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HOW TO PUBLISH A RESEARCH ARTICLE

Technical Report · December 2019

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.25848.60166

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HOW TO PUBLISH A RESEARCH ARTICLE
Oguh Collins Egwu Bsc (Ibbu), Msc (Nig)
[email protected]

How to Publish Research Paper

Many young researchers are asking the following questions regarding their research “How to
publish Research Papers? Where to publish research paper? We will help by using simple
and efficient steps

Research Paper Publication steps

1. Chosen a research paper topic:

Choosing a research topic for your paper may include (Choosing a topic that you are
interested in; narrowing your topic to something manageable; discuss your research ideas
with your supervisor).

2. Publish your paper in an international journal:

Most universities asks their PhD and masters Students to publish papers in international
journals as a requirement for their graduation. Research publishing in journals is more
recognizable and preferable by the academic community than Articles Publication in
international conferences.

3. To publish research in any field

Research papers should be prepared according to the following structure:

Affiliation: Which contains all the authors’ place of work or school then the corresponding
authors email.

Abstract: the abstract in any scientific research publication should brief and straight forward.
The abstract must emphasize the key findings of the work and its general significance. The
abstract should convey: The purpose of the project identifying the area of study to which it
belongs, the research problem that motivates the project, the methods used to address this
research problem. The conclusions reached, the significance of the research project, and why
are the results useful?. In summary Abstract contain Background of the study, Aim,
sample collection, methods, result and conclusion.

Key-words: A list not exceeding four to six words; it can be gotten from the title. This should
be chosen carefully to reflect the precise content of the paper.

Introduction: Talk about the relevant primary research literature (with citations) and
summarize your current understanding of the research article problem you are presenting; talk
about the organism(s) studied such as (plant, animal, human, etc.); you have to also state the
purpose of your work in the form of the hypothesis, question, or problem; finally you have to
briefly explain your approach in solving the problem of the research.

Materials and methods: You explain clearly how you carried out your study and, the
pre-experiment handling and care, and when and where the study was carried out. If you did a
field study, provide a description of the study site, including the significant physical and
biological features, and the precise location (latitude and longitude, map, etc). Talk about the
experimental OR sampling design (i.e., how the experiment or study was structured and
protocols. You should mention in details how the data were analyzed (qualitative analyses
and/or statistical procedures used to determine significance, data transformations used, what
probability was used to decide significance, etc).

Results: State the results using tables and figures and draw attention in the text to important
details shown in those tables and figures.

Discussion: Point out the significance of the results in relation to the reasons for doing the
work, and place them in the context of other related work for other researchers (compare your
findings with other related work online).

Conclusion: Clearly state the implications of the answers your results gave you. The
conclusion should focus on what was achieved, what still needs to be improved and should
have a link to the title of the paper.
References: Add all the references which was used within your paper as a list at the end of
your paper, all citations should be referenced and the list should be according to the journal
citation style format either alphabetical order or following the numbering in the text.

Now you are ready to publish research papers!

4. Tips for getting published:

- You have to find time and secure funding to do your research.

- You need to prepare the ground for your topic by reading a lot of related researches, and
attending conferences.

- Send your paper to the correct journal. When you send your paper to wrong journal it will
be rejected. Try to answer the following question before submitting your paper “Does your
research fit the journal’s aims and scope?”

- Ask a colleague to check your work.

- Always follow the correct submissions procedures.

- Read the manuscript submission guidelines. Most journals have manuscript submission
guidelines for authors. Make every possible effort to improve the quality of the manuscript
before submission.

- Be careful when you write your abstract; the editor and the reviewers will read your abstract
first, if they did not find it interesting, and contains original contribution they will reject your
paper. Your abstract should be clear. Say something new within your abstract.

- If you get negative recommendations about your paper, you can respond to the comments,
and explain your point of view (if you see that those comments are not fair or the reviewers
did conclude something not fair regarding your contributions). But be careful! You have to be
scientific and polite

- If your paper is rejected, do not give up! Make use of the reviewer’s comments, find a
good mentor, you may consider joint-authorship, and submit your paper to other journal.

5. Research Ethics
The following general principles are intended to guide and inspire researchers toward the
very highest ethical ideals when writing a research paper:

Fidelity and Responsibility

Researchers should be aware of their professional and scientific responsibilities to society and
to the specific communities in which they work. Researchers should accept appropriate
responsibility for their behavior and seek to manage conflicts of interest that could lead to
exploitation or harm.

Integrity
Researchers seek to promote accuracy, honesty and truthfulness in the science.

Justice
Fairness and justice entitle all persons to access to and benefit from the contributions of their
researches.

