, advice, suggestion, or comment you received.

“I would like to thank Prof. John for assistance with choosing an appropriate study design”.

“Thanks are due to all the hospital crew members who contributed their time and effort to make the data collection feasible in the shortest time possible”.

8.2. Writing the Funding section

In this section, you should provide the sources of funding, or the sources of the equipment and materials used in the study, and the role of funders.

“The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article”.

“This work was supported by [name of the funder, and grant number]”.

8.3. Writing the Conflicts of Interest section

In this section, you should state if you have any direct or indirect competing interests that may have influenced the outcome of the study, such as: financial, work, personal, or religious interests.

“The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest”.

“The corresponding author was a former employee in company X that sells the main product used in this study”.

8.4. Writing the Appendix

In this section, you should provide supplementary information that was too large to be included in the main text, such as: data, questionnaires, and additional details on the materials and methods used.

9. Refining and improving your article

The following is a list of useful tips to improve your writing:

Avoid jargon , be concise, and focus on saving your readers’ time. The truth is that nobody enjoys reading, if readers can download information into their brain, they would!
Assume that your readers are beginners : so, use terms that are easy to understand.
Avoid acronyms when possible.
You don’t know the subject.
You don’t want to repeat the pronouns ”I” or ”We” in many places in the same paragraph (although it would be fine to use them sparingly, see: ”I” & ”We” in Academic Writing: Examples from 9,830 Studies ).
You want to emphasize what was done instead of who did it (especially in the Methods section).
To maintain the flow of ideas (for more information, see the video lecture by Steven Pinker below).
Write short sentences and paragraphs : each paragraph should be between 2 and 6 sentences long (65 to 167 words), and should cover a single topic. (For more information, see: Paragraph Length: Data from 9,830 Research Papers )
Get rid of hedge words : e.g. ”These results might suggest that a fair amount of x is suspected to have a meaningful impact on y” . These make you sound hesitant or unsure about what you are talking about.
Avoid using “They” or “Their” when the subject is singular . For a gender-neutral language, revise the sentence to make the subject plural. For instance, use: “Participants were assigned according to their choosing” instead of “Each participant was assigned according to their choosing” .

For more writing tips, I highly recommend this lecture by Steven Pinker:

10. Managing and formatting your References

When it comes to references, you should:

Cite between 25 and 56 references overall (approximately 1 reference for every 95 words or 4 sentences) [Source: How Many References Should a Research Paper Have? Study of 96,685 Articles ].
Aim to find those published within the past 13 years [Source: How Old Should Your Article References Be? Based on 3,823,919 Examples ].
Cite the original source, not secondary sources.
Cite research papers and books instead of websites and videos (unless these contained original data not available elsewhere).
Use a citation management software to collect and organize your references. I recommend Zotero® since it is free, easy to learn, and has a lot of tutorials online.

11. Submitting your article

Here’s a step-by-step description of how to find a journal and submit your article:

Go to: The Directory of Open Access Journals (This is a database of 17,614 journals that publish open-access articles–i.e., if you publish in these journals, your article’s full-text will be available for free to your readers).
Under SEE JOURNALS, select: Without article processing charges in order to exclude journal where you have to pay to publish your article.
Under SUBJECTS, choose: the domain that is closest to the topic of your article.
Under LANGUAGES, select: English.
Select a journal from the suggested list.
Go to the journal’s website, look for their “Instructions for authors”, and format your article accordingly.
Sign-up to their website and submit your article.

Once your article is submitted, the editor takes a look at it and may:

The topic of your article is not interesting for the journal’s audience.
Your work is not important enough to be published in that journal.
Rejected: In this case, you have to send your article to another journal (don’t get discouraged by rejection, sometimes important articles get rejected).
Rejected, but can be resubmitted after making some major changes suggested by the reviewers (for instance, expanding, deleting, or re-writing major parts of the article): in this case, you can either revise and resubmit, or look for another journal.
Accepted, but needs minor changes.
Accepted (without the need for changes).

When you want to revise and resubmit your article, you should prepare 2 things:

A revised manuscript with all the modifications you made highlighted (to make it easy for the reviewers to see what you changed).
A response for the reviewers where you address their comments point by point: you can either agree or disagree with their recommendations (but, in case you disagree, you should explain the reason).

Once your paper is accepted, you will get a final version formatted in the journal’s style. Be careful to look for errors before you accept this final version.

How to get your research published

Editors from the BES journals give their advice on the key steps from prepping to publishing your article.

Audience Type:
Researchers and students
Career development

Getting your research published can be a long process . But with the right preparation, structure and strategy, you can effectively plan from writing your manuscript to reaching out to the right editors .

