How to get your paper published in high Impact journals Wesam Abu Saif MRSC Regional Manager- Middle East, and South Africa Royal Society of Chemistry

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High impact journals

Our impact 6 of the top 20 journals in the multidisciplinary chemistry category are published by us - this is more than any other publisher 34% of our journals have an Impact Factor above 5 (and 75% above 3) 9 of our 29 journals with Impact Factors are in the top 10% of their subject category, and 20 are in the top 25% You can trust Royal Society of Chemistry journals to deliver high quality content. The 2013 Journal Citation Reports® revealed that:

Leading international publisher International readership

Publishers Articles by Publisher 2013 Impact Factors: Third of our journals IF > 5 (83% IF > 3) ISI, Web of Knowledge, 2014

Tips on how to get published Editor’s Advice

Why publish? To contribute to the advancement of science To establish scientific priority Create permanent record Sharing of information Requirement for career To get funding To promote research

Where to submit Peer reviewReputationOpen accessScopePublication timesCostLanguageCitationsIndexingAppearance Choose an appropriate journal before you prepare your paper

Components of a submission Covering letter Manuscript Graphical abstract Supplementary Information  Always read the journal’s author & ethical guidelines

Writing and formatting Title Authorship Abstract Introduction Results and Discussion Experimental Conclusions Acknowledgements References Tell a story – clarity and conciseness

Title – be discoverable ‘Active methylene compounds are alkylated with ROH under catalysis of [IrCl(cod)]2’ ‘On the alkylation with ROH catalyzed by [IrCl(cod)]2’ ‘α-Alkylated compounds from the alkylation of active methylene compounds with alcohols or a diol catalyzed by [IrCl(cod)]2 or [IrCl(coe)2]2 complexes in the presence of PPh3’

Writing the paper Significant contribution to the conception, design or implementation of the work Authorship Concise summary of your work Will help potential readers to decide whether your full paper is of interest to them – make it count! Abstract “Set the scene” What has been done? What will you show? Introduction Ensure claims are backed up by evidence Explain complex arguments State impact of your results compared with recent work Results & discussion

Writing the paper Enough information for a skilled researcher to replicate work Suitable characterisation – see guidelines Experimental Key results of the work Plans for relevant future work Conclusions Funding agencies Individuals who have not contributed enough for authorship Acknowledgments Previously published work that is referred to in the paper Can’t reference everything References For spectra, additional data, experimental procedures Supplementary Information

Writing the paper Think about audience Keep the language simple - short sentences Compare with existing work – thorough literature search Reference related articles Emphasise the novelty and impact Use spell and grammar check Proof read before submission

Cover Letter To include: Summary of work Statement of importance Impact on community Future potential Article type / themed issue Address to the Editor / Associate Editor Correct journal! Suggest suitable reviewers

What does an Editor do? Key role in publication process Manages peer review Mediates between reviewers and authors Makes the final decision about publication Ensures fairness and quality standards Publication – editing, proofing, formatting, dissemination, promotion…

Manuscript Life Cycle Receipt of manuscript PEER REVIEW (2+ reports) Evaluation by Editors Appeal Editorial Board ACCEPTANCE Author revisions REJECTION Initial Assessment by Editorial Office Rejection without external review Editorial Board

Why use peer review? Validates Improves article Mark of quality Requirement for publication Authors Validates Mark of quality Improves article and journal Selection process Readers Reciprocal activity Opportunity to keep up to date with field Professional activity Enjoy reading new work Reviewers The main aim is always to improve the paper and assure the quality of the research

Peer review Editorial Office (professional editors ) Hybrid (both) Associate Editors (practicing scientists) Manuscript handling and the peer-review process varies between journals and publishers

Peer review Reviewer selection considerations Specialist knowledge Speed / reliability / accuracy Questions for reviewers Correctness of experimental work Novelty and impact of work Suitability for publication in the journal Make recommendation Editor / Associate Editor’s role Interpret reviewer’s report Make decision

Editor considerations Is the research scientifically correct and robust? Is the paper ethically sound? Is the science communicated clearly, in a way that it can be easily understood? Does the manuscript present new insights that will genuinely add to the existing literature? Is the research of broad interest (will people want to read this)?