Respect for People's Rights

Researchers respect the dignity and worth of all people, and the rights of individuals to
privacy, confidentiality, and self-determination.

6. Prepare your paper according to the journal template:

Each journal has its own template, it can be downloaded from the journal's site.

7. Where to Publish Your Research Paper

The process of submitting and publishing research articles can be difficult for junior
researches. The following steps are to assist scholars of all stages in submitting and
publishing their research in peer-reviewed journals:
Step 1: based on your research topic; find related journals.

Step 2: You are going to choose one and only one journal to publish your paper; so rank these
potential journals based on the following criteria:
1. Journal Scope: each journal has its own “Aims and Scope” section. Read it carefully
and match your paper to the subjects mentioned in the Aims and Scope section.
2. Indexing: if you like your paper to be read by other scholars, find the page that talks
about “Abstracting and Indexing”, each journal will have such page. The more
indexing and abstracting partners the wider your paper will be available to other
scholars.
3. Review time: since you are going to submit your paper to one journal at a time; then
you have to find a journal that will replay you soon (if you are looking for fast
publication). Getting your acceptance letter within your time frame from the editor is
important for most scholars, search the journal site for average time needed to review
your paper, email the editor and ask about the average time needed to review your
paper; if the editor does not respond to an inquiry about average time ranges then you
have to expect long time to get the peer review results.
4. Publication frequency: Journals that have more issues per year will be faster than
those journals with 1 or two issues per year.
5. Journal Reputation: If your goals of publishing are related to academic
advancement, you can evaluate the reputation of the journals by checking their titles
within Scopus and Thomson Reuters ISI databases. Journals that are included in
Scopus and Thomson Reuters ISI databases have more reputation than other journals.
6. Avoid predatory journals

8. Submit your manuscript to the journal

You should send your paper to the journal's editor using the journal's email, or you can use
the online submission system.

Publishing a research paper in a peer-reviewed journal is an important activity within the

academic community. It allows researchers to network with other scholars, get your name and
work into circulation and increase your chances of publication and wider recognition.

Strengthening Your Submission

 Give your paper a clear vision. Good journal articles usually get straight to the point
and remain there the whole way through.

 Write a top-notch abstract. The abstract is the first impression the reviewers will get
of your work, so you need to make it count. Make sure there are absolutely no typos
or unnecessary elements; you’ll only have around 300 words to work with. Be bold in
your claims and original in your approach, but don’t over-sell what your article
actually provides.
  Your abstract should make people eager to start reading the article, but never
disappointed when they finish the article.

 Get as many people as you can to read over your abstract and provide feedback before
you submit your paper to a journal.

Choosing the Right Journal for Submission

 Familiarize yourself with potential publications. Be aware of the research already

published and the current questions and studies in your field. Pay special attention to
how other research papers in your field are written: the format, the type of articles
(quantitative studies versus qualitative ones, primary research, review of existing
papers), the writing style, the subject matter, and the vocabulary.

 Read academic journals related to your field of study. Search online for published
research papers, conference papers, and journal articles. Ask a colleague or professor
for a suggested reading list.

 Choose the publication that best suits your research paper. Each publication has its
own audience and tone of writing. Decide, for instance, if your research paper would
fit better in a journal that is highly technical and meant only for other scholars, or a
journal that is more general in nature for a broader audience.

 Keep the circulation or exposure of the journal in mind. Once you’ve narrowed down
your list of potential submission sites, do a little digging to find out how widely-read
and widely-cited articles in those journals seem to be. Greater exposure for your work
will be a definite benefit, especially when you’re trying to make a name for yourself
early in your career.

 However, always prioritize peer-reviewed journals — in which field scholars

anonymously review submitted works. This is the basic standard for scholarly
publishing.

 You can increase your readership dramatically by publishing in an open access journal.
As such, it will be freely available as part of an online repository of peer-reviewed
scholarly papers.

Submitting (and Resubmitting) Your Paper

Before submitting your paper ask a colleague or professor to review your research paper.
They should edit your paper for grammar, spelling errors, typos, clarity, and conciseness.
They should also verify your content. Research papers need to present an issue that is
significant and relevant. They should be clearly written, easy to follow, and appropriate for
the intended audience.
 Prepare your manuscript according to your chosen journal’s requirements. Most
journals provide a document called "Instruction to Authors" or "Author's Guide" that
offers specific instructions about layout, type font, and length. This guide will also tell
you how to submit your paper and will provide details of the review process. Journal
articles in the sciences often follow a specific organizational format, such as: Title
name; Affiliation; Abstract; Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion;
Acknowledgements/References.

 Have two or three people review your paper. At least one should be a non-expert in
the major topic — their “outsider’s perspective” can be particularly valuable, as not
all reviewers will be experts on your specific topic.

