Preparing Research Manuscripts for

Impact Factor Journal

Dr. T. Joseph Sahaya Anand
Department of Engineering Materials
Faculty of Manufacturing Engineering
Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka
Email: anand@utem.edu.my
Tel.: + 60 6 331 6489
016 412 7232

For
FTMKs Colloquium & Seminar
19 March 2014
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Dr. TJS Anand

Introduction

Table of Contents

Part I: Publication & Peer Review

Deciding to Publish
Submitting Your Paper
Part II: Writing a Scientific Manuscript
The Scientific Manuscript
The Abstract
The Introduction
The Methods & Materials Section
The Results Section
The Discussion Section
Figures, Tables, Equations, and References
Dr. TJS Anand

Research Manuscript - Introduction

There is no way to get experience except
through experience.
Publication & Peer Review
What to publish?
abstract vs. full report
Choosing your forum
Which type of journal is best for you?
What audience are you targeting?
Research the journal
Publication guidelines
Article style
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Research Manuscript - Introduction

Dr. TJS Anand

Research Manuscript - Introduction

Publication in Science Global View
Approximately
regularly

40,000

journals

published

20,000 of them are ISI or Scopus indexed

Total number of papers published annually
exceeds 2.5 million
Google Scholar has almost to taken over the
world bibliometry.

Over 70% are never cited by any one

Dr. TJS Anand

Research Manuscript - Introduction

Publication in Science Global View
Articles published (1665-2012)= 54 million
Free and paid abstracts available Scopus, ISI Web of
Knowledge (WoK), PubMed Central, and Google
Scholar
PubMed Central holds over 2.5 million articles, has a
collection of over 21 million citations
SciVerse Scopus holds over 47 million records, it
includes 21,000 peer-reviewed journals (including
1,850 open access journals), 700 trade publications,
and 450 book series.
Dr. TJS Anand

Research Manuscript - Introduction

Publication vs. Researcher

1. I love to do research

2. I have no choice
3. I hate to do research

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Research Manuscript - Introduction

Publication
How information is communicated among
scholars and to potential users
Research is not complete until it is published

Provides accountability, which is the basis of

trust
From one author to many

Dr. TJS Anand

Research Manuscript - Introduction

Publication - Deciding Whether (or When) to Publish
Some factors to consider: quality of the work,
extent of the work, interest to others
Suggestions:
Seek guidance in this regard from others in
your field who are more experienced in
publishing journal articles - Supervisor.
Present your work orally first. Doing so can
help in deciding whether the work is
publishable and in shaping the paper.
Dr. TJS Anand

Building the Writing Habit

The same time.

The same place.

Carry a notebook
Get rid of rid of negative thoughts.

Sit alone in silence.

Ideas, not grammar, for the first draft. Rewrite.

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10

Key to Writing Skills

The path to writing well is to read excellent

writers and write.and writeand write.

Free write your thoughts. Dont worry about

structure initially.

Use the best paper in your field as a template

and try to convert your free write-up into a
format.

Keep writing concise, dynamic and simple in

construction.

Convey enthusiasm in your writing so it attract

the audience.
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11

Select the best journal for submission

Look at your references these will help you

narrow your choices.

Review recent publications in each candidate

journal. Find out the hot topics, the accepted
types of articles, etc.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Is the journal peer-reviewed?
Who is this journals audience?
What is the average time to print?
What is the journals Impact Factor?

Decide on one journal. DO NOT submit to multiple

journals.
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12

Research Manuscript - Introduction

Identifying a Target Journal
Decide early (before drafting the paper).
Do not write the paper and then look for a
journal. (Why?)

Look for journals that have published work

similar to yours.
Consider journals that have published work
you cite.

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Research Manuscript - Introduction

Some Factors to Consider

Audience Researchers, Educators

Prestige Relevant in the field
Access Open Access
Impact Journal value
Publication time
Quality of reproduction
Likelihood of acceptance

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Research Manuscript - Introduction

What makes a good research paper?

Good writing

Publication in good journals

Great science when written poorly can be a good

paper or alternatively, average science when
written well can be a good paper.

On the other hand, great science when written

well can be an excellent paper and average
science when written poorly can be the readily
rejected paper.
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Publishing in High Impact Journals-Its

the idea which matters

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Research Manuscript - Introduction

Excuses for not publishing.

Fear of judgement / rejection.

I cant write.
I dont know where to start.
Need for perfection.
I dont have enough time.
Lack of Confidence

Fear of public scrutiny

Unsure whether have the skill

Caution work has a use by date.

