The Success of Any Researcher Is Measured by Several Factors Including

HOW TO GET PUBLISHED

The success of any researcher is measured by several factors including: • The number of research grants won & • The number of papers published in peer-reviewed journals

However, it's important that you discuss publications with your supervisor, particularly to clarify where the Intellectual Property Rights of the project lie. Questions to consider include: • did you develop the research question or did you have help? • does your research project stand alone or is it part of a larger project?

Publishing your research to share your findings with others is an extremely rewarding and important aspect of being a researcher.

Submitting papers to journals can, however, be a prolonged process; for example it can sometimes take up to two years from the date of submission to the final publication of your work.

GOING PROFESSIONAL

Before you start writing a research paper for publication, however, there are several important aspects to consider: • Should I consider publishing my work? • Which journal will you submit the paper to? • Who is the typical audience of the journal? • What is the impact factor of the journal? • Will the journal charge you a publication fee?

Should I consider publishing my work? This decision should be taken by you and your supervisor. If your research is original and has produced new results, you should seriously consider publishing your work. Your supervisor will be able to give you guidance on whether your work is publishable, where and how to publish your work.

Remember, your supervisor is likely to have contributed to your work and therefore you would normally be jointly publishing your findings.

Which Journal to Select for Publication? The type of research you have conducted will determine the types of journals you can submit your work to, so you will need to review the range of journals that span your research area.

Different journals will have different formatting styles and requirements so you should always check the “Notes for Authors” before you start writing.

During your research, you may find that you focused on using one or two particular journals in your field so you might first consider submitting your paper to one or other of these journals

1 Who is the typical audience of the journal?

Usually the preferred journals for publications are the Accredited/Subsidized journals.

It is important to consider the wider implications of your choice (why not open access journals?)

One restriction of submitting your work for publication is that you cannot then submit the same paper to a second journal.

It is important to take your time to decide where to submit your research paper and to discuss this with your supervisor. Contact your Librarian for further instructions.

What is the Impact Factor of the Journal?

The impact factor of a journal is essentially an indication of the journal's relative 'importance'.

• It is calculated by dividing the number of times articles published the previous year was cited in the journal by the total number of articles published the previous year.

• So if there were 108 articles from 2004-2005 cited in 2006, and a total of 124 articles published in 2004-2005, the 2007 impact factor would be 108/124 = 0.871.

• The higher the impact factor of a journal the more prestigious it's considered to be.

Will the journal charge you a publishing fee?

Some journals charge authors to have their paper published. This is generally done on a cost per printed page basis and can add up to a significant amount.

P.S.: Once you have selected a journal for publication, visit the Publisher Webpage for additional information

WRITING FOR PUBLICATION: GETTING STARTED

1. Assessing previously Published Articles or Publications on your topic 2.Targeting Scholarly Journals and Publications in a Particular Field 3.Style Manuals and Books on Scholarly Publishing 4.Guidelines for Particular Journals

1. Assessing previously Published Articles or Publications on your topic

Start with searching for articles that have been previously published on your topic, to establish the gap or offer a new point of view.  Search the UJ Bibliographic (abstracts & indexes) & Full-text Databases  Search UJ Print & E-Theses & Dissertations

2  Search Nexus Database to find current and completed research in your subject/topic area  Search for International Theses & Dissertations  Search “Web of Science” – Science Citation Index Database to indicate how many times an Author, or a particular Article, has been cited by other authors and can be useful in identifying experts in a field

2. Targeting Scholarly Journals and Publications in a Particular Field

To find a list of scholarly journals in a particular field, consider looking at the following Library & Open Access resources. They are referred as peer-reviewed or scholarly journals:  Journal Citation Reports (JCR) – ISI Internationally accredited journals; impact factors  SA E-Publications – SA electronic journals (there is option to search only within Accredited journals)  Open Access Directories – various open access journals available through: Open Science Directory, PLoS Biology, DOAJ- Directory of Open Access Journals, Open J-Gate, etc.  Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory - journals directory  Publishers Journals, such as: - ScienceDirect (Elsevier) - BlackwellSynergy (Blackwell) - SpringerLink (Springer & Kluwer) - ACS (American Chemical Society) - RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) - Taylor & Francis Journals (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/alphalist.asp) - Oxford Journals (http://www.oxfordjournals.org/subject/life_sciences/)

