How to write and publish a SCI paper

1. How to write and publish a SCI paper Shaobing Peng International Rice Research Institute Presentation at Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, 7 June 2006

2. 芙蓉学者系列讲座 解读SCI及其影响因子 SCI论文写作与发表技巧 大田研究也需要黄金标准

3. Outline Why publish? Eighteen steps in writing a SCI paper Guidelines for writing each of 11 sections Language hintsforscientific English Mistakes and misconducts Selecting the right journal What to do after manuscript is returned?

4. Why write a SCI paper? If you do not publish your data, you might as well not do the experiments. If research is not published, it did not happen. Transmit information and increase knowledge. Stimulates debate. Encourage further work on subject. Open up new opportunities and new ideas.

5. The importance of publishing Publish or perish! Without publication Science is dead Good research is more important than good writing But good research is not enough

6. It is not easy to publish a SCI paper About 50% acceptance rate for Crop Science About 10% acceptance for the most prestigious journals 40% rejection without review for Field Crops Research Only 41% graduate students of plant science in the Ohio State University published SCI papers. It takes about 2-5 weeks or even more to write a SCI paper (expect 10 drafts). Half to one year is needed to publish a SCI paper.

7. Publishing is a somewhat of a game Need to learn to play 7/63

8. Total research Effective research Research written up Research published Research read Not everything is publishable (J.K. Ladha)

9. Essential elements of a SCI paper What is the rationale of a project? What is the historical context of the work? What audience are you targeting? - What journal (IF value)? How do your findings relate to the existing body of knowledge? What is the “take-home-message”? Conform to “Instructions to Authors”.

10. Steps in writing a SCI paper 1. Conduct the research (you need a sound question /hypothesis before you begin your research). 2. Be familiar with pertinent literature. 3. Identify the “take-home-message” (what was the hypothesis and what are the conclusions). 4. Write a provisional title (establish focal point of paper and scope of paper). 5. Choose the journal. 6. Familiarize yourself with journal (Instructions to Authors).

11. Steps in writing a SCI paper 7. Decide basic form of paper 8. Collect information under major headings 9. Package tables and figures 10. Construct topic outline for each heading 11. Write first draft 12. Edit, rearrange, and revise

12. Steps in writing a SCI paper 13. Put manuscript away and let incubate. 14. Revise, polish, and check figures, tables, and references. 15. English editing 16. Have manuscript reviewed in house and outside. 17. Identify potential reviewers. 18. Submit manuscript along with covering letter to the journal on-line.

13. The structure of a manuscript Title and running title Authors and addresses Abstract Keywords and abbreviations Introduction Materials and methods Results Discussion Acknowledgments References Tables and figures

14. The importance of each section Physical proportion No. of readers • Title • Abstract • Figures • Tables • Results and discussion • Rest of the paper (J.K. Ladha)

15. The order when you write paper Tables and figures (follow logic) Materials and methods Results (follow tables and figures) Introduction (outline, big → small) Discussion (outline, important parts at the beginning and end) Abstract (condensed paper)

16. Tables and figures They must be able to stand alone and be interpretable. Readers must be able to understand the information in the table without referring to the text. A clear and complete legend (sometimes called a caption) for figures and title for tables is essential. Are the data best presented as figures or as tables?

17. The choice between a figure or a table Figures are generally easier to read than tables (Hans Lambers) 17/63

18. Tables and figures Decide the order of all figures and tables. The choice between a few lines in the text or a table. Don’t put information in a table that can easily be incorporated in the text. Don’t present linear regression when one axis is not scaled (e.g., sites, species, farmers). Use recommended/preferred SI units.

