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How to write a paper for

Chemical Engineering Science

Elsevier Author WorkshopTianjin University

14 October 2010

Prof. Anton Middelberg

BE(Hons), MA, PhD, FTSE, FIChemE

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Outline

Some background to CES and myself

To publish or not to publish

Writing a quality manuscript

Article construction

Language

Technical details

Revisions and response to reviewers

Ethical issues

Conclusions: some specific thoughts on CES

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Chem. Eng. Sci.The Journal publishes papers on the fundamentals of chemicalengineering, including applications of biology, chemistry, and physics.

Descriptions of original and significant results based onexperiments and/or developments in theory are appropriate. Suchresults may be the outcome of studies that range from the molecularlevel to the systems level.

The scope of industrial activity that defines issues suitable for the journalis interpreted broadly to include biotechnology, chemicals, energy, food,forest products, materials, microelectronics, nanotechnology, andspecialty chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Contributions addressingglobal issues such as water availability, energy utilization, and

sustainable resources are especially welcome.

- Tianjin University Museum

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Chem. Eng. Sci. Founded 1951 in Europe, leader in pace and quality

1st Executive Editor P.V. Dankckwerts, 1958-1982 Executive Editors act independently and report to the

Chair (idea of senior scholars disseminating knowledge)

Impact Factor 2008: 1.88

2009: 2.14

Cited Half life: 8.8 yrs (2008) 24 Issues per year

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Executive Editors Alex Bell, UC Berkeley (Executive Editor

and Chairman of the Board) Ian Metcalfe, Newcastle University, UK

Anton Middelberg, University ofQueensland, Australia

Ron Rousseau, Georgia Tech, USA

Kai Sundmacher, MPI Magdeburg,Germany

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My Background BE (ChemEng) and PhD, University of

Adelaide (UoA), Australia Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, UoA 1991-98

Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader,University of Cambridge, 1998-2003

Fellow of the Cambridge-MIT Institute

Professor and Federation Fellow, thenPremiers Fellow, 2003-present

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My Research Chemical Engineering

Biomolecular Engineering Biopharmaceutical Engineering

Vaccine Engineering

Biorenewables

Group of 20 researchers (5 here this

week)

www.uq.edu.au/cbe

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My Research

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To publish or not to

publish

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Why publish?

Engineers publish to share findings that advance

knowledge and understanding

To present new, original results or methods

To rationalize published results

To review the field or summarize a particular topic

To make your ideas (and yourself) known For the right reasons!

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Publish or perish

Funding

Bodies

AcademicCatalysts

GrantWriting

JournalPublication

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Publishers do not want zero-cited articles

Editors now regularly analyze citations per article

The statistic that 27% of our papers were not cited in5 years was disconcerting. It certainly indicates that it isimportant to maintain high standards whenaccepting papers... nothing would have been lostexcept the CV's of those authors would have been

shorter Marv Bauer, Editor, Remote Sensing of Environment

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Publishers dowant quality

WANTED

Originality

Significant advancesin field

Sound methods andconclusions

Readability

Studies that meetethical standards

NOT WANTED

Duplications or minorextensions

Reports of no interest

Work out of date Inappropriate methods

or conclusions

Studies lacking depthof analysis or data

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Just because it has not been done before isno justification for doing it now.

Peter Attiwill, Editor-in-Chief, ForestEcology and Management

Is the problem significant and isthe study interesting to the journals readers?

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Can I publish this?

Have you done something new and interesting?

Have you checked the latest results in the field?

Have the findings been verified?

Have the appropriate controls been performed?

Do your findings tell a nice story or is the storyincomplete?

Is the work directly related to a current hot topic?

Have you provided solutions to any difficult problems?

If all answers are yes, then start preparing yourmanuscript.

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DO NOT gamble by scattering your

manuscript to many journals

Only submit once!

Do not publish minor variations!!

International ethics standards prohibit

multiple simultaneous submissions,and editors DO find out!