Selecting the right journal

Choosing the right journal is crucial. Your journal choice should align with your research’s relevance to its readership rather than its prestige. Start by identifying who your work speaks to your target audience and matching that to the journal’s scope. Reflect on the practical impact and general appeal of your findings. Also, consider open-access options, which can increase the visibility of your work.

Writing the manuscript

Creating a structure.

A well-written manuscript can tell you a good story. Structuring your paper using the IMRAD format—Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion—can help you organise your research logically and make it easier for readers to follow.

For experimental research, much of the Methods and Results sections are often pre-written during the research process. This means that writing these sections is less about starting from scratch and more about integrating and refining existing material.

Keep your language concise and avoid unnecessary jargon. Scientific writing does not need to be overly complex. Your primary goal is to ensure your message is clear and accessible.

Relevance of a good title

Once your manuscript’s general structure is in place, focus on crafting an engaging title. A strong title serves as the first impression of your research. One effective strategy is to highlight the key question, core finding, or conclusion of your study.

This approach ensures the title clearly communicates the paper’s subject to your target audience. Be concise yet descriptive. A creative yet relevant title not only draws attention but also ensures your research stands out in a crowded field.

Formatting and submissions

Follow journal guidelines.

Every journal has specific author guidelines that dictate formatting, word limits, and submission requirements. Ensure you adhere to these guidelines.

Writing your abstract

Your abstract serves as a summary of your research. It must consist of a clear outline of the research background, questions, methods, findings, and implications. Many journals, including those of the S, favour structured abstracts, which can simplify this process.

Preparing a cover letter

Cover letters are important because it is the first thing editors look at before reviewing your paper. You can start writing a compelling one by highlighting the significance of your research and explaining the things you want your readers to take away from your paper. Bullet points can be used to address specific editor questions for clarity.

diver come to the surface of the water in the sunshine

Handling peer review and feedback

The peer review process is an opportunity to refine your work. Reviewers’ comments are meant to improve your manuscript, even if they initially seem critical. Approach feedback with an open mind and address each comment respectfully and thoroughly. Clear, thoughtful revisions improve your chances of publication and demonstrate your commitment to quality.

If your manuscript is rejected, it’s not the end of the road. Use the feedback to improve your work and consider submitting to another journal.

Navigating authorship and ethics

Ensure you establish clear communication about authorship roles and contributions. Address any potential conflicts regarding author order early to ensure transparency. Adhering to ethical guidelines reflects professionalism and respect for the scientific process.

Publishing is a learning journey that requires persistence and collaboration. Remember to celebrate milestones, such as completing a draft, submitting your manuscript, or receiving constructive feedback.

Further your international network of ecologists by joining the BES membership

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Getting Started with Publishing

Publishing your research is a key part of an academic or scientific career, but the publishing process is complex and navigating it can be a challenge. This page provides an introduction to an important early step in the publishing process: selecting a journal. Each section below explores a factor to consider when choosing where to publish your research.

Finding a good home for your article means finding a high-quality journal that has an appropriate focus. There is no one true way to find the "right" journal for your article, but here are a few options.

Cited Reference Searching

This method of database searching can allow you to find the details of when, where, and how a given article has been cited. The exact process will differ depending on the database you use, but the results of a cited reference search for a related, influential article can help you identify appropriate journals for publishing your own work.

Web of Science Choose "Cited References" rather than "Documents" to perform a cited reference search.
Web of Science Cited Reference Author Search Rules Guidelines for performing a cited reference search in Web of Science.
Google Scholar Search for the article, then look for "Cited by ... " below the article title and description. more... less... Google Scholar is proxied for off-campus use so that the FindIt button appears in results.|| If you go to 'My Library' and sign in, the proxying will no longer be present and off-campus the FindIt button will not appear.|| Off-campus go to Settings/Library Links and search for 'Madison' and select it to see FindIt links.

Journal Matching Sites

Many publishers now provide tools to help you match your research topic with a journal. Below are examples from a few major science and engineering publishers. If you are interested in a different publisher, it may be worthwhile to investigate whether they provide a similar service.

Clarivate Manuscript Matcher Using the title, abstract, and cited references (optional) of your manuscript to be matched to journals in the Web of Science Core Collection
Elsevier Journal Finder Enter your title and abstract to be matched to relevant Elsevier journals
IEEE Publication Recommender Enter keywords, key phrases or article title to get matched with journals
SpringerNature Journal Suggester Enter your manuscript details to see a list of journals most suitable for your research
Wiley Journal Finder beta Enter title and abstract and to see a list of potential journals to consider.

Ideally, you will want to identify a journal that is appropriate for your research topic that is also well-regarded and influential in your field of study. Prestige can be understood in a variety of ways, some of which are explored below.

