Getting Published in the Life Sciences - by Richard J Gladon & William R Graves & J Michael Kelly (Paperback)

About the Book

"The goal of this book is to make it easier for scientists, especially those new to scientific writing, to write about their results and to get their manuscripts accepted in peer-reviewed journals. The book covers each step throughout the submission process, from organizing and outlining the manuscript, presenting statistical data and results, to what happens during the in-house manuscript review process and what to do if an article is initially rejected. In addition to providing practical exercises on these topics, the book focuses on helping writers distil their research into concise take-home messages for readers, in order to convey information as clearly as possible to the target audience"--

Book Synopsis

The goal of this book is to make it easier for scientists, especially those new to scientific writing, to write about their results and to get their manuscripts accepted in peer-reviewed journals. The book covers each step throughout the submission process, from organizing and outlining the manuscript, presenting statistical data and results, to what happens during the in-house manuscript review process and what to do if an article is initially rejected. In addition to providing practical exercises on these topics, the book focuses on helping writers distil their research into concise take-home messages for readers, in order to convey information as clearly as possible to the target audience.

From the Back Cover

A unique guide to developing and writing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals

This book makes it easier for scientists, particularly those new to professional scientific writing, to write about their results and get their manuscripts accepted by refereed journals in the biological/life/natural sciences. It covers each step throughout the submission process, from organizing and outlining the manuscript and presenting statistical data and results to what happens during the in-house manuscript review process and what to do if an article is initially rejected.

The book uses a new "backwards" approach to manuscript development, centered on delivering specific, concise "take-home messages" and teaching the reader to construct the manuscript beginning with conclusions and ending with the abstract. This method represents a major departure from the traditional way of writing a scientific manuscript for submission. It sets bounds on the ideas--the take-home messages--to be relayed to the target audience and keeps the writer centered on the task at hand, leading to a more focused, compact manuscript that has a greater chance of getting published.

Divided into three sections, Section I addresses the issues an author must consider before entering the writing stage, and also before entering the thinking and organizing stage. This section also contains a chapter devoted to ethics in publishing. Section II presents the author's new method for developing and writing the manuscript. Section III re-creates the scenario of submission, external peer review, revision, and other miscellaneous events that occur after a manuscript has been written, submitted, and accepted. The book emphasizes compliance with the formatting required by refereed journals. There are also a number of exercises throughout for reinforcing skill development.

Easily adaptable to writing for diverse audiences and disciplines, Getting Published in the Life Sciences will benefit graduate students in the biological sciences and professional researchers, whether they are new authors looking to build a solid writing foundation or more experienced writers who want to improve their skills.

Review Quotes

"The book covers each step throughout the submission process, from organizing and outlining the manuscript, presenting statistical data and results, to what happens during the in-house manuscript review process and what to do if an article is initially rejected." (Landtechnik, 20 February 2012)

"Despite using the word 'ensure' here and there, and allowing the jacket to carry a line containing 'unique guide to...' I like this book and learned a lot from reading it." (Australasian Systematic Botany Society, 1 December 2011)

"I highly recommend the very practical and results oriented book Getting Published in the Life Sciences by Richard J. Gladon, William R. Graves, and J. Michael Kelly to anyone in any life, natural, or biological science who seeks to write a clear and concise manuscript for publication in any peer reviewed journal. This book takes the guesswork out of the planning, writing, and publishing process and is certain to boost the publication success rate of any practicing scientist." (Blog Business World, 23 November 2011)

About the Author

Dr. Richard Gladon, PhD (Ohio State University) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University. A former Fulbright scholar, Dr. Gladon has over 30 years of teaching and research experience, and holds several patents.

Dr. J. Michael Kelley, ?PhD (University of Tennessee) is a Professor and Dean of the College of Natural Resources at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. With over 100 published articles to his credit, Dr. Kelly has also served as a reviewer for various granting agencies, including the National Science Foundation.

Dr. William Graves, PhD (Purdue University) is a Professor in the Department of Horticulture as well as the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Iowa State University. Dr. Graves has published dozens of articles in the biological sciences.