How to Get Published

Wahyu Caesarendra, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor Visiting Academic
Faculty of Integrated Technologies Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Universiti Brunei Darussalam Opole University of Technology
Brunei Darussalam Poland
 Wahyu Caesarendra, ST., M.Eng., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Brief CV Faculty of Integrated Technologies, Universiti Brunei Darusssalam
B.Eng (Hons.): Mech. Eng., Diponegoro University
M.Eng. (Hons.): Mech. Eng., Pukyong National University
Ph.D.: Mech. Eng., University of Wollongong
Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Nanyang Technological University

Research Interests:
• Product Design
• Mechatronics and Robotics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Digital Manufacturing
• Machine Learning and Deep Learning
• Internet of Things
• Signal Processing
 Wahyu Caesarendra, ST., M.Eng., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Brief CV Faculty of Integrated Technologies, Universiti Brunei Darusssalam
B.Eng (Hons.): Mech. Eng., Diponegoro University
M.Eng. (Hons.): Mech. Eng., Pukyong National University
Ph.D.: Mech. Eng., University of Wollongong
Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Nanyang Technological University

Research Interests:
• Product Design
• Mechatronics and Robotics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Digital Manufacturing
• Machine Learning and Deep Learning
• Internet of Things
• Signal Processing
Publication Profile (Google Scholar)
Publication Profile
(Scopus)
Top 2% World Scientists (2022)
 Motivation
Why we need to publish?
• Benchmark of research quality
• Knowledge dissemination
• Branding / international reference
• Career promotion / incentive
• Toward research product
commercialization
Example of Journal Submission History
Types of Journal Papers (Ex #1: Elsevier)
Types of Journal Papers (Ex #1: MDPI)
 Types of Journal Papers (Ex #1: MDPI)
Example 1: Article
 Types of Journal Papers (Ex #1: MDPI)
Example 2: Review Paper
 Types of Journal Papers (Ex #1: MDPI)
Example 3: Communication Paper
 Tips from
Elsevier and Nature
 Tips from Elsevier
How reviewers look at your paper – your top 9 questions answered by Elsevier

Q2. What is a reviewer looking for?

First of all, reviewers see whether the paper is

• within the scope of the journal,
• whether the science is good, and
• whether the paper meets the “conceptual novelty” standards of the
journal

https://www.elsevier.com/authors-update/story/peer-review/how-reviewers-look-at-your-paper-your-questions-answered
Scope of the Journal (mismatch example)
 Tips from Elsevier

Q4. English is not my first language.

Will that affect my chances of publishing?

If there are flaws in the language of a paper but the editor sees there is
great science, then your paper will still make it into the review process.
However, you may be asked to address the language later on in the
process.

https://www.elsevier.com/authors-update/story/peer-review/how-reviewers-look-at-your-paper-your-questions-answered
 Language and Tenses Selection

be sure
• write complete sentences, not too long, not too short,
• use commas properly,
• be consistent in the use of tenses,
• avoid slang, colloquialisms and jargon,
• use no contractions – “don’t”, “couldn’t”,
• write in reasonably sized paragraphs.
 Language and Tenses Selection (cont’d)

A few words of tenses:

• When describing the details of an experiment (i.e., what was
done), use past tense – “Acceleration was measured with …”;
• General truths are expressed in the present tense – “Acceleration
is difficult to measure precisely …”, as are conclusions – “In the
rotor, maximum acceleration coincides with …”
• Recommendations are often use future tense – “Modeling this
velocity structure will require …”
 Language and Tenses Selection (cont’d)

A word on voice or mood:

• Though the passive has been preferred in scientific pose, the

active voice is more vibrant, often briefer and should be used to
highlight important facts and to provide variety.
 Tips from Nature
How to get published in high-impact journals: Big research and better writing

1. Imagine your research as telling a story

Start by asking a big question, and form a logical argument. High-impact

papers need strong evidence and noteworthy conclusions.

