How to publish
your research
This guide will help you create a high
quality article that will be a valuable
addition to the scientific record.
For more details and a selection of
templates to help get your article ready
for submission, visit our author resource
centre: rsc.li/journal-resources
CHOOSE THE RIGHT JOURNAL
1
Considering these things will help you to adapt the way you write
and format your article to suit the expectations of the journal’s
editors and readers.
Does the journal provide Does the journal have Does it give you open
quality peer review, and a strong reputation? access options that
does the policy suit your Is it where your peers comply with your
approach? publish? Are the metrics funding agency?
good?
Is the journal’s scope Are times to publication Will it cost anything to
broad, or specialist, important to you? publish in this journal?
designed to be read by a Are there any extra
certain community? charges?
Which language does Is the journal likely Is it indexed in major
the journal use? Most to be cited by other online databases
international journals use researchers in your field? (Science Citation Index,
English PubMed, Scopus,
MEDLINE)?
Does the journal publish
articles in the best
format for your work
All Royal Society of All of our journals have
(eg Communication, Full
Chemistry journals go an open access option.
Paper)?
through rigorous and Visit rsc.li/oarsc.li/oa
fair peer review for details
READ THE AUTHOR GUIDELINES
Our journals have expected standards of conduct and provide
2 guidance on good authorship and ethical practices. Always check
the individual journal’s guidelines as many journals have specific
requirements. For more details visit rsc.li/guidelines
3 WRITE YOUR ARTICLE
Always emphasise the
novelty of your findings
Build up a strong structure Tell a story
Split your article up into Keep your writing clear, using
recognisable sections. For each, consistent language and short
think about who you are writing paragraphs. Your reader will want
for and how your work compares an article that is concise, easy to
to existing research read that makes a definite point
his should be short, straightforward, and
T
emphasise the importance of your work. Think
Title about the key words someone might use to
search for this article, and stay general
Authors should have made a significant
Authorship contribution to the conception, design or
execution of the work
Summarise your findings, and their importance
Abstract – potential readers will use this to decide if the
rest of your article is of interest
Set the scene. Why is your work important?
Introduction What has been done in this area before? What
will you show in this article?
Back up your claims with evidence, explain
Results and discussion complex arguments, and demonstrate the
impact of your work
There should be enough detail here for a skilled
Experimental section researcher to replicate your work
Include only the most significant results, their
Conclusion impact on the field, and plans for relevant future
work
Here you should include funding agencies, and
Acknowledgements possibly individuals who could not be added as
authors
Include previously published work that you
References have referenced in the article
This is the section in which to include spectra,
Supplementary information additional data and more detail on procedures
4 CHECK YOUR ARTICLE
Re-read thoroughly Check grammar Check spelling
If you would like a second opinion, our language editing service can
provide professional guidance and a comprehensive proofread of your
article. Visit rsc.li/lang
Double-check
those guidelines Don’t forget to keep
your co-authors up to
Is your authorship correct?
date and make sure
Could anything have they are happy before
been plagiarised? you submit the final
Is any of the work fragmented? article
Have you supported all of your claims?
Does the article meet ethical standards?
5
YOUR SUBMISSION CHECKLIST
Your chosen journal will be looking for key information
when you submit your article.
1 A cover letter which includes: 5 Your article
• A summary of your work
• Statement of importance (a chance to
‘sell’ your work to the editor – why is
this article a good fit for the journal?)
• The impact of this research on the Address your cover
community letter to the Editor or
• Its future potential Associate Editor, and
make sure you mention
the correct journal. It’s
2 Your graphical abstract surprisingly common to
name the wrong one
3 Any supplementary information files
4 Suggestions for suitable reviewers
ARTICLE ASSESSMENT
6 Once your article arrives with the editorial team, it goes through
a thorough assessment process in line with the journal’s editorial
policies.
Following peer review,
hopefully your article
will be accepted for
publication (usually
An article might be rejected subject to some
for a lot of different revisions)
reasons, including if the
subject makes it better
suited to another journal.
If this is the case, a transfer
might be recommended
REVISING YOUR ARTICLE
7 Revisions are a natural part of the publication process – generally
all authors will be asked to make at least a few changes, to make
sure that the article is of the highest possible quality.
DO AVOID
Keep to any deadlines given, or ask for an Including personal comments about the
extension if you need one reviewer – focus on making direct responses
Read each report carefully, and ask if anything Taking critical comments personally – they are
is unclear provided to increase the quality of your article
Make sure that you address all reviewer
comments, and if you have decided not to
make a change, explain why
Remember that reviewing is voluntary, and that
the reviewer will have made all comments to
help improve your work
PROMOTING YOUR WORK
8 After publication, the next step is to get your work
seen by the community.
What we can do:
Promote ‘hot’ articles via
blogs, social media and What you can do:
Chemistry World
Contact your university
Send press releases to press office to see how
science websites and they can support you
magazines
Share a link to your article online
via social media and online
networking platforms
Present your work at
conferences
For best practice when sharing work online, visit rsc.li/promotion
To find out more about publishing with the
Royal Society of Chemistry, visit rsc.li/publish
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