Tips for Navigating the Publication Process

Lisa M. Holle, PharmD BCOP FHOPA
Associate Clinical Professor
UConn School of Pharmacy
Storrs, CT

Preparing a first manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal can be daunting, but it is important for the advancement of health care and science and also for one’s own professional development.¹ As you near the end of your PGY2 residency, consider the following tips for navigating the publication process now, but also during your future career.

Authorship
One often confusing component of manuscript development is authorship. Authorship confers credit, responsibility, and accountability, but it also has important academic, social, and financial implications. Thus, understanding the qualifications of an author and the different types of authorship is important. Because some unfortunate examples of inaccurate authorship have surfaced in the news over the years, ethical guidelines for authorship have emerged. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommends that authorship is based on four criteria, and most journals require these criteria for authorship. Each author must have (1) substantially contributed to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; and (2) drafted the work or critically revised the work for important intellectual content; and (3) approved the final version for publication; and (4) agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.² In addition to these four criteria, all authors should be aware of the contributions by, and have confidence in, their co-authors. In contrast, a contributor is someone who has met fewer than four of the authorship criteria; for example, this might be someone who supervised part of the research or provided writing, editing, or proofreading assistance. Contributors should be acknowledged for their work, and this is typically done in the Acknowledgments section.

The order of authors listed in a manuscript submission can also be confusing, especially to first-time authors. There are four types of authors: first author, senior author, co-author, and corresponding author. The first or lead author (sometimes called the principal author) is typically the person who has performed most of the research, prepared the majority of the first draft of the manuscript, or both.^3,4 Ultimately, this first author is responsible for the integrity of the work and for ensuring that all other authors meet the requirements of authorship. The senior author is often the research mentor, such as a residency program mentor or the principal investigator of the study. The senior author provides oversight and guidance and directs the work, ensuring the scientific accuracy of its methodology, analysis, and conclusions. Often, the senior author is listed last in the list of authors. Co-authors are all other authors whose contributions are not at the same level as those of the first or senior author; they are often listed in order of their relative contribution to the research or manuscript development. The corresponding author is the author who is responsible for communicating with the journal editors and readers and is often the author responsible for submitting the manuscript. Typically, the corresponding author is either the first author or the senior author. It is important that the corresponding author expects to remain at the institution listed at the time of the manuscript submission so that he or she can easily be contacted after publication, which in some instances can occur up to a year after the manuscript has been accepted for publication. Because of this, the corresponding author is often the senior author for those first authors who are in a training program.

Authorship disputes among collaborators can occur. In some cases disputes arise because success and promotions in some positions may depend on a successful publication record or because authors feel that their contributions have not been fully recognized. To avoid these disputes, which can be tricky, it is best to decide at the beginning of the project who will work on specific tasks. During this discussion, authorship can be determined on the basis of the ethical guidance and the definitions of authorship; the order of authorship should be apparent when the weight of the assigned tasks is considered. Outlining this in advance can prevent disputes; however, if contributions change throughout the project, then communicating these changes and how they relate to authorship can prevent the occurrence of disputes later on.

Manuscript Placement
Another important part of the publication process is determining which journal will be the best place for your manuscript. One of the most common reasons for manuscript rejection is that the manuscript doesn’t fit the goals and scope of the journal. A first step is to collect a list of journals publishing research similar to yours. As part of your research project development or identification of a manuscript topic, you likely performed a literature search for similar research or topics. Reviewing the journals where these articles were published can help you arrive at a list of journals to consider with your preceptor or co-authors. Journal search tools available online can be helpful, but they are often geared toward journals associated with a particular publisher. After creating a list, you should then review each journal’s goals and scope, often found in the “About Us” or “Guide to Authors” section. By doing this you can ascertain whether your manuscript will meet the expectations for publication in that journal.

Once you have narrowed the list of journals for which your manuscript is likely to be a good fit, identifying the target journal may rely on other factors, such as PubMed indexing, the journal’s impact factor, and the cost for publication.

It is desirable to have your article be indexed and its content searchable. If a journal is not indexed in the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s PubMed database, it may not be searchable using the PubMed search tool. A journal’s “About Us” section may indicate whether the journal is indexed in PubMed, or you can search the journal list on PubMed.

The impact factor of the journal is also an important consideration. This metric is based on how often articles published in the journal have been cited in other articles. The higher the impact factor, the more frequently the journal was cited by other authors, and therefore the more prestigious the journal. However, with higher prestige comes competitiveness; thus it is important to consider the time and effort required to submit a manuscript to a journal with a high impact factor and the likelihood of its acceptance, based on the quality and scientific value of the manuscript and the publication experience of the authors. Often articles written by first-time authors are more likely to be accepted by journals with lower impact factors.⁵

Finally, some journals have a fee associated with submission or publication (or both). This is more common with journals that are online-only publications. Before you select a journal, it is worthwhile to read the “Guide to Authors” to determine whether fees are associated with a manuscript’s submission or publication.

Manuscript Submission
After you have selected the target journal, be sure to reread the “Guide to Authors” and follow the instructions for manuscript preparation. This will prevent your receiving an outright rejection or negative comments from peer reviewers for nonadherence to the guidelines. Next, read as many related articles in the journal as possible. This will help you draft your own manuscript, knowing what writing style the editors and peer reviewers deem appropriate and what novel and interesting work is suited for publication. Working closely with all authors throughout the process and ensuring that each has a substantial role in contributing to and approving the final draft is essential.

I wish you the best of luck as you wrap up your PGY2 year and fruitful results for your future publication submissions!

References

1. Baker WL, DiDomenico RJ, Haines ST. Improving peer review: what authors can do. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2017;74(24):2076-2079.
2. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Defining the role of authors and contributors. Available at www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html. Accessed February 5, 2019.
3. Strange K. Authorship: why not just toss a coin? Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2008;295(3):C567-C575.
4. Thatje S. Reaching out for scientific legacy: how to define authorship in academic publishing. Sci Nat. 2016;103(1-2):10. Available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-016-1335-6
5. Callier V. Yes, it is harder to publish in prestigious journals if you haven’t already. Science Magazine. December 10, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.caredit.aaw3380