Have you ever wonder if there are unspoken rules about how to get published in academic publishing? If so, keep reading. In this post, I share my set of rules thoughtfully gathered by the coworkers from Longwoods Publishing.
Working for an academic publishing company has it’s undeniable privileges. You get to rub elbows with smart people and have your intellectual capacities tested every day. You’ll also see more CI, SD and p-values on a daily basis than your university statistics professor could ever imagine. And the bonus point? You got to claim red felt-tip pens and colourful sticky notes as a business expense!
But the best part is, that you are gifted with a copy of your own, personal – albeit yet-to-be-indexed – journal upon parting with said company. I realize I might be speaking in too broad terms, but the above has been my experience of working at Longwoods Publishing. And if anyone should wonder, Longwoods and I are still friends and continue to work together. I just completed the 10th volume of Healthcare Policy’s as its managing editor.
The journal “We’re Sad to See You Go” was in fact a good-bye card cleverly designed to match the format of the very real (and very much indexed!) journal World Health & Population, which it happens I also used to manage. (Great job, Antony! I’ve always been a pirate at heart.) The special focus of this journal was: “Ania’s Rules How to Get Published,” with the “article titles” being the truths my colleagues claim to heard me saying over the years. Let’s have a look at the cover.
Ania’s Rules for How to Get Published
1. Read the Author Guidelines: They Were Created for a Reason
Yes, yes and a hundred times yes! If you are a prospective author wanting to submit your paper to a journal, please make yourself familiar with the author guidelines. They will give you a basic understanding of what kind of submissions we are looking for. While they won’t answer overly specific questions, they’re a good place to start. Once you’re familiar with our guidelines and still have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. Editors are humans too and don’t mind answering specific questions. However, please be advised that:
2. Ask Questions Carefully: Despite What You Have Heard, There ARE Stupid Questions
I’m aware it might sound contradictory to what I’ve just said, but sadly yes, there are stupid questions. One example will be asking whether it’s OK to submit a paper twice as long as the word limit. For those still wondering – no, it’s not OK!. Another example – ask the editor for advice whether to withdraw their paper to avoid the rejection. (I wish I was making up this example – heavy sigh – and it happened on more than one occasion.) Also, asking the editor to select the right section of the journal based solely on the title of your paper does not reflect well on you. We are good at our job but we’re not clairvoyants. The more information we have about your submission, the better the chances of finding it a “good home.”
3. Mind the Word Limit: That’s 3,500, Not 4,500 or 5,500
If I could receive $10 for every time I had to send a paper back asking to be “condensed,” my favourite charity would be securely funded till the end of this century. I understand that the qualitative research is more “wordy” and presenting its results in a concise way can be a challenge. We are allowed a certain level of leniency, for as long as the we know about the issue upfront. The cover letter is the best place to do so, and make sure to present a good rationale. If there’s a good reason for exceeding the word limit, we won’t hold it against you.
However, submitting a paper that’s twice the recommended length with no word of explanation is a big no-no. It doesn’t matter if the authors have lost their focus, or were channeling their inner James Joyce. Such a paper will be returned for “condensing” – if we’re in a good mood. Although I can’t recall the worst offender, I’m pretty positive it was in the proximity of 9,000 words. Without the tables, appendices and references. The word limit was 3,500…
4. Stay within Scope: We Don’t Care Who Your Mother Is, We’re Not Publishing Your Crap
This one have actually happened and to this date makes me cringe. The purpose of a peer review process is to publish strong research. We don’t reject papers just to spite you, we like when your papers get published. I don’t even like formatting and sending off the rejections letter! Mature researchers are able to accept the rejection and use the comments of anonymous reviewers as a feedback, not a personal critique. No need to have your parent call and try to intimidate us into publishing “such a good paper.” You will leave a bad impression and might ended up on our black list. After all:
5. Never Annoy an Editor: Pissed-Off Editors Can Make Your Life Very Difficult
I’ve heard this one probably on the first day on the job, and if not, it must have been during the first week for sure. Dianne attributes these words of wisdom to George Pink, who – I presume – must have either learned them the hard way. Or maybe he has met very wise mentors early in his career. Just to clarify – editors are nice and understanding, usually. We know our role and take great pride in the quality of the work that leaves our hands.
For me, one of the most satisfying aspect of my job is working with junior researchers on their first serious submission. I really enjoy seeing them grow with each new submission into much more confident authors and reviewers. Going that extra mile explaining the process of how to get published, or even reassuring – within the frames defined by the peer review process – is rewarding. But only if there’s a genuine interest in learning and I feel I’m being treated as a partner.
What I don’t appreciate is a condescending tone and being treated as a unnecessary middle man. Or a semi-skilled worker who has nothing better to do than fixing someone’s sloppiness or explaining things that are outlined in the author guidelines. And I think it goes without saying that I don’t like being yelled at either. After all, I’m just a messenger, please don’t shoot.
As you can see only fiver rules to get published. Not too bad, eh?
Thank you the Longwoods’ team for this unforgettable card and an inspiration for this post!
