Core reminder: Professor Zhen He from Washington University in St. Louis was invited by professor Zhi Luo to visit ourFisheries Forum and give an online academic lecture on how to publish high-level research papersin July 30, 2020.
(Pictures supplied by the correspondent Jianduo Zhen) The 20008th academic activity of theFisheries Forum was held online through Tencent Conference APPin July 30. Professor He from Washington University in St. Louis delivered a report on how to publishhigh-levelresearch papers. As the chief-editor and co-chief-editor in many journals, ProfessorHe owns extensive experiences inpeer review andunderstanding the process of peer review.
Professor He firststarted his reportwith why researchers should publish articles.He stated his view that the publication of research papers is to record and communicate scientific information. Professor He emphasized the value of paper publishing. The publication of a high-levelpaper needs the uniqueness and novelty of the contents, andalso needs the authors to understand the whole process from submission to receiving.
Professor He said that after a manuscript submitted, the journal will distributeit to the editors or deputy editors. Then, a preliminary check will be carried out, which means thecheck ofrepetition rate, conformity,innovation, and format of the manuscript.Duplicate Checking is the first step, which also is the most direct and simple step.“Conformity of content” is a very common reason for rejection. Professor He hopes that researchersshould be familiar with the journals and focuson their own areas, and try not to submit to other fields just in order to pursue high impact factors. Because of "innovation" being rejected is also usual. For instance, the same principlewas confirmed bydifferent materials; superficial listing of data without analysis and discussionwas performed. The format of themanuscript reflects theauthorattitude to the submission. ProfessorHe believes that itis a good habit and respect for the journal to devote himself to understand the format requirements of the journal beforemanuscript submission.
After the first trial passed, the manuscript will be subject totheexternal review. The reviewers generally have 21 days to complete andthe review maytake several rounds which depends on the degree of revision and the reviewer'scomments. Thereviewer comments are diverse,but theyare conductive to improve the quality of themanuscript. It is necessary to revise seriously, replythe comments in details or reasonably refute. Don't lose heart for being rejected. We can fight reasonably, connect with the responsible editor, explaining and requesting for resubmission or transfer to other journals. Aftermanuscriptaccepted, the journal will ask the author to fill thecopyrightinformationform,to decide thepicture color and whether open access, etc. Professor He suggests that the picture color should be chosen in black and white, and hopes that the researchers will promote their articles through social network after the official publishment.
Through this report, teachers and students of the college have a deeper and more comprehensive understanding for the process of submission, the review process of manuscripts, and the countermeasures after rejection.
Reviewer: Xiaojuan Cao
Translator: Tianyao Nie, Yuan Sun