 Submit your article when you feel it’s ready to go. Go to the Author's Guide (or
similar) on the journal’s website to review its submission requirements. Once you are
satisfied that your paper meets all of the guidelines, submit the paper through the
appropriate channels. Many journals allow online submission or via email. Submit
your article to only one journal at a time. When submitting online, use your university
email account. This connects you with a scholarly institution, which adds credibility
to your work.

 Don’t panic when you get the journal’s initial response. Very few article submissions
get an immediate “Accept” reply from a peer-reviewed journal. If you do get one of
these, go celebrate! Otherwise, calmly deal with the reply you get. It will likely be one
of the following: Accept with Revision — only minor adjustments are needed, based
on the provided feedback by the reviewers. Revise and Resubmit — more substantial
changes (as described) are needed before publication can be considered, but the
journal is still very interested in your work. Reject and Resubmit — the article is not
currently viable for consideration, but substantial alterations and refocusing may be
able to change this outcome. Reject — the paper isn’t and won’t be suitable for this
publication, but that doesn’t mean it might not work for another journal.

 Revise your paper based on your reviewers’ recommendations before final submission
of your research paper. Give a special effort to make your paper clear, engaging, and
easy to follow. This will greatly increase your chances of being published.

 Embrace reviewer comments as constructive criticism. Quite often, you’ll be asked to

revise your paper and resubmit it, based on the comments provided by several (often
three) anonymous reviewers and the editor. Study their critiques carefully and make
the necessary changes. Do not get over-attached to your original submission. Instead,
remain flexible and rework the paper in light of the feedback you receive. Use your
skills as a researcher and a writer to create a superior paper. However, you don’t have
to “roll over” and meekly follow reviewer comments that you feel are off the mark.
Open a dialogue with the editor and explain your position, respectfully but confidently.
Remember, you’re an expert on this specific topic.
  Keep trying to get your paper published. Even if you are ultimately rejected by your
preferred journal, continue to re-write your research paper and submit it to other
publications.

Remember, a rejected paper doesn’t necessarily equal a bad paper. Numerous factors, many
of them completely out of your control, go into determining which articles are accepted.
Move on to your second-choice journal for submission.

Journal ranking
Journal ranking is widely used in academic circles in the evaluation of an academic journal's
impact and quality. Journal rankings are intended to reflect the place of a journal within its
field, the relative difficulty of being published in that journal, and the prestige associated with
it. They have been introduced as official research evaluation tools in several countries.

Measures
Traditionally, journal ranking "measures" or evaluations have been provided simply through
institutional lists established by academic leaders or through committee vote. Consequently,
several journal-level metrics have been proposed, most citation-based on:

Impact factor – reflecting the average number of citations to articles published

Eigenfactor – a rating of the total importance of a scientific journal according to the number
of incoming citations, with citations from highly ranked journals weighted to make a larger
contribution to the eigenfactor than those from poorly ranked journals.

SCImago Journal Rank – a measure of scientific influence of scholarly journals that

accounts for both the number of citations received by a journal and the importance or prestige
of the journals where such citations come from.

h-index – usually used as a measure of scientific productivity and the scientific impact of an
individual scientist, but can also be used to rank journals.

The ranking position of each journal is based on the actual publishing behavior of leading
tenured academics over an extended time period. As such, the journal's ranking position
reflects the frequency at which these scholars published their articles in this journal.

Altmetrics – rate journals based on scholarly references added to academic social media
sites.
JRank – JournalsRanking (JRank) is the digital portal developed by iMaQ Technologies Pvt.
Ltd in 2015 containing list of all international journals indexed in ISI-JCR and Scopus-SJR
based on the current impact factor (IF) and Quartiles (Q) given by Thomson Reuters and
Scopus, respectively. The JRank also gives detailed information about the journal such as
 country of journal publishing, impact factor history, frequency of journal publishing, active
web link etc.

h5-index – this metric, calculated and released by Google Scholar, is based on the h-index of
all articles published in a given journal in the last five years.

How to spot a predatory journals

1. Always check the website thoroughly
2. Check if the journal is a member of DOAJ (Directory of open access journals), COPE
(Community of publication ethics), OASPA or STM
3. Does the journal have an impact factor (only journals vetted through the JCR can
officially state that they have an impact factor)
4. Research about the editorial board
5. Check the publisher contact
6. Is the article processing fee clear
7. Take a look at their peer review process and publication timelines
8. Read through past issues of the journal
High quality academic journals take longer to publish articles because they go through a
proper peer review and copy editing process.

Oguh Collins Egwu Bsc (Ibbu), Msc (Nig)

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