3. Style Manuals and Books on Scholarly Publishing

The following books are available in the Library: - The ACS style guide: a manual for authors and editors / 1996/DFC/Shelf no. 808.06654 ACS/ - MLA style manual and guide to scholarly publishing / 1998/ APK, Study Collection/ Shelf no. ZB GIBA/ - Writing and publishing in medicine / 1999/ APK, Study Collection/ Shelf no. ZB HUTH/ - Science and technical writing: a manual of style / 2001/ APK, Study Collection/ Shelf no. ZB RUBE/ - Research writing: breaking the barriers / 2007/ APK, Study Collection/ Shelf no. ZB BADE/ - Scientists must write: a guide to better writing for scientists, engineers and students / 2002/ APK, Study Collection/ Shelf no. ZB BARR/

4. Guidelines for specific Journals

Publishers’ requirements to Authors are often specific to the publication and are usually available either:

- In PRINT: usually on the reverse of the front or back page of the journals - ELECTRONICALLY: usually through the Publishers webpage. Looks for links for Authors or Submissions: Blackwell Publishing and Author Self-archiving: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/static/selfarchive.asp SAGE: Journal Author Gateway http://www.sagepub.com/authors/journal/submission.sp

3 Springer: for Authors http://www.springer.com/authors?SGWID=0-111-0-0-0 BioMed Central http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/authors/ ACS (American Chemical Society) (through Library Databases): For Authors and Reviewers of ACS Journals RSC (Royal Soceity of Chemistry) (through Library Databases): Why you should publish in RSC journals ScienceDirect (Elsevier) (through Library Databases): Taylor & Francis: Instructions for Authors http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/ifa.asp

PUBLISHING IN ACCREDITED JOURNALS

The following lists are regarded as accredited journals by the Department of Education (DoE): - International Journals appearing on the ISI: Science Citation Index - List of approved South African journals

PUBLISHING IN OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS

Consider publishing in Open Access Journals. According to “Medknow: Open access journals ”:  None of the journals charge article submission, processing or publication fee from the authors or authors' institution.  The open access policy of the journals aims at increasing the visibility and accessibility of the published content.  Directory of open access journals: For Authors  Welcome to the author service of DOAJ – The Directory of Open Access & Hybrid Journals. You can look up where to publish your research as Open Access (OA).  Publishing open access journals (Public Library of Science)  Taylor & Francis have extended their "iOpenAccess" option to cover 234 journals in the physical sciences, environmental and agricultural sciences, etc. All authors whose manuscripts are accepted for publication in one of these iOpenAccess journals will have the option to make their articles available to all via the Journal's website, and to post to repositories, for a one-off fee of $3250. http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/iopenaccess.asp

JOURNAL CITATION REPORTS (JCR)

Journal performance metrics offer a systematic, objective means to critically evaluate the world's leading journals  Delivers quantifiable statistical information based on citation data  Helps determine a publication’s impact and influence in the global research community  Includes journal and category data

4 Could You Publish?

Before you begin writing for publication, there are certain factors you should consider. • Is your work novel? • Have you added a new dimension to existing theories? • How much is currently known about your research area? • What journals have published similar work? • What are the impact factors of the journals? • Do any of the journals charge authors for submissions? • Does your University or department publish an undergraduate journal? • Have you consulted with your supervisor about publishing? • Has your research involved collaboration with industry? • If your research involved industry or funding bodies, are you permitted to publish? • Will you be available in several months to respond to referees comments?

Useful Resources:

Engage in Research http://www.engageinresearch.ac.uk/index.html

THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY: THE HISTORY AND THE MEANING OF THE JOURNAL IMPACT FACTOR: http://garfield.library.upenn.edu/papers/jifchicago2005.pdf

Essential Science Indicators http://www.incites.com/research/quickscience2007.html

Science Watch (What’s new in research) http://sciencewatch.com/

Pavlinka Kovatcheva, Sciences Librarian, APK [email protected] 011 559-2621