Introduction to Academic Publishing: From Conceptualization to Publication
Study Course Implementer
Baložu iela 14, Riga, +371 67060897, statistika@rsu.lv
About Study Course
Objective
Preliminary Knowledge
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge
1.Upon completion of this course, students will have acquired knowledge that will allow to competently understand the academic publishing process and avoid major pitfalls for rejection of manuscripts by journals.
Skills
1.Students will be able to formulate research questions, perform literature review, data collection, statistical analysis, and publish their research.
Competences
1.Upon completion of this course, students will be able to take an informed decision about how to select the appropriate journal for submission of scientific work and handle all different phases of the publication process.
Assessment
Individual work
Examination
Study Course Theme Plan
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Introduction to academic publishing – double edged sword. To publish or not?
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Finding literature and formulating research question. Earmarking references. Different referencing styles and management software.
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Choosing the right type of article for publication. Emerging types of article types. Preprints. Pre-registration of clinical trials and reviews. Ethics approval.
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Choosing the correct journal for publication. Types of journals publishing models (online/print/offline). Open access and subscription models. Creative common licences.
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Moving away from Journal Impact Factor. Introduction to Article Metrics. Altimetric and PlumX. H index.
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Data collection. Ethical requirements for open-source data and surveys. Need for attribution to sources. Use of copyrighted material and visual material. Paraphrasing and plagiarism. The use of AI-based software (ChatGPT) in writing
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Styling and highlighting the main aspects of the content. Guidelines for different article types. IMRaD model.
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Manuscript preparation and internal peer-review. Identification of conflict of interests, data availability statements, transparency statements – CREDiT, funding, author diversity and equality, and reference diversity.
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Formatting based on journal’s guidelines.
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The submission processes. Recommending reviewers. Cover Letter.
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Handling the Peer-review process. Expectations from authors and peer-reviewers. Possible journal decisions.
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Post-acceptance process (uncorrected proof, corrected proof, in-press, Epub ahead of press, published). Post-print and Version of Record. Proof-reading. Promoting your paper and boosting citations. Online and Institutional depositories. Corrections, Erratums, and Retractions.
Bibliography
Required Reading
Gastel G., Day R. A. 2016. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. 8th Edition. Greenwood.
Alley M. 2018. The Craft of Scientific Writing. 4th Edition. Springer.
Belcher W. L. 2019. Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks. A Guide to Academic Publishing Success (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing). 2nd Edition. University of Chicago Press.
Heard S. B. 2016. The Scientist's Guide to Writing: How to Write More Easily and Effectively throughout Your Scientific Career. Princeton University Press.
Additional Reading
Jain N., Tanasov A., Chodnekar S. Y., RakauskaitÄ— A., Lansiaux E., Skuja S., Reinis A. 2023. Rising Quantitative Productivity and Shifting Readership in Academic Publishing: Bibliometric Insights from Monkeypox Literature. Account Res. Apr 3. doi: 10.1080/08989621.2023.2199159. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37012606.