Resources for Researchers: Editing and publishing

Predatory publishing

There are many reputable, high quality, peer reviewed open access publishers. However, researchers should be vigilant when selecting an outlet to avoid predatory and unethical publications.

Signs that a publisher may be engaging in unethical behaviours include:

• hidden fees and charges
• excessive email invitations to submit articles and to be on editorial boards
• author agreements stripping authors of all rights to their research
• websites or publications of poor quality with editorial errors
• the sales pitch not matching the reality

Publishers who operate in these ways do not provide any of the value added services offered by more legitimate publishers, such as a thorough review process and marketing. In more serious cases, unethical publishers may also strip authors of all rights to their research and solicit funds.

To avoid being caught out:

• check the publisher websites and author guidelines
• research the publisher and consider contacting editorial board members
• carefully read any contracts and agreements and seek advice if uncertain
• ask questions of the publisher about the review process and any fees or charges
• ask questions of colleagues and supervisors about the publication

Source: Copyright © University of New South Wales [accessed 26 May 2017] https://www.library.unsw.edu.au/research/publishing-and-sharing-your-research/predatory-publishing

Compass to Publish

This online tool developed by the University of Liege Library aims to help researchers and librarians assess the authenticity of Open Access journals.  “Compass to publish” does not evaluate the quality of a journal, it aims to involve researchers in a critical and analytical process.

Rather than listing suspected predatory journals, the user is invited to answer a series of questions and based on the answers, the degree of reliability of the journal will be indicated: from bright red for high-risk journals to dark intense green for journals that do not show deceptive behaviours. Test a journal here https://app.lib.uliege.be/compass-to-publish/

• ACS Author Lab - ACS publications has produced an online training course that empowers authors to prepare and submit strong manuscripts, avoiding errors that could lead to delays in the publication process.
• Preparing for submission - International Committee of Medical Journal editors

Elsevier Connect
Useful publishing tips from Elsevier include:

• Eleven steps to structuring a science paper editors will take seriously
• 8 reasons I accepted your article
• 8 reasons I rejected your article

Choosing appropriate keywords is important, because these are used for indexing your paper. Well-chosen keywords enable your manuscript to be more easily identified and cited.  Instructions to Authors vary for different journals; the specific journal should be consulted before selecting keywords.

When looking for keywords, avoid words with a broad meaning and words already included in the title.  When adding author keywords to a paper it helps if you can select terms from an established thesaurus. A good starting point would be to copy your abstract into MeSH on Demand to identify MeSH Terms for your paper.

Think. Check. Submit.

• A tool to help researchers to identify trusted journals
• Provides a simple checklist to apply to your chosen journal
• Produced with the support of a coalition from across scholarly communications