Look to fill as many gaps in your story as possible; great research builds up
a whole picture of a system. A paper should tell a “clear, compelling story”
and be written with a chosen scientific publication in mind.

http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2014/11/03/how-to-get-published-in-high-impact-journals-big-research-and-better-writing/
Tips from Nature
1. Imagine your research as telling a story
 Figures and Tables Preparation

The following are some common figures related errors by the

authors (beginner):
• Figures are unclear and not too sharp
• x- and y-label captions and units are missing
• Figure description is repetitive
• Poor Figure layout
 Figure Description (Avoid Repetitive)

Do: Don’t:

• It is found that the measurement • Figure 1 shows that 35% of the

was effective in only 15% of the customers chose design 1, 15%
total duration of measurement as chose design 2, 10% chose design
depicted in Figure 1. 3, and 45% chose design 4.
 Tips from Nature
2. Know your audience

The readership for a scientific paper is specialised, but you should

never assume too much knowledge on readers’ parts. This is
particularly important in high-impact journals, as one of the
acceptance criteria is research with broad relevance.

http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2014/11/03/how-to-get-published-in-high-impact-journals-big-research-and-better-writing/
 Tips from Nature
3. Be short, clean and clear

Don’t underestimate the importance of a good title and

abstract. These short blocks of text — often the final
consideration when constructing a paper — will receive
far more views than the paper itself. They should be
used as a hook, to pull readers (and editors) in.

http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2014/11/03/how-to-get-published-in-high-impact-journals-big-research-and-better-writing/
Title (Example #1) – Original Title
 Tips from Nature
3. Be short, clean and clear (ex: abstract)

After the title, the abstract is the second most important section. It
should briefly introduce the topic, state the problem that the paper
is trying to address, summarise the main findings and then give a
perspective on possible benefits and utilities of these findings.

http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2014/11/03/how-to-get-published-in-high-impact-journals-big-research-and-better-writing/
Abstract (Example)
 Tips from Nature
4. Make good use of figures

Figures must visually represent your findings: they must be in a logical

order and correspond to your story. In the age of ‘big data’, figures
can become overwhelming, but you can cut them to size. “Consider
using the subset of your data that best describes your point.”

http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2014/11/03/how-to-get-published-in-high-impact-journals-big-research-and-better-writing/
Figure Resolution

What do you think of this Figure?

It is sharp enough?
Figure Axes and Units

Any suggestions for

improvement for this
Figure?
Practical Tips
 Tips No.1
1. Read papers as many as possible in particular research topic to
find the state of the art, to find gaps and to construct an idea.
 Tips No.2
2. Once you have found an idea, start writing immediately,
allocate your time and focus on the idea.
 Tips No.3
3. Note all important words, terminologies, sentences or ideas
from the papers we read.
 Tips No.4
4. Write something creative.

- A journal’s primary goal is to publish original ideas.

- A good journal is interested in disseminating new ideas, not in

publishing papers that elaborate some existing ideas or examine
the implications of a minor change in assumptions.

- Before writing, answer the question: what new ideas or results

does this paper offer?
 Tips No.5
5. Get the reviewers attention early.

- Provide evidence of why it is interesting (i.e., why it should be

published) in the introduction.
- Most referees make up their mind at the first bite, i.e., within 15
minutes of reading a paper.
- If the referee don’t like a paper, they begin to look for reasons to
justify why the paper should be rejected.
- If the referee loses interest from reading the introduction, he/she
might postpone reading the paper.
 Tips No.6
6. Prepare the manuscript properly
 Common Paper Structure

Papers that report experimental work are often structured

chronologically in 5 sections:
• Introduction
• Methods (or Materials and Methods)
• Experimental Setup and Data Collection Body of paper
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusions
 Common Paper Structure
Papers that report experimental work are often structured
chronologically in 5 sections:
• Introduction
• Methods (or Materials and Methods)
• Experimental Setup and Data Collection
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusions
Papers reporting something
other than experiments
(e.g., new method or
technology, typically have
different sections in their
body, but they include the
same Introduction and
Conclusion)
 Common Paper Structure
Papers that report experimental work are often structured
chronologically in 5 sections:
• Introduction
• Methods (or Materials and Methods)
• Experimental Setup and Data Collection
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusions
 Common Paper Structure
Papers that report experimental work are often structured
chronologically in 5 sections:
• Introduction
• Methods (or Materials and Methods)
• Experimental Setup and Data Collection
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusions
 Prepare the Supporting Documents

Other documents needed

for submission (Elsevier):
• Cover Letter
• Highlights
• Declaration of competing
interests
• Graphical abstract
 Prepare the Supporting Documents
Other documents needed
for submission (Elsevier):
• Cover Letter
• Highlights
• Declaration of competing
interests
• Graphical abstract
 Prepare the Supporting Documents

Other documents needed

for submission (Elsevier):
• Cover Letter
• Highlights
• Declaration of competing
interests
•Graphical abstract
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568494618300140
Thank You

Q and A