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All editors hate wasting time on poorlyprepared manuscripts

It is a sign of disrespect

Consulting the Guide for Authors willsave your time and the editors

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Article construction

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Article structure Title Authors Abstract Keywords

Main text (IMRaD)

IntroductionMethodsResults

Discussion (Conclusion)

Acknowledgements References Supplementary material

Need to be accurate and informative for

effective indexing and searching

Each has a distinct function

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Microfluidic preparation of oil-in-water drug deliveryemulsions stabilised with biocompatible surfactant

Preparation of a miglyol-based emulsion inphosphate buffered saline using peptidesurfactant AM1 in the controlled shearenvironment of a confined flow yields stabledrug delivery emulsion.

Novel nanomeulsion preparation for drugdelivery

Title

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Abstract

The quality of an abstract will strongly influenceThe quality of an abstract will strongly influence

the editorthe editors and reviewerss and reviewers

A good abstract:

Is precise and honest

Can stand alone

Uses no technical jargon

Is brief and specific

Cites no references

Use the abstract toUse the abstract to sellsell your articleyour article

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Introduction

Provide the necessary backgroundProvide the necessary background

information to put your work intoinformation to put your work into contextcontext

It should be clear from the introduction:It should be clear from the introduction:

Why the current work was performedWhy the current work was performed

Aims and significanceAims and significance

What has been done beforeWhat has been done before

What was done and achieved (in brief terms)What was done and achieved (in brief terms)

Be comprehensive in coverage of approaches,but also try to be brief.

Do not simply catalog papers and ideas!

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Introduction

DODO

Set the sceneSet the scene

OutlineOutline the problemthe problem and hypotheses, andand hypotheses, and

frame these within the existing literatureframe these within the existing literatureEnsure that the literature cited is balanced, upEnsure that the literature cited is balanced, up

to date and relevantto date and relevant

Define any nonDefine any non--standard abbreviations andstandard abbreviations andjargonjargon

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Introduction

DONDONTT

Write an extensive review of the fieldWrite an extensive review of the field

Cite disproportionately your own work, work ofCite disproportionately your own work, work of

colleagues or work that supports your findings whilecolleagues or work that supports your findings whileignoring contradictory studies or work by competitorsignoring contradictory studies or work by competitors

Describe methods, results or conclusions other thanDescribe methods, results or conclusions other than

to outline what was done and achieved in the finalto outline what was done and achieved in the finalparagraphparagraph

Overuse terms likeOveruse terms like novelnovel andand for the first timefor the first time

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Methods

The Methods section must provide sufficient information so

that a knowledgeable reader can reproduce the experiment

List suppliers of reagents and manufacturers of equipment, and defineapparatus in familiar terms:

using an AD 340C plate reader (Beckman Coulter)

OR

using a plate reader (Beckman Coulter AD 340C)

NOTusing a Beckman Coulter AD 340C.

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Results

The main findings of the research

DO

Use figures and

tables to summarizedata

Show the results of

statistical analysisCompare like withlike

DONT

Duplicate data

among tables, figuresand text

Use graphics to

illustrate data that caneasily be summarizedwith text

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Graphics

Figures and tables are the most effective way

to present results

BUT:

Captions should be able to stand alone, such thatthe figures and tables are understandable withoutthe need to read the entire manuscript

The data represented should be easy to interpretColour should only be used when necessary

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Graphics

Legend is poorly defined

Graph contains too muchdata

No trend lines

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Graphics

Legend is well

defined but there isstill too much dataand no trendlines

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Discussion

Describe

How the results relate to the studys aims and hypotheses

How the findings relate to those of other studies

All possible interpretations of your findings

Limitations of the study

Avoid

Making grand statements that are not supported by the

dataExample: This novel treatment will massively reduce thecost of azeotropic distillation

Introducing new results or terms

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ConclusionPut your study into CONTEXT

Describe how it represents an advance in the field

Suggest future experiments

BUT

Avoid repetition with other sections

Avoid being overly speculativeDont over-emphasize the impact of your study

Do not use dot points

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AcknowledgementsAcknowledge anyone who has helped you with thestudy, including:

Researchers who supplied materials or reagents,

Anyone who helped with the writing or English, or offeredcritical comments about the content

Anyone who provided technical help

State why people have been acknowledged and

ask their permission

Acknowledge sources of funding, including anygrant or reference numbers

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ReferencesUse the CES Journal style (see authors guide)

