Scientific Writing and Publishing A Comprehensive Manual for Authors

Knowing how to prepare, write and publish high-quality research papers can be challenging for scientists at all stages of their career. This manual guides readers through successfully framing and presenting research findings, as well as the processes involved in publishing in learned journals. It draws on the author's wealth of practical experience, from working in academic research for over 40 years and teaching scientific writing in over 20 countries, to gaining insights as a journal editor. Well-written and logical, it provides clear step-by-step instructions to enable readers to become more effective at writing articles, and navigating difficulties related to journal submission, the review process, editing and publication. It comprehensively covers themes such as publication ethics, along with current topics including Open Access publishing and pre-print servers. This is a useful, user-friendly guide for graduate students, early career scientists, and more experienced researchers, particularly in the life and medical sciences.

Preface, Part I; Part II. Final Preparation of a Paper Before Submission - as Important as Part I!; Part II. Getting Published; 1. General features of a scientific paper - structure and format; 2. The typical scientific paper - a published paper with annotations; 3. Results - presenting your findings; 4. Discussion - the place to argue your case; 5. Introduction - the first main section of a paper; 6. Materials and methods; 7. Abstract - the summary of the main findings; 8. The 'smaller' sections that complete a paper; 9. Figures and tables; 10. Presubmission; 11. Submission of manuscripts; 12. Peer-review - the crux of the problem in publishing papers; 13. The last stages of the editorial process - decisions, revisions, and final editing; 14. From acceptance to publication; 15. Copyright; 16. Ethics and scientific integrity; 17. Epilogue.

Denys N. Wheatley is a retired academic who has spent over 40 years in research on the cellular basis of cancer and has taught scientific writing in over 20 countries. He is Chairman and Director of BioMedES Ltd, a company focused on providing non-native English-speaking authors with help in preparing their scientific papers. He has published six books and over 300 scientific and medical papers, and has edited five journals. He was the Editor-in-Chief of Cell Biology International (Wiley) for 20 years.