Looking to increase your chances of getting published? Join this event.
In one of our upcoming virtual events, Nathalie Le Bot, Chief Editor Nature Life Sciences will offer invaluable advice on ways to make communicating the fruits of research as successful as possible from constructing a paper and choosing a journal, to writing a cover letter and responding to referees comments.
Below, Nathalie shares her answers to some early questions.
1. How would you characterize the steps to first getting published in the life sciences compared to other disciplines?
I think there is not much difference between disciplines when it comes to getting published. For all subjects, the most important aspect is to have a research question of interest to your community and to plan ahead of time how to address it so that whatever the findings, colleagues can understand how you have come to your conclusions through a solid study and analysis plan, while taking into account potential caveats.
2. What is the most common mistake early career researchers make when trying to get published and how can this be avoided?
I would not call it a mistake but it s important to seek opinions from your peers and from more experienced researchers on a particular piece of work intended for publication. It can also be helpful to get familiar with the type of research a journal you intend to submit to has been publishing in your field and what level of scientific evidence a journal they wish to target expect for a particular conclusion.
3. What support do publishers offer early career researchers which is most often overlooked and how can early career researchers stay better connected with their publisher?
It's essential to get familiar with the guide to authors that can be found on all publishers websites. These present the scope of each particular journal and the principles a publisher adheres to during the review process but are also full of resources to prepare your data and methods for publication and sharing with your peers. Early career researchers preparing the results of their study for publication should not be afraid of contacting directly editors at their journals of interest through contact emails provided on the website for example. Another way of getting in touch with a particular editor is to ask for a meeting at a conference- Editors names are included in the list of participants and they often participate to round tables on themes related to publishing at those conferences.