19. Never connect data points if the data on the x-axis are not “scaled” – regression lines would have been a mistake! Farmer (Hans Lambers)

20. SI or recommended/ preferred units Non-SI ordiscouraged/ unacceptable units Length nm, mm, mm, m, km (i.e. m, and up and down by factors of thousand) cm, dm, hm; inch, foot, yard, mile Area nm2, mm2, mm2, m2, km2 (i.e. m, and up and down like for length) cm2, ha / acre Volume m3 (and up and down like for length); also acceptable L (and up and down by factors of thousand) cm3, gallon, cubic feet Mass g (and up and down by factors of thousand) bushel, tonne Time s; also acceptable: h, day, year min Concentrations mol m-3 (and up and down by factors of thousand); also acceptable: M (and up and down by factors of thousand); molc kg-1 cmol kg-1 g kg-1 % mg g-1, mmol mol-1 ppm, ppb Temperature Kelvin, K; Celcius, oC Fahrenheit Transpiration, photosynthesis, respiration mol m-2 s-1, nmol g-1 s-1 (and up and down by factors of thousand) mol cm-2 h-1, mol dm-2 min-1 Electrical conductivity, electricity and magnetism Siemens per meter, S m-1 (and up and down by factors of thousand) millimho per centimeter, mmho cm-1 Irradiance mmol m-2 s-1; W m-2, MJ m-2 day-1 lux Pressure, water potential Pa, kPa, MPa hPa, atmosphere

21. Materials and methods How did I do it? Describe so that someone else can repeat your experiments. Description of subjects used and study site (soil taxonomy) Proper experimental design Protocol for collecting data Proper statistical analysis Be precise (e.g. “room temperature” is not an accurate description). Pros and cons of various methods belong in the discussion section

22. Results Main purpose is to report what data were collected. Arrange a logical flow from section to section. The order of appearance of tables and figures in the text matches with their numbers. Write your results in the past tense. Use the active voice not passive voice.

23. Introduction Introduction serves four purposes: - Stimulate reader’s interest. - Outline reason for the study. - State the purpose. - State research hypotheses. Write for a wide range of interested scientists. Introductions are usually too long. Introduction not a place for great detail.

24. Introduction Your study may follow logically from previous work. Your project may have been inspired by a practical problem. The fact that nobody has done it before is not a good reason. Discuss only literature directly related to work you describe. Only cite most important papers. About 3-4 papers (never > 6) per statement. Don’t repeat abstract in introduction. Don’t repeat introduction in discussion. Finish with the aims of your work and present a clear hypothesis.

25. Discussion What do results mean? How does it relate to what else is known? Compare your results with those in the literature. Place your results in a wider context. Explain why your work is important and exciting.

26. Discussion The order in the Discussion may differ from that in Results. Don’t simply repeat results. Don’t mix fact and opinion. Clearly label speculation as such. Last part of discussion must suggest how readers might apply the information presented. Separate summary not needed. Abstract does this. List of conclusions at end of discussion is appropriate.

27. Discussion Indicate under what experimental condition, your conclusion is applicable. Be careful with “…was caused by...”, use “…was associated with…” instead. If there are minor problems in the study such as improper experimental design, varieties used, and unusual weather, you should point out them and explain in the discussion. More importantly, you need to convince the reviewers that these minor problems will not affect the conclusion of this paper. This is often a difficult section to write 27/63

28. Abstract Introduction: 1-2 sentences Objective: 1 sentence M&M: 3-4 sentences • Where-when • How set-up • How maintained • What data was taken Results: 3-4 sentences Conclusion: 1 sentence

29. Abstract Always begin with rationale and objectives, not materials and methods. Don’t use references in this part. If you must use them, then all details must be there (as in the references list, but without the title) because an abstract must stand on its own. Never use “…..are described” or “…will be presented”. Do not state “the significance of the information is discussed in the article” Make sure the main results and the “take-home-message” are there.

30. Title It should attract readers who might not otherwise read the paper (catchy). It should cover the main message and/or outcome (memorable). It should not be too long (6 to 12 words). No abbreviation and jargon Avoid Latin if suitable English is available. Avoid titles with a numbered subtitle. Don’t promise too much.

31. Avoiding low impact words in title Effect of… The effects of... A comparison of… The treatment of… Report of a case of… Preliminary study…

32. Rice yields decline with higher night temperature from global warming (Peng et al., PNAS, 2004, 9971-9975) Number of words: 10 Keywords: Rice yield Night temperature Global warming

33. References Cite in a “balanced” manner and do not ignore specific groups. Don’t cite so many old papers. Cite relevant references from potential reviewers and your own group. Avoid too many references of the work of yourself or your group. Cite a review, if you wish to refer to a fact that has been found by numerous authors. Cite textbooks only when referring to generally accepted knowledge.