CheckSpelling of authornames

Punctuation

Number of authors toinclude before using et

al.Reference style

AvoidPersonal communications,unpublished observations

and submitted manuscriptsnot yet accepted

Citing articles publishedonly in the local language

Excessive self-citation andjournal self-citation

Missing references

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Supplementary materialInformation related to and supportive of the main text,but of secondary importance

Includes:

Important data

Method validation

New derivations

Additional controls

Video footage

Will be available online when the manuscript is published

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Language

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Journal editors, overloaded with quality

manuscripts, may make decisions onmanuscripts based on formal criteria, like

grammar or spelling. Don't get rejected foravoidable mistakes; make sure your

manuscript looks perfect

Thus, both the science and the language need to be sound

Arnout Jacobs, Elsevier Publishing

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The three Cs

Clarity

Conciseness

Correctness (accuracy)

Good writing possesses the following three Cs:

The key is to be as brief and specific aspossible without omitting essential details

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Know the enemy

Repetition

Redundancy

Ambiguity

Exaggeration

Circularity of argumentPoor ideas structure

Good writing avoids the following traps:

These are common annoyances for editors

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Repetition and redundancyVary the sentences used when writing theabstract or describing findings at the end of theintroduction

Dont copy from other sections verbatim!

Avoid words with the same meaning

In addition, images were also captured with

After flotation, particles were then

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Repetition and redundancy

Avoid circular sentences

In order to examine differences in particlecollection efficiency, collected foam was diluted

and solutions were subjected to light scattering,to size particles and thus determine particle

attachment yield.

The reason for the experiment is described twice, inslightly different terms

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AmbiguityEnsure correct use of which, commas and

hyphens

extreme pressure homogenisation

has a different meaning fromextreme-pressure homogenisation

In To capture images of bubble density, we performedvideo capture, using a high-speed camera The secondcomma should be deleted

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Ambiguity

Ensure correct use of which, commas and

hyphens

In Data were normalised to the internal referencehousekeeping gene actin, which showed

The which is used incorrectly, referring to actin rather thanto the normalisation of data

Data were normalised to the internal referencehousekeeping gene actin, revealing that is correct

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Exaggeration

Effect of p.o. administration of tea and caffeine on

tumor number

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Water Green Tea Black Tea Caffeine

Treatment

Tumornumber

*

There was amassivedecrease in the number oftumors following p.o. administration of green tea

Beware of exaggeration but do indicate significance

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Other common traps

Incorrect use of etc. / and so on

The two groups of data were compared using avariety of statistical methods including a t-test,chi squared analysis, etc.

It is important here to define the tests used as theyare particular to the paper, not part of a natural

series and not obvious to the reader

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Language Editing Services

Specialist scientific language editing services arecommercially available to polish the language in yourmanuscript prior to journal submission

Rates start from $8 per page

Your manuscript is precious, invest in it

More information can be found on the Elsevier website at:

http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/languagepolishing

Use of an English-language editing service listed here isnot mandatory, and will not guarantee acceptance forpublication in Elsevier journals

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Technical details

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Layout

Keep line spacing, font and font size consistent throughout double-spaced 12-point Times New Roman or Arial ispreferred

Use consistent heading styles throughout and no morethan three levels of heading

Number the pages

Order and title sections as instructed in the Guide for

Authors Figure and Table sections are normally togetherfollowing References

Ensure references are complete

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Length

Think about the reviewer

20-40 pages is optimal how long would it take you to review an 80-pagemanuscript?

Editor will ask you to shorten it (or simply reject)

Be selective in data inclusion

will pages of CFD output be informative?

sufficient data to support your assertions

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Cover letter

This is your chance to speak to the editor

directly Keep it brief, but convey the particular

importance of your manuscript to the journal

What is the significance?

Suggest potential reviewers (not from the same

institution!)This is your chance to convince the editor thatthey should send your paper for review

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Fi l h k

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Final checks

Revision before submission can prevent early rejection

What can I do to ensure my paper is in the bestpossible state prior to submission?

Ask colleagues to take a look and be critical

Check that everything meets the requirements set out inthe Guide for Authors again!

