Getting Published in the Life Sciences

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 ideas-the take-home messages-to 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 thatoccur 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.