BEST PRACTICES FOR GETTING PUBLISHED

Dr. Graham Parker

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Do

Storyboard your paper as the work develops; projects change, even your hypothesis might change.

Consider the optimal journal for your work; which is where it will reach your target audience.

Read and follow the author instructions.

Read and follow the author instructions. So important I said it twice.

View the editor as the gateway, not the process.

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Don’t

Send an email asking where your review is no matter how cleverly you think you’ve phrased it.

Fake email addresses for co-authors, explain why if they cannot be contacted.

Wait to see if they spot a problem, contact the editor immediately; you do not want someone else finding it first.

Send angry emails to the editor. Get over it A.S.A.P. – Time is the fire in which we burn.

Lie to the editor.

Dr. Annmarie Cano

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Do

Enumerate points made by reviewers and cite page numbers.

Address EVERY point made by the Editor and reviewers.

You don’t have to do everything requested, BUT if you choose to rebut (or refuse) a suggested revision, be sure to give an adequate explanation.

Use non-defensive language and be tactful even if the reviewer is wrong or has misunderstood something.

Revise and resubmit your paper as quickly as possible.

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Don’t

Be wary of appealing a rejection.

Submit to a different journal without revising first.

Quickly dismiss reviewers’ concerns about theoretical significance.

Forget to follow author instructions when preparing your submission.

Fret – there is an outlet for your paper but revise before you submit!

Ms. Lauren Crocker

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Do

Read your article carefully during the proof stage. The publisher is most likely not an expert in your field and will not recognize potential errors or omissions.

Read the publishing agreement. This outlines the rights of the author and publisher.

Make sure you have permission for all images. This is the responsibility of the author, not the publisher or editor.

Keep editors informed if you change email or mailing addresses.

Feel Free to ask questions. The editors are your main point of contact, and they can pass on queries to the publisher if you don’t have a contact there.

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Don’t

Ignore schedules. Waiting on one author to give corrections on their proof holds up the entire journal issue.

Change a significant portion of your article after it has been typeset.

Ignore the copyeditor’s advice. They’re not always right, but they are grammar experts.

Ignore style guidelines in your submission.

Post your article online without checking the publisher’s personal use exceptions.

Dr. Don Haase

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Do

Identify publishers that publish books in your discipline and specialty.

Prepare your proposal or manuscript according to the publisher’s guidelines for submission, including specifications for submitting digital images.

Take the peer-review process and the peer reviewers’ comments and recommendations seriously – whether the publisher has asked you to revise the manuscript or rejected it outright.

Make a polite inquiry with the editor if the peer-review process takes much longer than you were told.

Consider making reasonable revisions to a rejected manuscript based on the editor’s and peer reviewers’ comments before resubmitting to another publisher.

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Don’t

Submit an unrevised dissertation to a publisher.

Send a publisher an unsolicited manuscript without first inquiring whether they’d be interested in considering your project.

Submit a manuscript to more than one publisher at a time unless those publishers have a policy permitting multiple submissions.

Submit a proposal or manuscript that has not been very carefully proofread or that has gaps and omissions “to be filled in later.” Be surprised if the publisher requires you to obtain and pay for permissions to reproduce text or images that are under copyright or otherwise the property of others (e.g., archival materials).

Dr. Victoria Neale

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Do

Make Good Choices Take care to do good work/research Identify a suitable journal for your work (message, audience, quality of work) Seek a strong peer review process Seek advice from mentors, supervisors and librarians Explore “Beall’s List” of likely predatory OA publishers

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Don’t

Don’t Be Naive “If it seems too good to be true, it likely is.” Don’t try to cut corners with a quick fix.

Don’t jeopardize reputation by publishing in poor quality or fly-by night journals.

Avoid unexpected invitations to publish or join boards or present at conferences.

Don’t be fooled by copy-cat websites or emails.