Check that the scope of the paper is appropriate for theselected journal

Check the paper passes the interesting test

Fi l h k

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Final checks

Revision before submission can prevent early rejection

What can I do to ensure my paper is in the bestpossible state prior to submission?

If necessary, get a colleague or approved editing

service to improve the language and ensure that themanuscript possesses the three Cs

Ensure that the literature cited is balanced and that the

aims and purpose of the study, and the significance ofthe results, are clear

Use a spellchecker

P t f i i

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Post-referee revision

Respond to all points; even if you disagree with areviewer, provide a polite, scientifically solid rebuttal ratherthan ignore their comment.

Paper may be sent back to the reviewer!

Include a marked version showing changes, if requested

Perform additional calculations, computations, orexperiments if required; these usually serve to make thefinal paper stronger. Put these into the paper, not just therebuttal.

Carefully study the reviewers comments and prepare adetailed letter of response

Post referee revision

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The reviewer is clearly ignorant of the work ofBonifaci et al. (2008) showing that the electric field

strength in the ionization zone of the burned corona isless than the space charge free field before thecorona onset.

Thank you for your comment. However, we feel thatthe assumption in our model is supported by recentwork by Bonifaci et al. (2008), who showed that theelectric field strength in the ionization zone of theburned corona is less than the space charge free fieldbefore the corona onset

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Post referee revision

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Reviewers Comments: It would also be good to acknowledge thatgeographic routing as you describe it is not a complete routingsolution for wireless networks, except for applications that address aregion rather than a particular node. Routing between nodesrequires further machinery, which detracts from the benefits of

geographic routing, and which I don't believe you have madepractical.

Authors reply: We agree and will add an appropriate caveat. Notethat for data-centric storage (name-based exact-match and range

queries for sensed events), the storage and query processingmechanisms "natively" address packets geographically without a"node-to-location" database.

Clearly differentiate responses from reviewerscomments by using a different font style

Dr. Ramesh Govindan,

Professor, Computer Science Department, University of Southern California

Accepting rejection

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Accepting rejection

Try to understand why the paper has been rejected

Evaluate honestly will your paper meet the journalsrequirements with the addition of more data or is anotherjournal more appropriate?

Dont resubmit elsewhere without significant revisions

addressing the reasons for rejection and checking the newGuide for Authors

Dont take it personally!

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Ethical Issues

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Unethical behaviorUnethical behavior can earn rejection and even acan earn rejection and even a

ban from publishing in the journalban from publishing in the journal

Terry M. Phillips, Editor, Journal of Chromatography B

Unethical behavior includes:

Multiple submissions

Redundant publications

Plagiarism

Data fabrication and falsification

Improper use of human subjects and animals inresearch

Improper author contribution

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Multiple submissions save your time but waste editors

The editorial process of your manuscripts will becompletely stopped if the duplicated submissions arediscovered

It is considered to be unethicalWe have thrownout a paper when an author was caught doing this.

I believe that the other journal did the same thing

James C. Hower, Editor, International Journal of CoalGeology


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Competing journals constantly exchange information

on suspicious papers

You should not send your manuscripts to a secondjournal UNTIL you receive the final decision from thefirst journal

DONT DO IT!!


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Redundant publication

Published studies do not need to be repeated

unless further confirmation is requiredPrevious publication of an abstract during theproceedings of conferences does not preclude

subsequent submission for publication, but fulldisclosure should be made at the time ofsubmission

An author should not submit for consideration in

another journal a previously published paper

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Redundant publication

Re-publication of a paper in another language isacceptable, provided that there is full andprominent disclosure of its original source at the

time of submissionAt the time of submission, authors should disclosedetails of related papers, even if in a different

language, and similar papers in press

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Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the appropriation of another personsideas, processes, results, or words without givingappropriate credit, including those obtained throughconfidential review of others research proposals

and manuscripts

Federal Office of Science and Technology Policy,1999

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Plagiarism

Presenting the data or interpretations of otherswithout crediting them, and thereby gaining foryourself the rewards earned by others, is theft, and iteliminates the motivation of working scientists to

generate new data and interpretations

Bruce Railsback, Professor, Department of Geology,University of Georgia

For more information on plagiarism and self-plagiarism, please see:http://facpub.stjohns.edu/~roigm/plagiarism/

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PlagiarismPlagiarism is a serious offence that could lead to

paper rejection, academic charges andtermination of employment. It will seriously affectyour scientific reputation

DONT DO IT!

