Important tips for how to publish research paper 2023

As a researcher, one is taking giant steps towards elevating essential know-how. A researcher’s achievements can – 

• help save human lives, 
• transform the manner in which humans perceive the world around them, and 
• improve the quality of life dramatically. 

When a researcher is ready to share their knowledge, the best way to do it is by having their work published. Researchers are, however, always on the lookout for a quick way to publish their work in a journal. By following the tips detailed below, researchers should be able to accomplish this easily. 

• Choosing The Best Way To Translate Research In Written Form
  • Academic and research articles come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with every one of these types invented to support research published at varying stages, in various fields, and to share diverse aspects of the research.
  • Full articles contain important data, details, developments, and findings.
  • Letters and brief reports are intended for quick and early communication of meaningful or original advances without including too much data or detail.
  • Review articles summarize developments on a specific topic without introducing new data.
  • Articles on research elements complement the full research documents and describe the findings, such as data, methods and protocols, code, and hardware. 
  • If a researcher is unsure of what type of article to write, the best thing for them to do would be to discuss their options with their supervisor or coworkers. 
  • It is also important to keep in mind that not all journals accept all types of articles.

• Preparation Is Half The Job Done
  • Before a researcher begins, they should gather all of their content. This includes – 
    • their results, 
    • lab notes, 
    • observations, 
    • methods, 
    • ideas from previous research, 
    • any multimedia content, and most importantly, 
    • their references. 
  • After having accumulated all these vital ingredients, they can better organize their thoughts and plan their research paper.
  • A full article normally follows a standard structure, which most journals tend to adhere to. 
  • But it’s always best for researchers to consult their guides for information on a journal that they are planning to submit to before they begin, as they may need to follow special instructions. 
  • If they are writing a different type of article, they may still be able to apply some of the tips identified below but should be sure to check out the guide for authors.
  • One way to start a manuscript is to create a skeleton template of the article sections. This includes- 
    • the title;
    • the abstract; 
    • the introduction; 
    • the methods section; 
    • the discussion section,  
    • the findings as well as the acknowledgments sections. 
  • One can then easily add content in each section and work on them as they keep progressing. 

• Don’t Overlook Keywords
  • Most journals ask for a list of keywords – important words that are relevant to the work a researcher is presenting, and that effectively capture research.
  • Keywords are used by summary and indexing services, and choosing the right ones can increase the chances that a researcher’s article will be found by other searchers. 
  • To choose keywords, it can be useful for a researcher to imagine their readers looking for research that interests them and think about the keywords that they would most likely use to find their research article. 
  • Don’t Underestimate SEO
    • Researchers should always make their articles more visible with the help of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. 
    • With the sheer number of research articles available today, it’s not that hard for a researcher’s work to get lost in the noise, no matter how groundbreaking in nature the work might be. 
    • By simply paying attention to a few critical factors, researchers can ensure that their article is optimized for popular search engines and ready to be discovered by the widest possible audience.
    • Some important SEO tips for researchers to follow include – 
      • Using keywords, especially in the title and summary.
      • Adding captions with keywords to all photographs, images, charts, and tables.
      • Adding titles or subheadings (with keywords) to different sections of an article. 
      • Making sure to place links to an article on relevant websites. For instance, the website of the institute that the researcher belongs to, Wikipedia, LinkedIn, blogs, and other popular social networking platforms.

• Use Graphic Summaries Wisely
  • Many journals support graphic summaries. 
  • A graphical summary is a useful way to provide a visual summary of an article’s primary research outcomes and findings. 
  • These graphic summaries not only appear in the article on ScienceDirect but also in the results lists returned by online search engines. 
  • Graphic summaries can be shared on social media or directly with colleagues to help a researcher grow their audience. 
  • Researchers can also avail help creating graphic summaries from professional services offered by organizations such as IFERP.

