The goal of this book is to make it easier for scientists, especially those new to scientific writing, to write about their results and to get their manuscripts accepted in peer-reviewed journals. The book covers each step throughout the submission process, from organizing and outlining the manuscript, presenting statistical data and results, to what happens during the in-house manuscript review process and what to do if an article is initially rejected. In addition to providing practical exercises on these topics, the book focuses on helping writers distil their research into concise take-home messages for readers, in order to convey information as clearly as possible to the target audience.

Autorentext

Dr. Richard Gladon, PhD (Ohio State University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University. A former Fulbright scholar, Dr. Gladon has over 30 years of teaching and research experience, and holds several patents. Dr. J. Michael Kelley,?PhD (University of Tennessee) is a Professor and Dean of the College of Natural Resources at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. With over 100 published articles to his credit, Dr. Kelly has also served as a reviewer for various granting agencies, including the National Science Foundation. Dr. William Graves, PhD (Purdue University) is a Professor in the Department of Horticulture as well as the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Iowa State University. Dr. Graves has published dozens of articles in the biological sciences.

Klappentext
A unique guide to developing and writing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals This book makes it easier for scientists, particularly those new to professional scientific writing, to write about their results and get their manuscripts accepted by refereed journals in the biological/life/natural sciences. It covers each step throughout the submission process, from organizing and outlining the manuscript and presenting statistical data and results to what happens during the in-house manuscript review process and what to do if an article is initially rejected. The book uses a new backwards approach to manuscript development, centered on delivering specific, concise take-home messages and teaching the reader to construct the manuscript beginning with conclusions and ending with the abstract. This method represents a major departure from the traditional way of writing a scientific manuscript for submission. It sets bounds on the ideasthe take-home messagesto be relayed to the target audience and keeps the writer centered on the task at hand, leading to a more focused, compact manuscript that has a greater chance of getting published. Divided into three sections, Section I addresses the issues an author must consider before entering the writing stage, and also before entering the thinking and organizing stage. This section also contains a chapter devoted to ethics in publishing. Section II presents the author's new method for developing and writing the manuscript. Section III re-creates the scenario of submission, external peer review, revision, and other miscellaneous events that occur after a manuscript has been written, submitted, and accepted. The book emphasizes compliance with the formatting required by refereed journals. There are also a number of exercises throughout for reinforcing skill development. Easily adaptable to writing for diverse audiences and disciplines, Getting Published in the Life Sciences will benefit graduate students in the biological sciences and professional researchers, whether they are new authors looking to build a solid writing foundation or more experienced writers who want to improve their skills.

Inhalt
Preface vii Acknowledgments ix

PART I Preliminary Considerations 1

Chapter 1 The Importance of and Need for Publishing 3

Chapter 2 Steps in Manuscript Preparation and Getting Started 11

Chapter 3 Ethical Issues in Publishing 25

Chapter 4 Choosing Your Coauthors 39

Chapter 5 Choosing Your Journal 51

Chapter 6 Principles and Characteristics of Good Scientific Writing 63

PART II Development of the Manuscript 73

Chapter 7 Developing the Take-home Messages and a Provisional Title 75

Chapter 8 Organizing and Outlining Your Manuscript 89

Chapter 9 Results I: Overview 113