Transfers Each journal in the Royal Society of Chemistry portfolio works with the others to find a suitable home for research Pre review Post review

Revising your paper (how to deal with Review report Stick to the deadline or ask for an extension Read each report carefully Seek clarification if anything is unclear Address all the reviewer comments, even if you are not making changes Be polite – reviewing is voluntary Include personal comments about the reviewers Take any criticism personally – reviewers can help you improve the scientific quality of your paper

Good publishing practice Read and follow Ethical Guidelines Avoid plagiarism Avoid fraudulent claims Avoid fragmentation and duplicate submissions Provide in press, submitted or in preparation papers Avoid selective referencing Authorship All authors contributed All authors aware of submission

Ethics RSC has implemented CrossCheck powered by iThenticate to help us screen for plagiarism Member of COPE - Committee on Publication Ethics Be aware of self-plagiarism (e.g. Introductions)

Promotion via: –Journal publishers –Magazines / websites –University –You! Article downloaded and read: –Recognition from peers –Citations After publication

Further resources Journal Author Guidelines LearnChemisty: o How to format your bibliographic references o Guides to help you read and understand journal articles – helps with writing articles too!

Reviewing journal articles Editor’s Advice

How to write a reviewer report The aim of your report is to help the journal to decide if the work is suitable to publish When you receive a paper: Am I an expert? Will I be able to meet the deadline? Do I have a conflict of interest?

How to write a reviewer report When assessing a paper: Is the work understandable and correct? Is the work novel and interesting? Is the work well presented? Important things to remember: Keep it confidential Do not contact the authors Be objective: review the research, not the researcher

How to write a reviewer report Send your report on or before agreed deadline Follow the instructions sent by the journal Contact the journal if you have any questions Be specific, give examples to make your meaning clear Comment on what is interesting, important, novel or significant Be unbiased and objective Do nothing – if unable to review the paper - tell the journal Agree to a report but then fail to deliver Contact the authors under any circumstances Make statements/claims about the work without providing an explanation Personally criticise the authors Just focus on correcting English Recommend accepting or rejecting the paper without giving reasons

After you submit your report The Editor will consider your report, along with any others and will make a decision Accept the paper without any amendments Ask the author to revise the paper Reject the paper You may be asked to look at a revised manuscript If reviewer reports do not agree then an adjudicator reviewer may be used

Open Access and our policies

1.Subscription model – traditional model 2.‘Gold’ open access 3.‘Green’ open access Open access (OA) is the availability of electronic content to readers without any access payment Access to research

‘Article Processing Charge/Fee’ is paid on acceptance Paper is free for everyone to read from date of publication Advantages Paper freely available immediately Authors still receive ‘value-added’ services from publisher Potentially sustainable business model Disadvantages Cost could discourage some authors to publish Changeover expensive for institutes who pay to publish OA and also read non-open journal articles Gold Open Access

Paper initially published in a subscription journal Deposited in an open access repository after an embargo period Advantages Free for researchers (but repositories still cost money to set-up and run) Majority of publishers already allow some form of deposition Disadvantages Embargoes: latest research is not freely accessible Archiving: no version control of article deposited Limited search facilities and discoverability Unsustainable business model Green Open Access

“RSC supports Open Access models which seek to ensure that scholarly publishing activities operate in a long term sustainable way” Our journal articles satisfy the fundamental pillars of scholarly publishing, namely: Certification (validation of quality and integrity) Registration (recognition of achievement) Accessibility (unparalleled online access, worldwide) Archiving (reliable perpetual accessibility) Discoverability (industry leading services to identify journal articles) Our policies

Gold OA options –Gold OA journal: Chemical Science (APC waiver until end 2016) –All other journals Gold OA option - APC £1,600 (full paper) –Discounts for key customers: members and institutes subscribing to journal packages Green OA options –Allow authors to deposit accepted article version in a non- commercial repository –Embargo period of 12 months applies –Automatic deposition in CSAR Our policies

A unique initiative by the Royal Society of Chemistry Help support funder-led evolution to Gold OA Rewards institutions that subscribe to the RSC Gold journal package Subscription value awarded as ‘credit’ to make papers available via Gold OA, free of charge Successful UK pilot scheme : ‘value’ of credits distributed to exceed £1m Gold OA credits are now available worldwide to all institutions that subscribe to RSC Gold

Thank you Questions?