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Research Manuscript - Introduction

The Seven Deadly Sins

1. Data manipulation, falsification

2. Duplicate manuscripts
3. Redundant publication
4. Plagiarism
5. Author conflicts of interest
6. Animal use concerns
7. Humans use concerns
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Dr. TJS Anand

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Research Manuscript - Introduction

Creativity
Open mind
Curiosity

Patience
Persistence
Positive Attitude
Discipline and focus

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Research Manuscript - Introduction

What constitutes good Research?
Novel new and not resembling something formerly
known or used (can be novel but not important)
Mechanistic testing a hypothesis - determining the
fundamental processes involved in or responsible for
an action, reaction, or other natural phenomenon
Descriptive describes how are things are but does
not test how things work hypotheses are not
tested.
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21

Research Manuscript - Introduction

What constitutes good journal?
Who do I want to reach?
Less important than it used to be
Which journals have previously published work in
this area
Review your citations
Maybe too much work in this area?
Which journals have a style or message that is
consistent with yours?
Impact factors

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Research Manuscript - Introduction

What constitutes good journal?

Impact factor

average number of times published papers

are cited up to two years after publication.
Citation Index

average number of times published papers

are cited up to two years after publication.

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Research Manuscript - Introduction

Impact factor
A measure of the frequency with which the "average
article" in a journal has been cited in a particular year
or period. The annual JCR impact factor is a ratio
between citations and recent citable items published.
Thus, the impact factor of a journal is calculated by
dividing the number of current year citations to the
source items published in that journal during the
previous two years.
Impact Factor =

no. of citations

total no. articles

calculated over the last 2 years
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Research Manuscript - Introduction

Impact factor
Calculation for journal impact factor.
A= total cites in 2012
B= 2012 cites to articles published in 2010-11 (subset of A)
C= number of articles published in 2010-11
D= B/C = 2012 impact factor

The impact factor eliminates some of the bias of such

counts which favor large journals over small ones, or
frequently issued journals over less frequently issued
ones, and of older journals over newer ones.
25
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Research Manuscript - Introduction

2012 Impact Factors are available at various sites;
newer impact factors are copyright-protected

Drawbacks of impact factors:

Review articles are cited more than original
research
Number of citations does not measure quality,
just exposure
The nature of results in different research areas
yield different amounts of publications at
different paces. Generally, medical journals
have higher impact factors than mathematical
journals.
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Research Manuscript - Introduction

Rank
1
2
4
5
6
7
9
10
13
14
15

Abbreviated Journal Title

ANNU REV IMMUNOL
CA-CANCER J CLIN
NAT REV CANCER
PHYSIOL REV
NAT REV MOL CELL BIO
REV MOD PHYS
NATURE
SCIENCE
CELL
NAT IMMUNOL
JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC

IF (2012)
52.431
44.515
36.557
33.918
33.170
32.771
32.182
31.853
28.389
27.586
24.831
27

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Research Manuscript
Reasons of Rejection
So what factor - fails to communicate a sense of
purpose and how it extends the boundaries of
knowledge
Material is inappropriate for the journal
Work is fundamentally flawed
Work is unintelligible

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Reasons for major revision or rejection of journal papers

Faulty methodology
Inadequate references
Poor quality supporting figures

7%

Outside the scope of journal

Not enough contribution to field

7%

4%
9%

16%

Authors did not follow manuscript instructions

Poor writing style and use of English

7%

2%

Title not representative of study

Subject of little novel interest or not generally
applicable

Poorly written discussion

8%
English Errors
27%

13%

29
Dr. TJS Anand

Manuscript - Get rejected

When rejected, try again
Even Nobel Laureates get rejection letters.
You may need to play ping pong with the
paper. Submit the paper to another journal
within one month.

You do not have to revise a paper every time it

is rejected. But if a paper is rejected 4 times,
there is a serious flaw in the paper. Find and fix
the problem.
Why? The same referee might get it again.

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30

What is Peer Review Process?

Exciting the reviewers
mind is far more
important
then
exciting the readers
mind.
It is likely that no one
will ever read your
paper more thoroughly
than the reviewer.
Suggest referees that
appreciate your work
(political)

www.weirdscience.ca

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31

Research Manuscript
A scientific paper tells a story!!

We need a problem or something to

catch the readers attention
We need a plot / results
We need resolution of the problem at the
end of the story.