• Add Comprehensive Research Data
  • Adding research data forms the backbone of a research article and provides the foundation upon which scientific, technical, and medical knowledge is built. 
  • This research data typically includes, but is not limited to – 
    • raw data,
    • processed data, 
    • software, 
    • algorithms, 
    • protocols, 
    • methods, 
    • materials. 
  • Researchers can also get credit for their research data and code and make it findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (these four attributes are typically referred to by the ‘FAIR’ acronym) in accordance with Community standards on best practice in research data management. 
  • As a researcher, one is increasingly encouraged and even empowered to make their research data and other research results available. 
  • To help authors comply with donor requirements and align with guidelines for promoting transparency and openness for research, a lot of popular journals have established data-sharing guidelines.
  • Including all data (which includes, as mentioned above, everything from raw and processed data files to code, software, models, algorithms, protocols, methods, and everything in between) is a critical step in a researcher publishing their work. 
  • This may entail – 
    • having their data or code published as a research material article, 
    • subsequently linking their article to an already deposited dataset, and finally either uploading it to the Mendeley Data Repository, or sharing a statement about their data or their code.
  • Citing Data 

Researchers benefit greatly from citing research data and code in their articles and adding a reference to it.

• Publishing A Concise Data-Driven Article 

Publishing a short, peer-reviewed article and citing it often proves to be incredibly advantageous.

• Linking An Article To Data & Code From Supported Repositories

Researchers should always create two-way links between their articles and datasets or code deposited in repositories such as Github and Mendeley Data.

• Uploading To Mendeley Data 

Researchers can make use of repositories such as Mendeley Data to store their data so that it gets a DOI, making it quotable and fair. Attend an international conference in 2023 to find out more about the Mendeley Data repository and all of its uses. 

• Refined Writing 
  • Refined writing in an article can mean the difference between acceptance and rejection of the article. 
  • It is crucial to ensure that the language being used is clear and error-free for two main reasons –
    • The clearer the researcher’s language, the more easily and accurately people will understand their work and their message.
    • Mistakes disengage readers – if a researcher’s work is full of errors, their readers will be distracted and question the quality of their work. This is especially important when the reader is reviewing their journal submission.
  • A researcher’s article should reflect their findings and conclusions in the clearest and most concise manner possible. 
  • To achieve this – 
    • Researchers should try to avoid unnecessary words or phrases and instead keep things simple.
    • Researchers should look to use active voice when possible. Active writing helps shorten sentences, making them more lively and easy to understand.
  • Time is important. For known facts and assumptions, it is best to use the present tense. But using the past tense when referring to experiments that were carried out is highly recommended, while using the past tense to describe the results works well. 
  • Opting For A Professional Research Writing & Editing Service Provider
    • IFERP offers a host of editing services that ensure a researcher’s article is free from grammatical, spelling, and other errors, giving them a better chance at having their research published and widely read by their target audience worldwide. 
    • IFERP also offers translation services to help researchers communicate their research in English. 
    • Translations are carried out by native English-speaking doctoral students or doctoral students in their field of study and verified by bestselling authors.

• Making Use Of Journal Metrics To Pick The Most Appropriate & Widely-Recognized Journal Possible 

When a researcher is reviewing a long list of potential journals for their next submission, how do they decide which ones to select and which to submit? 

The metrics of a journal for publishing a research paper play a crucial role in helping researchers make an informed decision.

• Impact
  • ‘CiteScore’ is a metric for the average citations received per paper published in the journal.
  • ‘Impact Factor’ is a Clarivate metric that offers the value for the number of times an average article in the journal is published.
  • ‘5-year impact factor’ is again a Clarivate metric that offers the value of the ‘Impact factor’ based on five years of history.
  • The ‘Article Influence & Eigenfactor’ metric offers the value for the number of citations from high-level journals (which are more important and influential than those from lower-ranking journals).
  • The ‘Source-Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP)’ metric offers the value for the impact of an article in a domain.
  • The ‘SCImago Journal Rank (SJR)’ metric, which is a prestige metric, is based on the thought that “not all citations hold the same value”.
• Speed
  • The number of weeks (on average) that it takes for an item to be revised.
  • The number of weeks (on average) that it takes for an article to reach key publication points in the production process.
• Reach
  • The number of downloads at the national/regional level over the last five full years available.
  • The number of principal correspondents at the national/regional level over the last five full years available.

