Academic publishing advice from industry experts

1. Advice from experts in academic publishing Useful extracts from our interviews with industry experts in 2015

2. What happened in 2015? The world of scholarly publishing witnessed many trend-setting practices, significant discoveries, and innovations.

3. What do the experts have to say? We interviewed several publication experts and discussed some of these trends with them. They shared some really interesting views on academic publishing.

4. Sharing the knowledge Here, we present extracts of the knowledge they shared to help you: • Get first-hand publication-related advice to motivate you in your publication journey • Know what experts think about important publication-related topics • Broaden your perspective about academic research and communication

5. Tim Hunt 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Scan the QR code to view our interview series with Tim Hunt.

6. …you only make discoveries when you are sort of stumbling and bumbling about, turning over stones at random. Making small mistakes in experiments is fine, because you stand a chance of making startling discoveries. On finding a research problem

7. Of course, I’ve had my manuscripts rejected! It’s very rare, almost unknown to get a letter from the editor saying, “We love your paper! We’ll publish it without any changes.”…rejection is part of the process. On dealing with manuscript rejection

8. Xuejun Sun Experienced researcher in hydrogen and hyperbaric oxygen studies Scan the QR code to view our interview with Xuejun Sun.

9. I believe that a good research question should have three characteristics: novelty, reasonableness, and verifiability. If your idea has all three, waste no time and go for it. On the characteristics of a good research question

10. To conduct scientific research, one must read a large amount of literature. First, you must read literature that is highly relevant to your research…Second, read literature that is somewhat relevant to your research topic…Finally, read up on trending research topics… On the importance of literature reading in scientific research

11. I would advice authors who are collaborating with others on a research project/paper to be open. Avoid keeping your expertise or ideas to yourself. There is no point to scientific collaboration if you are not facilitating a two-way exchange of knowledge. On the right attitude towards scientific collaboration On how researchers should approach scientific collaboration

12. Mark Hahnel Founder of Figshare Scan the QR code to view our interview series with Mark Hahnel.

13. On why researchers should make their data publicly available Academics think that data is useless or that they only need to publish novel findings. But there are actually really lots of reasons why you should just be making all of the data available. You might get more citations. One man's rubbish is another man's gold…you don't know how people are going to use the data.

14. Abel Packer Co-founder of SciELO Scan the QR code to view our interview with Abel Packer.

15. We cannot always talk about open access in the strict sense of open access research articles. There should be equal emphasis on setting up sustainable and efficient open access publishing models. The wide availability of publishing related products, services, and solutions…will boost the development of open access. Better availability of published output will help build a competitive market oriented to the production of high quality journals…This is the true spirit of open science. On open access and open science

16. Linqi Zhang Chair, Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Comprehensive Aids Research Center at Tsinghua University, China Scan the QR code to view our interview with Linqi Zhang.

17. Research cannot be performed in a vacuum. It is essential for researchers to stay updated about the latest and most significant developments in their field. And the best way to stay updated is to read published literature. On why researchers should stay updated about the latest developments in their field

18. …when choosing a target journal, it is more important for you, as a researcher, to ensure that the journal publishes articles in the same field, that your paper matches the aims and scope of the journal, and that the journal is widely read by researchers in your field. These factors are more important than impact factor or other superficial metrics. On selecting a target journal

19. Richard Poynder Independent blogger/journalist Scan the QR code to view our interview series with Richard Poynder.

20. Publishers ought to be more transparent, not just in their processes but in their finances as well…this is an issue not just for publishers, but for researchers as well…In short, responsibility for many of the problems we see in research and scholarly publishing today must be laid at the feet of the entire research community. On the need for transparency in publishing

21. John Hammersley CEO and Founder of Overleaf Scan the QR code to view our interview series with John Hammersley.

22. On the openness and reproducibility of research I see that science and research is becoming more open with the mandates from governments that publicly funded research should be open. I see it becoming more reproducible and more transparent with the inclusion of the data behind the paper and making it easier and encouraging people to reproduce work and test and validate different conclusions.

23. Jianwu Yan Director of the Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanchang Institute of Experimental Center Scan the QR code to view our interview with Jianwu Yan.

24. On why researchers should make their data publicly available …three aspects are most important in nurturing scientific researchers of the new generation: Inculcate a great work ethic, and be patient. Think on your toes. Be quick and alert. Be receptive to new knowledge and information. On how young researchers can build a successful career

25. Stacy Konkiel Outreach and engagement manager, Altmetric Scan the QR code to view our interview with Stacy Konkiel.

26. I’m hopeful that in the near future, promotion & tenure committees will start to become more nuanced in how they review the contributions that researchers have made to science. Once more incentives for researchers to publish open access are in place (especially those related to career advancement and funding), I believe we’ll see the conservative nature of publishing fully change, as well, based on an increased demand for open access publishing services. On the need for change in academic research and publishing

27. Shinichiro Takezawa Founder of Asia’s First Open Access Journal, Science Postprint Scan the QR code to view our interview with Shinichiro Takezawa.

28. On the global nature of research I believe that researchers in Asia, too, need to grow and become involved in various research developments on a global scale. After all, scientific research benefits all of humanity. And research involves a lot of effort, irrespective of the region where the researchers are located. Everyone deserves their due and needs a platform to disseminate their findings.

29. Need more advice? We hope you found these extracts useful! Check out our Interviews section for more Words of wisdom from publication experts! Visit http://www.editage.com/insights/industry-experts

30. For useful resources and tips on publication, visit our website: Connect with us @EditageInsights