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Research Manuscript
Attributes of the best papers

Resolve a controversy
Separate Results and Discussion sections
Discussion with sub-headings as questions
Introduction builds to central questions
All roads lead to central question
Hypotheses / research questions crystal
clear and results flow from these questions

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Research Manuscript
Paper Structure and relative level of writing difficulty

Title (difficult)
Abstract (difficult)
Introduction (Most difficult)
Study Area or Background (easy)
Methods (easy)
Results (easy - just the facts)
Discussion (Second-most difficult)
Conclusions (easy)

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Research Manuscript Structure

*

Abstract

* Introduction
* Body of Article / Methodology
* Results

* Discussion and Conclusions

* Acknowledgements
* References

* Figures and Tables

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Research Manuscript Structure

Abstract

Summary of Manuscript (200-300 Words)

Problem investigated
Purpose of Research
Methods
Results
Conclusion
Common Mistake : Prepare abstract at the beginning
of the manuscript writing
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Research Manuscript Structure

Abstract - Common Mistakes

Prepare abstract at the beginning of the

manuscript writing.
Too much background or methods information
Figures or images
References to other literature, figures or images
Abbreviations or acronyms

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Research Manuscript Structure

Introduction Explains the problem

* Broad information on topic

Previous research
* Narrower background information
Need for study
* Focus of paper
Hypothesis
* Summary of problem (selling point)
* Overall 300-500 words

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Research Manuscript Structure

The introduction should also contain a section
describing why this work was done and its
importance.
This is often omitted because the authors assume
that it must be inherently obvious.
Some readers may understand the implied
importance, but many will not.
These statements may also catch the attention
of those who focus more on applications and
potential rather than techniques.
Introduction in the research manuscript is also
includes literature review in any technical report.
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39

Research Manuscript Structure

Introduction as an inverted pyramid
Status Quo
# of references
increases

Whats wrong with the

status quo

Very general
References

Why this is a problem

How you intend to fix it
Specific Objectives

Dr. TJS Anand

Very specific
references

40

Research Manuscript Structure

Introduction - Common Mistakes
#
#
#
#
#

Too much or not enough information

Unclear purpose
Lists
Confusing structure
First-Person anecdotes

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Research Manuscript Structure

Methodology
Provides instruction on exactly how to repeat experiment

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

Subjects / Field of study

Sample preparation techniques
Sample origins
Field site description
Data collection protocol
Data analysis techniques
Any computer programs used
Description of equipment and its use
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42

Research Manuscript Structure

The descriptions of the experiment must be
clear enough so that they can be readily
replicated.
This is much better if it is done without going
through several other references to get the
gist.

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43

Material and Methods

Write the methods section first because it is the
easiest to write.
Start writing when experiments still in progress
Sufficient information must be provided for
reproducibility
Animal, human, protections details
Measurements/ instruments
Statistical analysis
Data collection
Descriptive subheadings general experimental
methods, animals, spectral data, etc
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44

You are not expected to do it..

http://www.nature.com/scitable/ebooks/english-communication-for-scientists-14053993/writingscientific-papers-14239285
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Research Manuscript Structure

Methodology - Common Mistakes
Too little information

Information from Introduction

Results/ sources of error reported

Explaining experimental difficulties

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Research Manuscript Structure

Results
* Objective presentation of experiment results
Summary of data
*

NOT a Discussion!

Results - Common Mistakes

*
*
*
*
*

Raw data
Redundancy
Discussion and interpretation of data
No figures or tables
Methods/materials reported
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Research Manuscript Structure

Discussion Presents the WHY and HOW story
* Interpret results
Did the study confirm/deny the hypothesis?
If not, did the results provide an alternative
hypothesis? What interpretation can be made?
Do results agree with other research? Sources of
error/anomalous data?
Implications of study for field
Suggestions for improvement and future research?

* Relate to previous research

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Research Manuscript Structure

Discussion - Common Mistakes
*
*
*
*
*
*

Combined with Results

New results discussed
Broad statements
Incorrectly discussing inconclusive results
Ambiguous data sources
Missing information

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Research Manuscript Structure

Figures and Tables
Tables
Presents lists of numbers/ text in columns
Figures
Visual representation of results or illustration
of concepts/methods (graphs, images,
diagrams, etc.)
Captions
Must be stand-alone

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Research Manuscript Structure

Figures and Tables
The selection of illustrations, tables, and graphs
are not just to present the data and apparatus
described.
Too many or too few illustrations can greatly
weaken a paper.
On one hand, too few leave details as
ambiguous. On the other, too many can be
redundant, distracting, and divert the attention
of the reader to the main points.

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Research Manuscript Structure

Guidelines for Figures and Tables

High resolution
Neat, legible labels
Simple
Clearly formatted
Indicate error
Detailed captions

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Research Manuscript Structure

Acknowledgements
One area that many authors overlook or give only
minor attention to is the acknowledgements.
Although the people and organizations included
there do not affect the readability of the
manuscript, many authors have made grievous
errors of omission in their acknowledgements.
Leaving out someone who has aided through key
ideas, review of the manuscript, etc. etc. can lead
to injured feelings.
Subsequent assistance may not be so readily
forthcoming.
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53

Research Manuscript Structure

References
Check specific referencing style of journal
Should reference:
Peer-reviewed journal articles, abstracts, books
Should not reference:
Non-peer-reviewed
works,
textbooks,
communications
Common Mistakes
Format, Format, Format
(Figures & Tables, Equations, and References)
Redundant Information
Text, Figures, Tables, and Captions
Type of Reference
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personal

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Examples of offensive citation:

"The deficiency of Smith's approach is..."