• Nail The Peer Review Process
  • The peer review is the foundation of the academic publishing process. Journals rely on this process to ensure the quality and validity of individual articles. 
  • As such, critics play a central role in scholarly publishing. 
  • The peer review system exists to validate academic work, helps improve the quality of published research, and increases networking opportunities within research communities. 
  • There are several types of peer review; researchers can discover what type of reviewing process a journal uses in the author’s guide.
    • Single Blind Review 

The reviewer names are hidden from the authors. This is the traditional approach of peer review.

• Double-Blind Review 

The reviewer and author are both anonymous. This limits bias, and articles are rated on content only. However, it is difficult to ensure total anonymity.

• Triple-Blind Review 

Reviewers are anonymous, and the identity of the author is unknown to reviewers and the editor. Articles are anonymized upon submission.

• Open Review 

This is a generic term for several models. The most common definition is where the reviewer and author know each other during the review process. Open peer review can involve the publication of the names of reviewers, reviewer reports, and author responses.

• Partaking in an upcoming conference in 2023 is sure to help you learn more about the reviewing process followed by the biggest journals in the world and how to prepare for them.

• Maintain Ethical Standards
  • A researcher’s publications reflect the quality of their work and the work done in their institution.
  • Peer-reviewed articles are essential elements of knowledge, and they embody the scientific method. 
  • It is therefore important to agree on standards of expected ethical behavior.
  • Academic misconduct and the violation of publishing ethics are often ambiguous and can be committed knowingly or not. 
  • Here are some examples of misconduct and shortcomings – 
    • Authorship Disputes 

Deliberately distorting a researcher’s relationship with published work.

• Competing Interests

Reviewers failing to disclose to a journal that they have a direct or indirect conflict that prevents them from being impartial.

• Plagiarism 

Passing off someone else’s work or idea as one’s own.

• Simultaneous Submission 

The submission of an article to more than one research paper publication at the same time.

• Research Fraud  

This includes fabrication (constitution of research data) and forgery (manipulation of research.

• Publicizing A Published Article 
  • Sharing and promoting a published article is an important part of academic research in terms of promoting the propagation of scientific information in one’s field and allowing their article to contribute to wider scientific progress.
  • Researchers can benefit from sharing the appropriate version of their articles which ensures that –
    • they always receive credit, and
    • the integrity of the scientific file is not compromised.
  • Responsible sharing in accordance with copyright laws enables publishers to maintain high-quality journals and the services they provide to the research community.
  • Presenting At A Conference
    • Presenting and networking personalize a researcher’s work, giving it a face and a voice and helping create new opportunities for collaboration. 
    • Making sure to connect with other delegates on Facebook and LinkedIn and directing them to a website or blog is something that all published research authors should do.
    • Researchers who are creating a poster for a conference must post it on their website and provide links on their blog, media profiles, online CV, or corporate page. 
    • Want to attend an upcoming conference? Take a look at this list of forthcoming college conferences.
  • Using Social Networking Platforms
    • Popular social media platforms are great places to share research. 
    • With a link, researchers can promote their articles on social media, providing fifty days of free access to their readers. 
    • Social media is also a place for online networking. 
    • Researchers can reach audiences beyond their network by tagging and interacting with universities, corporations, publishers, and peers. 
    • They don’t need to be present everywhere – by choosing the platform(s) that suits them the best, they can build an online profile and expand their reach. And they can also track and measure the impact they are having through their work using PlumX.