If your goal is to get your scientific paper accepted into a journal, be published, and get cited, there are a few tactics that will help you along the way. You may assume that only the best research gets published and mentioned, but that is untrue. An article that is well-written and easy for the reader to understand has higher chances of being accepted and praised. Even if your research is great, it needs to be presented in a professional and effective manner, and this is often a sign of who is an expert in the field.
An article that is well-written and easy for the reader to understand has higher chances of being accepted and praised. Even if your research is great, it needs to be presented in a professional and effective manner...
Yes, good research is important and poor research is unlikely to get published. But even if the research is great, there is SERIOUS competition involved with getting published in a journal. The more prestigious the journal, the greater the competition. So, how can you stand out? Here are four critical tips for success.
I. Thesis
Starting with the assumption that your research is of good quality, the next step is focusing your efforts on the organization and writing of the paper. If you were to describe the overall purpose, or thesis, of the paper, what would it be? This is a critical step in writing an article that will get accepted. An editor must be able to summarize your research in one or two sentences after reading your paper, so you must take the time to have a solid thesis.
A lot of papers go unpublished because the organization and thesis are not recognizable. You should have the main statement and a few supporting claims reiterated throughout the article.
II. Abstract
Your abstract is the most read part of your article. It represents the entire paper, and, in many cases, it is the only part of the paper people will read. Therefore, it needs to communicate the purpose of the article, the thesis, and the other supporting claims. Your abstract must be a stand-alone piece. That is what journal editors will consider when they determine whether to publish your research.
Your abstract is the most read part of your article.
Not only is your abstract essential because it is the gateway to your paper, but it is also how people will find your document. Journals thrive on citations; they want people to see, read, and cite your article. Journals want to publish papers with strong abstracts that include searchable keywords because an article easily searched is more likely to be found and cited. You must pay special attention to your abstract for these two reasons.
III. Language
Proofreading and polishing your writing is the final step that must be taken before it can be considered complete.
Journals are professional publications and they expect your writing to represent them. You must keep your language in your article professional. That includes avoiding jargon, unnecessary fluff, and arrogance. You want to be concise, factual, and accurate.
If you are unsure about how to approach writing your article, read some previously published work from a journal of interest. This type of reading is slightly different than reading for content or information, as you will be reflecting more on sentence structure, word usage, and flow.
Always edit and polish your paper (essay, e-mail, memo, or any other written document) before submitting it to a journal.
Proofreading and polishing your writing is the final step that must be taken before it can be considered complete. This ensures it is written well, precise, and easy to read and understand.
After all the work you’ve done writing, the last thing you want is to risk your paper being rejected for language reasons. The safest method is to hire a professional editor to proofread and edit your academic paper. Poor language is one of the top reasons why journals reject articles. Having a well written paper allows reviewers and readers to focus on the quality of the research being presented.
IV. Conclusion
What can you infer from your results?
Your conclusion needs to be an area of focus area when writing if you want your article to get accepted. In many ways, the concluding section should reiterate what you said in your abstract.
Your conclusion must ensure that your main thesis clear. It should also state your claims based on your research. The conclusion should answer the question of: What can you infer from your results? It is helpful if you can organize your claims in your conclusion to be the same as the order of the research in the results section that supports each claim.
The end of your conclusions section should touch on future research, future applications, and future experiments. Can this work be applied to anything else? What are the future directions for research?
If you have a solid thesis, abstract, and conclusion section, you increase the chances of your article being published. It’s not unusual for the editor of a journal to request some revisions. You may need to hire a professional editing firm depending on the extent of the edits that are required. But, by focusing on these critical areas, you will give your academic article the best chances of being published.
