II

THE PUBLICATION PROCESS

• Conduct literature review
• Start the paper
• Conduct study/analyze data
• Organize/summarize results succinctly
• Get early, frequent feedback (in "chunks")
• Formulate your key message
• Apply the "new/useful" test
• Choose your target audience
• Choose your target journal
• Read journal instructions for authors
• Draft (and debug) an abstract
• Write the first draft
• Master the literature
• Relearn, rethink, rewrite
• . . . and rewrite and rewrite
• How long?
• Critically review and finalize the abstract
• Attend to the details
• Submit article to target journal
• Have a Plan B
• Mark your calendar
Conduct literature review
Conduct literature review

Finished?
 Start the paper

even before I do the study??

 Start the paper

• Draft the Introduction

perhaps borrow from a study protocol or
grant proposal that you already wrote

• Draft dummy table shells and figure

axes for Results.
Conduct study/analyze data
Now it’s time to write the first draft,
right?

Maybe not.
Organize/summarize results succinctly

• Fill in dummy tables and figures with real data.

• Draft additional tables and figures if needed – look

at published articles for potential templates.

• Summarize each table/figure in a single sentence.

Get early, frequent feedback

in "chunks"
 Get early, frequent feedback

• Share your tables/figures and single-sentence

summaries to coauthors/colleagues. Ask if they
are clear/concise/compelling.

• Give presentations to colleagues at work, at

conferences.

• Try to formulate a concise key message.

 Get early, frequent feedback

• Share your tables/figures and single-sentence

summaries to coauthors/colleagues. Ask if they
are clear/concise/compelling.

• Give presentations to colleagues at work, at

conferences

• Try to formulate a concise key message. Get

feedback.
Please listen carefully to what I
am about to say. . .

Don’t wait for a complete draft to begin

getting feedback.
Thanks for your detailed and lengthy criticism of my manuscript.
I’ll be sure to incorporate your suggestions into my next draft.
 Formulate your key message
• Keep it simple; try to boil down to a single
sentence.

• Your message must contain something new

and useful.

• Make sure your results support your key

message.

• The message may change as you develop

the paper.
Apply the “new/useful” test
 BMJ “Rejection Checklist”
Why did we reject your paper?
• on balance, your paper is not sufficiently interesting
for general readers (relative to other papers)
• the message is not new enough
• the topic is interesting but the paper does not cover
it in enough depth
• the paper adds a small amount of new information
but not enough to warrant space in the BMJ
• the message is not useful enough in practice
 BMJ “Rejection Checklist”
Why did we reject your paper?
• on balance, your paper is not sufficiently interesting
for general readers (relative to other papers)
• the message is not new enough
• the topic is interesting but the paper does not cover
it in enough depth
• the paper adds a small amount of new information
but not enough to warrant space in the BMJ
• the message is not useful enough in practice
• What/Who is a “general reader”
 BMJ Mission Statement

to lead the debate on health, and to engage,

inform, and stimulate doctors, researchers and
other health professionals in ways that will
improve outcomes for patients
 BMJ Mission Statement

to lead the debate on health, and to engage,

inform, and stimulate doctors, researchers and
other health professionals in ways that will
improve outcomes for patients
 BMJ Mission Statement

to lead the debate on health, and to engage,

inform, and stimulate doctors, researchers and
other health professionals in ways that will
improve outcomes for patients
Choose your target audience
Choose your target journal
Choose your target journal

Criteria
– A journal that matches your target audience
– How strong is your article?
 Instructions for authors
can help to confirm whether your topic is
relevant to the journal’s mission

e.g. Is AJPH interested in global health?

“The foremost mission of the American
Journal of Public Health is to promote
public health research, policy, practice,
and education. We aim to embrace all of
public health, from global policies to the
local needs of public health practitioners.
Contributions of original unpublished
research, social science analyses,
scholarly essays, critical commentaries,
departments, and letters to the editor are
welcome.”
“The foremost mission of the American
Journal of Public Health is to promote
public health research, policy, practice,
and education. We aim to embrace all of
public health, from global policies to the
local needs of public health practitioners.
Contributions of original unpublished
research, social science analyses,
scholarly essays, critical commentaries,
departments, and letters to the editor are
welcome.”
Instructions for authors

And now for the details . . .

Certify that . . .
Final approval
of manuscript
Take public responsibility
 Your
contributions
Draft (and debug) an abstract
Draft (and debug) an abstract
• Purpose RELIABILITY
VALIDITY

• Methods RELIABILITY

• Results RELIABILITY

• Conclusions FLEXIBILITY
UTILITY
Write the first draft

Finally!
 Write the first draft

• Write for your target audience (use

appropriate terminology/jargon).

• Consider using an outline.

• Don’t sweat the grammar, syntax or details

(only you need to understand the first draft).
 When the Journal Responds
• Acknowledgment of receipt
• Internal review
• External review
• Comments from editors/referees
• Responding to the comments
• Writing the cover letter
• When to contact the editor
 When the Journal Responds
• Acknowledgment of receipt
• Internal review
• External review
• Comments from editors/referees
• Responding to the comments
• Writing the cover letter
• When to contact the editor
 When the Journal Responds
• Acknowledgment of receipt
• Internal review
• External review
• Comments from editors/referees
• Responding to the comments
• Writing the cover letter
• When to contact the editor
 How Long Does it Take?

# months
Submission to final acceptance 5
Acceptance to publication 10-12

15-17
Complete data analysis to journal submission 6-12

Begin data analysis to complete data analysis 3-8

 How Long Does it Take?

# months
Submission to final acceptance 5
Acceptance to publication 10-12

15-17
Complete data analysis to journal submission 6-12

Begin data analysis to complete data analysis 3-8

 How Long Does it Take?

# months
Submission to final acceptance 5
Acceptance to publication 10-12

15-17
Complete data analysis to journal submission 6-12
Begin data analysis to complete data analysis 3-8

24-37
The Secret of Success
 The Secret of Success

• Conduct literature review

• Start the paper
• Conduct study/analyze data
••• Organize/?summarize
succinctly
Get early,
"chunks")
Formulate frequent
your key results
feedback
message (in
•• Apply
Choose
Read the "new/useful"
your
journal target test
anaudience
journal
instructions
? debug)
Draft (and for authors
abstract
• Write the first draft
 The Secret of Success
• Conduct literature review
• Start the paper
• Conduct study/analyze data
• Organize/summarize results succinctly
• Get early, frequent feedback (in "chunks")
• Formulate your key message
• Apply the "new/useful" test
• Choose your target audience
• Choose your target journal
• Read journal instructions for authors
• Draft (and debug) an abstract
• Write the first draft
 The Secret of Success
• Conduct literature review
• Start the paper
• Conduct study/analyze data
Organize/summarize results succinctly
• Organize/summarize results succinctly
Get early, frequent feedback (in "chunks")
• Get early, frequent feedback (in "chunks")
Formulate your key message
• Formulate your key message
Apply the "new/useful" test
• Apply the "new/useful" test
Choose your target audience
• Choose your target audience
Choose your target journal
• Choose your target journal
• Read
Readjournal
journalinstructions
instructionsfor
forauthors
authors
• Draft
Draft(and
(anddebug)
debug)ananabstract
abstract
• Write the first draft