howtopublishscience.org

Publishing a paper in an academic journal should simply consist of submitting a publication worthy manuscript. But having a working knowledge of publishing will enable you to make better decisions about what, where and how to submit manuscripts. This all comes with experience, and in this book, I unravel areas of assumed knowledge and furnish them with explanations pitched at the Early Career Researcher, along with links and citations where you can read more. This book explores the wicked problem of academic publishing, and how to move from a closed to an open, transparent system. I explain the many choices that exist for those wishing to submit a manuscript for publication in the Biological Sciences. I explore the world of publication bias, and how this is evidenced by reviewers and editors. Impact Factors, citations and how the desire to track the performance of academics has led to unethical practices and exploitation of science and scientists. This guide provides an ‘everything you wanted to know about publishing but were afraid to ask’ approach for anyone who still feels that submitting a manuscript is like posting it into a black box. This book is written to get you onto an even footing.