Journal Rankings

Most journal rankings and metrics are citation-based: the more citations articles in that journal tend to get, the higher the score that journal receives. Rankings, and prestige more generally, are often used as shortcuts to understanding the quality of articles published in a journal. However, a higher ranking does not guarantee that a journal publishes better research.

JCR (Journal Citation Reports) Provides a means of determining the relative importance of scholarly and technical journals within their subject disciplines
SCImago (SJR, Journal & Country Rank) A publicly available portal that includes the journals and country scientific indicators developed from the information contained in the Scopus database

Selectivity

Another factor in determining a journal's reputation is how selective it is. In other words, what is the journal's acceptance rate? Many journals may not make this information public, but prestigious journals often will. This is because those journals tend to reject the vast majority of submissions, publishing only what the editors see as the very best articles. For example, Nature accepts only about 8% of submitted manuscripts .

"Predatory" Publishers

Some journals lack credibility and integrity, and operate for profit above all else. These journals are commonly referred to as ' predatory journals .' There is no single definition of what makes a publisher or journal 'predatory', but checklist below provides some clues you can look for that will help you decide whether a publisher or journal is trustworthy before you submit your paper.

Think Check Submit - Checklist Helps researchers identify trusted journals and publishers for their research. Through a range of tools and practical resources, this international, cross-sector initiative aims to educate researchers, promote integrity, and build trust in credible research and publications.

The easier it is for other researchers to find and build off your work, the greater its impact will be. Therefore it is important to consider the reach of the journal you will publish in, including how much it costs to access and whether it is available on campus.

Open Access Publishing

Open Access (OA) is the free, immediate, online availability of research articles combined with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment. Since no subscription is required for access, open articles may be more easily discovered, read, and cited than articles published behind paywalls. Many funders also now require that any research they fund be published openly.

However, there are often fees (sometimes quite steep) associated with OA publishing. It is best to confirm in advance whether and how much you will need to pay to make your article open.

Ulrichsweb Serials Directory

This directory lists valuable information about journals and other serials, including: where the journal is indexed, contact information for the editor(s), peer review status, institutional pricing, and reviews of the journal.

Your Rights

Did you know that many journals require authors to sign away the copyright for their articles in order to publish? Make sure to consider and secure your rights as an author to your own research before you publish!

Copyright Basics

Copyright is a form of legal protection automatically provided to creative works such as books, music, art, or research articles. The copyright holder (the author or creator) has the exclusive right to reproduce or distribute their work, but they can transfer this right to another person or to a publisher.

In many cases, when you publish in a journal or sign a book contract, the publisher will ask you to sign away some or all of your copyrights. Such agreements can take away your right to share or reuse your own work. If you wish to retain your copyright, you will need to publish with a journal that allows this.

Managing Your Copyright at UW-Madison Overview information on how to manage your copyright, including an Author Addendum to assist faculty in controlling their copyright when publishing.
Copyright Steps for Authors Three steps you can take as an author to make sure you retain the rights you need.
SPARC Resources for Authors Information from the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition about scholarly publishing and your rights as an author.

Finding Publisher Policies

One way to understand expectations around copyright is to check the policy of the journal. You can also use tools like Sherpa Romeo (linked below) to find publisher policies. However, you can often negotiate copyright! It is both possible and common for authors to negotiate agreements with publishers that differ from the stated policies.

SHERPA RoMEO Aggregates and analyses publisher open access policies from around the world and provides summaries of publisher copyright and open access archiving policies on a journal-by-journal basis.

Resources for Publishing

This page covers only a small portion of the publishing process. These links will connect you with additional sources of help around campus.

Publishing Your Research Article (Science & Engineering) This guide can help you with selecting a journal to publish in, considering open access publishing strategies, managing copyright, and more.
Scholarly Communication and Publishing Includes information on Managing your Copyright, the NIH Public Access Policy and more.
Research Data Services Get help with writing a data plan, plus managing and sharing your research data.

Get Help with Impact & Publishing

The Libraries provide specialized support for research metrics, scholarly publishing, and more. We are here to help!

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Last Updated: Dec 13, 2024 2:39 PM
URL: https://researchguides.library.wisc.edu/engineering

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How to Publish a Research Paper in Reputed Journals?
How to publish research paper in International Journals?
Easy Steps to Publish a Project Paper for Students
(PDF) Basics of research paper writing and publishing
How to Write and Publish a Research Paper.pdf
How to Write and Publish a Research Paper.pdf

COMMENTS

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Publish Your Research; Get Research Support; ... clues you can look for that will help you decide whether a publisher or journal is trustworthy before you submit your paper. Think Check Submit - Checklist. Helps researchers identify trusted journals and publishers for their research. Through a range of tools and practical resources, this ...