Unit 11徐.docx

1、Unit 11徐Unit 11. Paper Publication Successful publication is more a matter of planning and persistence than brilliance. -F. MostellerTo get the research published, undoubtedly, is the ultimate goal of writing an academic article. An author may have identified the target journals in the academic file

2、d she/he works in as easy as she/he develops the research proposal. Few authors, however, work effectively in the process of publishing papers until after they have published a few manuscripts. To smooth the publishing ride, the authors should know the nuances of the process that can smooth the jour

3、ney.11.1 Choice of Target Journals 11.1) Necessary Selection Although most researchers would like very much to publish their work, the problem for new authors is breaking the ice by submitting their first manuscript to a journal. Since there are numerous international periodicals for scientists, eng

4、ineers, and other professionals to publish their research results and thoughts, a careful selection of target journals is important for an author to improve the acceptance rate his paper. Cautious and correct journal selection proves to be a leading factor in paper publication for the following reas

5、ons: (1) The great variety of sciences and technology. (2) The availability of numerous international professional journals. (3) Serious intersection and overlapping. (4) Rules of paper publication: one paper is only submitted to one journal. Multiple submission, or simultaneous submission, to journ

6、als is not only immoral but also impermissible. Therefore, the significance of the selection of target journals prior to submission can not be over-exaggerated. One of the main purpose of this course is to make publishing papers in international journals easier and faster for the course-takers. Sinc

7、e many papers are submitted to professional journals, any submitted paper will have to be competing with others for a place in a future issue. A submitted paper must, of course, be a piece of really sound scientific research work, and it must be written in clear and correct language. Also, as we hav

8、e known from the previous units, each journal has its own guidelines that help authors understand what that journal considers acceptable. However, before a writer starts writing, he must decide to which journal he intends to submit the paper. One guideline is to “write for what you read.” In other w

9、ords, the writer may start by submitting articles to the journals he read and the journals he cited in his reference lists. This unit and the units to follow will contain more specific information to guide paper submitters in finding a suitable journal. They will learn more about how to appropriatel

10、y identify the journals for their articles. Also, they will start the process of choosing the journal to which they will submit their article during, which or after this course. Remember: A paper will be accepted only by an editor who considers its topic and format appropriate for those who read tha

11、t journal. Even if the research is wonderful and the English is excellent, an editor may reject the article because it is not suitable for that particular journal. By finding the journals that are the most likely and most desirable “homes” for the submitted papers the writers can avoid wasting time

12、and effort. Instead of sending papers to a wrong journal, where the submission might get rejected, the writer should start writing his paper with an appropriate journal in mind. Thus, the submitted paper will have a much chance of acceptance for publication.11. 2) Needed Information In order to cate

13、r to the interest of the journal and the editors predisposition, the authors choice must be based on the comprehensive and accurate information about the target journal. Commonly the overall information about the target journal can be summed up as follows:(1) Formal name of the journal: If the journ

14、al has a supplement, its name should be enclosed in the formal name, e.g., Proceedings of the Royal Society of LondonA Mathematical and Physical Science.(2) Category of the periodical: There are different categories of periodicals, as has been discussed previously. Writers have to make sure of the s

15、pecific category of the target journal, for example, is it a journal, acta, bulletin, letters, or rapid communications, review, proceedings?(3) Address for the correspondence: this includes the city, and the country where the journal is sponsored.(4) Nature of the journal: included are its feature,

16、editorial policies, criteria of paper acceptance, the design of its fixed columns, the editors interest, the main purpose of the journal (for example, is the journal published for the accumulation of research achievements or just indexes for information search), etc.(5) Specific requirements set for

17、th by the journal: the requirements may include, for example, the language, writing genre, printing format, length permitted, the number of copies required, etc. for a particular journal to which a writer is to submit his paper, more detailed information is needed, for example, the favorite terminol

18、ogy, voices, and the like used in articles, and the preference of the editor, etc.(6) Publication procedures(7) Publication charges(8) Copyright transfer(9) Reprints. Consider the number, quality, publication period, date of the reprints, etc.(10) Other considerationsAlthough authors may put differe

19、nt weights on various aspects of the background of a journal, the above information would cover most of what an author needs to know prior to submitting his paper.11. 3) Available channels Authors can easily gather information of the journals of their own specialty or profession. Most experienced co

20、ntributors may have intimate knowledge of how to get this kind of information since they have been working in their profession for years. The following points prove the most effective channels for collecting necessary information about various journals. (1) Books or Periodicals Carrying Journal Info

21、rmation Currently, there are quite a lot of reference books and periodicals providing comprehensive, concise, and accurate information on different kinds of journals. Take Ulrichs International Periodicals Directory for example, it is a comprehensive directory covering the periodicals all over the w

22、orld. The main body of this directory provides information on the periodicals including publication nationality, classification, the formal name, language, publication period, editors, the publishers name, the address of editors or the publisher, main characteristics, the circulation, etc. this dire

23、ctory has become very influential in the world of information retrieval.(2) A Journal Itself Professionals can collect the necessary information about a specific journal by accessing the journal directly because most of the necessary information can be found in various parts of the journal. These pa

24、rts include the following: a. Front and back over: we can find the formal name, the volume number, the publication time, the publisher, and the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), etc.b. Name page and the spine: we can find the formal name, the volume number, the publication time, the publi

25、sher, the number of pages, etc.c. Copyright page: in this section, there are usually the formal name, the publication period, sponsors, the publisher, editors, the features and purposes of the journal, specially copyright announcement, etc.d. Table of contents: this table usually contains the inform

26、ation on main columns, fixed columns, etc.e. Advertisement(s)f. Indexg. Various notices: some important information (e.g., the editors and the publishers policy, the criteria for accepting papers, the publication procedures) is usually made known in the sections.h. Others: “Notes for Contribution”,

27、“Announcement form the publisher”, “Guidelines for the Submission of Manuscripts”, “Instructions to Authors”, etc. (3) Consultation Consultation is another efficient way. For example, authors can consult the information department of major libraries about international journals. Not only can authors

28、 be provided with comprehensive and accurate information, but also be helped to understand how to make full use of the information. Authors can also consult with experts, professors, specialists in the specific field, because they possess this kind of information and have a lot of practical experien

29、ce in journal selection and paper publication. The information and experience they provide can be very precious and accurate.(4) The Internet Computer and communication technology develops so quickly that the global computer network-the Internet has been very popular. Currently, World Wide Web (WWW)

30、 is the most popular media in the Internet. WWW is easy for users to learn and access. Therefore, most of the famous international publishers, journals or periodicals, and professional societies have built their own Homepages to issue information in the Internet, which a writer can use if he knows t

31、he Universal Resource Location (URL) of the Homepages of journals. If a writer does not know the URL, he can still use the powerful search engines (e.g., Yahoo, Lycos) which contain millions of entries about the Internet in their databases to find the target URL and then retrieve what he needs. Auth

32、ors can also use E-mail to contact editors directly.4) Accountable Factors On the basis of the information above, authors can make a selection among professional journals. In addition, there are some other factors that should be taken into account when they determine a target journal. The authors are supposed to answer the following questions:(1) Professionally Suitable?Authors should get to know the main features of their target journals (e.g., main purposes, the scope of specialty, the criteria of paper selection, the prospective readers, etc.), and the target journal should be suita