"The problems with Smiths paper are"

A serious weakness with Smiths argument,
however, is that ......
The key problem with Smiths explanation
is that ......
It seems that Smiths understanding of the
X framework is questionable.

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A better citation would be:

Smiths model was effective in X
problem, however in Y
The X benefit of Smiths approach
are not applicable to Y

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56

Research Manuscript Structure

A bit on Writing Style - Language
Write in the active tense instead of passive tense:
We collected samples of blah... instead of
Samples of blah were collected...
Avoid all jargon if at all possible. Never assume
the reader knows any jargon.
Write in simple sentences
Subject and verb up-front in all sentences
You can use personal pronouns: We sampled

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Scientific Language - Tenses

Present tense for known facts and hypotheses:
The average life of a honey bee is 6 weeks

Past tense for experiments you have conducted:

All the honey bees were maintained in an
environment with a consistent temperature of 23
degrees centigrade
Past tense when you describe the results of an
experiment:
The average life span of bees in our contained
environment was 8 weeks

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Research Manuscript - Summary

Preparation Style Usage or Words

Examine vs. Analyze

Activity to gain knowledge vs. Describing
the analysis of that knowledge
Blooms Taxonomy
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
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Research Manuscript - Summary

Preparation Style Usage or Words - Blooms Taxonomy
Knowledge - Recitation of fact
Found, identified, labeled
Comprehension: State a problem or interpret fact
Discuss, predict, compare
Application: Apply old information to solve new problems
Solve, show, examine, classify
Analysis: Used to explain patterns or meaning
Analyze, investigate, compare, contrast
Synthesis: Making predictions or discussing possibilities
Predict, plan, devise, propose
Evaluation: Drawing conclusions, making recommendations
Justify, verify, argue, recommend, determine
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Research Manuscript - Summary

Words and expressions to avoid
Jargon

Preferred use

a considerable amount of
on account of
a number of
In a number of cases
Has the capacity to
It is clear that
It is apparent that
Employ
Fabricate

much
because
several
some
can
clearly
apparently
use
make

Source : Day, RA. How to write and publish a scientific paper, 5th edition,
Oryx Press, 1998.

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61

Research Manuscript
Ethical Publishing

Material must be obtained ethically and must

be accurate
Experiments or trials involving human subjects or
animals must have been approved by the
relevant research ethics committees
Material should be unbiased, uncensored,
complete, factual and verifiable
Relevant funding and any conflict of interest
must be disclosed

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Research Manuscript
Ethical Publishing - Authorship

Authorship requires a significant contribution to

at least one aspect of the work
(concept, data collection, data analysis,
literature review, writing)

Ethical Publishing Things unacceptable

Duplication of previously published material (this
includes web publication of previous print publication,
Web and print publication covered by the same
copyright is now frequent and is OK )
Simultaneous submission to more than one journal
Plagiarism
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Resources / Bibliography
Day, RA. How to write and publish a scientific paper, 5th edition, Oryx Press, 1998.
Ravi Lochanan P. Research Methodology 3rd Edition, Margham Publications, 2009.

Uma Sekaran and Roger Bougie Research Methods for Business 5th Edition, Wiley,
2010.
Salkind NJ. Exploring Research 7th Edition, Pearson, 2009.
Fischer BA, Zigmond MJ. Components of a research article. survival@pitt.edu
Marshal GS. Writing a peer reviewed article.
http://dor.umc.edu/ARCHIVES/GMarshallPublishingarticle.ppt
Hall,
JE.
Writing
research
papers
(and
getting
http://dor.umc.edu/ARCHIVES/GMarshallPublishingarticle.ppt

them

published)

Benos, D., Reich, M. Peer review and publication in APS journals.http://www.theaps.org/careers/careers1/EBSymposia/Benos2003.ppt

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Take Home Message

Sacrifice other interests
Researchers gave up hobbies, games and
time with friends to become high impact
researchers. Most mentioned that they still
had time for family, but less TV, computer
games, and sports.

When you play, play hard; when you work,

work hard, don't play at all.
Theodore Roosevelt

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Dr. TJS Anand

All the best!

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Dr. TJS Anand

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Dr. TJS Anand

Thanking you !

Comments & Suggestions

68
Dr. TJS Anand