Unacceptable paraphrasing, even with correctcitation, is considered plagiarism

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Paraphrasing Original (Gratz, 1982):

Bilateral vagotomy resulted in an increase in tidalvolume but a depression in respiratory frequencysuch that total ventilation did not change.

Restatement 1:

Gratz (1982) showed that bilateral vagotomyresulted in an increase in tidal volume but adepression in respiratory frequency such that total

ventilation did not change.

Ronald K. Gratz. Using Others Words and Ideas.Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University


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Fabrication is making up data or results, and recording orreporting them

Falsification is manipulating research materials, equipment,processes; or changing / omitting data or results such thatthe research is not accurately represented in the researchrecord

The most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly

distorted truth

G.C. Lichtenberg (17421799)

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Conclusion

Some Specific Thoughts on

Chem. Eng. Sci.

Chem. Eng. Trends

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g

Smaller, faster, better processing

Processing across multiple scales frommolecule to process to system

Sustainability and the challenges we face

globally energy, water, climate, environment Life science interface

Modern materials

Computational interpretation of experiments

CES Hot Topics

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p

All of the preceding areas, including

Confined flows (microfluidics)

Biomolecular engineering

Multi-scale complexity

Energy, Water, Environment New tools (e.g NMR) for better processes

Fundamental advances in the science core of

chemical engineering

and anything that is interesting to the readers

CES Cold topics

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p

Old problems (e.g., experimental distillation ofethanol and water in conventional columns)

Trivial case studies

Straightforward application of the discipline core

CFD studies that lack novelty & interest Poorly thought out or uninteresting work

Studies that are not chemical engineering

Recent hot papers

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p p

Nanostructures forenzyme stabilization

Predictive control ofparticle sizedistribution inparticulate processes

Sorption-enhancedsteam reforming ofmethane in a fluidizedbed reactor with

dolomite as CO2-acceptor

Mass transport andsurface reactions inmicrofluidic systemsComputational fluid

dynamics (CFD)modeling of spoutedbed: Assessment ofdrag coefficientcorrelations

Desulfurization ofdiesel using ion-exchanged zeolites

A miniaturizedmethanol reformer withSi-based microreactorfor a small PEMFC

Theory or Application?

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Either, or preferably both

Avoid trivial application:

Is the application novel and interesting (non-obvious, or easily done?)

For application, avoid simple parametricstudies (Effect of stirrer speed on )

Application of old theory in a new way canbe very exciting

Re-inventing old studies is not ethical

What Excites Interest?

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Well written manuscript in a hot field or

with a clear new contribution to the corediscipline

A very well written abstract (excites

referee) Figures that convey a clear and interesting

story A well balanced introduction, fully cited

What does not?

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The effect of stirring speed on the anaerobicdigestion of pig waste

A re-evaluation of the ethanol-water azeotrope

reveals a 1% error in the pinch point ethanolconcentration

Major enhancement of DNA sequence speed byre-engineering the optical efficiency offluorescence detection

What gets you accepted?

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AAttention to details

CCheck and double check your work (perhaps with a colleague)CConsider the reviews and change your paper based on them

EEnglish must be good (use a review service)

PPresentation, structure and clarity of ideas are important

TTake time on the introduction and especially the abstractAAcknowledge those who have helped you

NNew, original, previously unpublished and interesting

CCritically evaluate your own manuscript

EEthical rules must be obeyed

adapted from Nigel John Cook, Ore Geology Reviews

Initially Developed for Elsevier by the

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Edanz Group

Daniel McGowan

PhD Molecular NeuroscienceScience Director Edanz Group

Shara McAuleyMSc Reproductive SciencesEditor Edanz Group

Worldwide: www.edanzediting.com China: www.liwenbianji.cn

Additional Editing

Based on a presentation created by Mingxin Zhou, Publishing Support Coordinator, Elsevier

Content and Layout

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