Editor: Professor DEMETRIOS A. SPANDIDOS, BSc, PhD, FRCPath, DSc, FRSH, FASA
Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
When deciding which journal to submit your paper, you should consider who would be interested in your results. A small number of scientists working in your special field only, or would it be of interest to others working in complementary or parallel fields. Next, evaluate the level of significance of your findings. In this process your colleagues will be of great help, as very few of us are critical enough of our own work. Over-estimation, might cost you many months of frustration and uncertainty. Consider carefully whether there is a need to submit to a so-called prestigious journal, where the disappointment is very likely. Any established journal will forward the Abstracts of all published works to various databases, thus yours will have equal opportunity to be noticed, regardless of the journal in which it is printed.
It is of interest to study how long the time period is from publishing to finding the entry in, for example, Medline or Current Contents Citation index; as these are the ‘advertising windows’ frequently used in search of new information. This leads us to the next very important point to establish how long the review and publications process is likely to be. Previous issues will indicate the trend, and this is of major importance, as the process varies greatly from a few months to over one year. Thus, before submitting do some research on rapid publication, if you need a reply within a reasonable time period. To ensure that your paper will receive a warm welcome at the Editorial Office, follow closely the Instructions to Authors for the journal you have decided on. It is unlikely that the Editor will be pleased to review a paper not submitted in the style required, especially regarding time-consuming changes such as the style of references. It is always a good idea to be brief and to the point, and in case English is not your first language, this becomes essential. Do not try to impress with complicated sentences which are hard to follow. Decide what the main message is and formulate a short title based on this. Give only a taste of what is to follow, not the whole recipe, i.e. do not include too many details. The abstract section is of great importance. Include only the essential information for your study to be understood, by the reviewers, or later by a person finding it in the databases. Make it interesting enough for the reader to wish to continue. Emphasize novel findings, give a general outline, not too many details.
Introduction comes next. Be very strict in what you decide to include in a way of general information. Only previous work very closely relating to your new efforts should be included. Leave out all generalizations and routine information known to persons working in your field of interest. Remember that the reader should not get bored or confused, but be helped to understand your reasons for studying this particular aspect. Materials and methods are a matter of good record-keeping. Terminology used should be found in journals, not translated using the dictionary as this is hazardous, to say the least. When completed, evaluate if you would be able to repeat your finding based on the information given. Clarity is essential in the Results section, if Tables are used, do not repeat the same details in the text, only refer to the main findings in a manner of summary. Figures enhance the final article, and make it easier to understand, however, make sure they are of good quality, especially the line-art should be strong enough for good reproduction. Avoid figures with various grey scale, using instead, for example, columns with clear difference for easy identification.
Avoid the temptation of a long Discussion section. Similarly to the Introduction, focus on the main points. Do not generalize, or give endless variations as to the possible importance of your results. Compare your results with other relevant work, without using too frequently words such as suggest, may, might, possibly... Do not under-estimate the value of a second opinion. Ask as many colleagues or other suitable persons as possible to read your work before submission. Two pairs of eyes is definately better than one. Having completed your manuscript, keep a final copy clearly labelled, it would come as a surprise to you to know how often the incorrect information is submitted in a disk format, and this of course causes delay to publication. Preparing a manuscript is much more than just good knowledge of your own project, or competent English, and one of the major factors is good organization. This applies to the general handing of the data, as well as to the way you present your points in writing. When writing, keep in mind that the reader might not be as involved, or interested in everything you wish to say, keep his interest by presenting your case clearly and to the point. Be self-critical, and the success is yours.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE 7: 579, 2001
http://www.spandidos-publications.com/pages/static.jsp?content=clarity