34. Keywords and abbreviations Choose a limited number of keywords that adequately cover your research. Don’t use words that already appear in the title. Think of words that you would look for when doing a literature search. Define symbol the first time you use it. Avoid overusing abbreviations - HI is the ratio of GY to TDW.

35. Authors and addresses Make sure that all authors have a chance to read your manuscript before you submit it. Include the name of the institute/laboratory where the work was done as the first address. If you have moved, also add “present address”. A famous scientist as a co-author will be useful if his or her contribution to the paper is substantial.

36. The order of the co-authors The person who did the work and wrote the manuscript should be first (senior) author. Corresponding author is the one that will be the contact for the journal and correspondence that may follow after publication. Senior author and corresponding author can be the same. The research-team leader appears as the last author in some journals. In some journals, you can have two first authors with equal contribution and two corresponding authors.

37. Acknowledgments Acknowledge the input of people and agencies who allowed you to conduct the research and write this manuscript. Your technician (if not a co-author). Your colleague who gave you some bright ideas or critically read your manuscript. Someone who helped you with the language. Granting agencies. 37/63

38. Scientific English Avoid complicated sentences. Do not make sentences that are too long. The important part is placed at the beginning within a sentence. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words. A paragraph should contain no unnecessary sentences. Every word should be purposeful.

39. Every word should be purposeful It is shown that… It is emphasized that… It is a fact that… It has long been known that … It is interesting to note that… There is increasing evidence that… Appears to be (seems) In the event that (if) Higher in comparison to (more than) Eliminate words without altering the meaning of the sentence

40. Every word should be purposeful To investigate To carry out an investigation of To decide To make a decision of To explain To provide an explanation of To understand To facilitate the understanding of

41. Conciseness: make every word count

42. Be as brief as possible  Present your points in logical order. Don’t waste words telling people what they already know. Cut out excess evidence and unnecessary story. Golden rule of paper writing KISS – Keep It Short & Simple

43. Avoid double negatives The rate of photosynthesis was not very fast. The rate of photosynthesis was slow.

44. The active voice is preferred   Personal pronouns (I, we) and the active voice should be used in scientific and technical writing. This rule does not mean that you should entirely discard the passive voice. PASSIVE VOICE  ACTIVE VOICE The temperature was measured every 5 minutes by the authors of this study. We measured temperature every 5 minutes.

45. Parallelism She liked games, movies, and going to picnics. She liked games, movies, and picnics. He was intelligent but a boring boy. He was intelligent but boring. The trip had been both difficult and a great expense. The trip had been both difficult and expensive. A time not for words but action. A time not for words but for action.

46. A few more comments on language Generally, numbers of a single digit (1-9) should be written out (i.e., “nine” not “9”). Numbers of multiple digits are written in numerical form unless beginning a sentence. You are writing for other people, not yourself. You know what you mean. What about others?. Avoid the word “….respectively” “Data were collected on 12, 16, and 3 of May, May, and June in 1994, 1997, and 1998, respectively.”

47. A few more comments on language Use a spelling checker. Be clear what “it” is referring to. No invented words No laboratory jargon Correct (accurate and precise) Concise (simple) Clear Consistent The 4 C’s 47/63

48. Frequently made mistakes Invalid statistics Units lacking in tables or figures Incorrect units Cited references not given in reference list Incorrect style of referencing Too many decimal places - 0.23987 (SE = 0.05250) → 0.24 (SE = 0.05) No space between values and units, or between different units - 10mmolm-2s-1→10 mmol m-2 s-1

49. Scientific misconduct  Fabrication - making it up Falsification - changing the true description Plagiarism -  taking the words and ideas of others without citation Other practices that seriously deviate from those that are commonly accepted within the scientific community

50. Fraud in science Publication of results that you have not really acquired is considered fraud. There are examples where “scientists” have published results that were copied from other journals. Other “scientists” have published results that were not really based on actual experiments. It is one of the worst “crimes” in science. You are bound to get caught. (Hans Lambers)