Elements of a Good Submission: Raising Your Chances of Acceptance

Amanda Hindle

Senior Editor

Edanz Group

16 January 2013大阪府立大学女性研究者支援センター大阪府立大学女性研究者支援センター大阪府立大学女性研究者支援センター大阪府立大学女性研究者支援センター

� How to write an Abstract

� References

� Cover letters: How to appeal to journal

editors

� Responding to peer review

Session 2 …

Abstracts

Section 1

Publisher

Adaptations

Writing AbstractsTelling a story

Similar to full manuscripts, Abstracts should

have a:

�Beginning

� ‘tell them what you did and why’

�Middle

� ‘tell them how you did it and what you found’

�End

� ‘tell them again what you did and what it means’.

Publisher

Adaptations

Writing Abstracts

Who’s hungry?

First impressions are

important!

First impressions are

important!

Publisher

Adaptations

Writing Abstracts

Important points

First impression

of your paper

First impression

of your paper

Importance of

your results

Importance of

your results

Validity of your

conclusions

Validity of your

conclusions

Relevance of

your aims

Relevance of

your aims

Judge your

writing style

Judge your

writing style

Probably only part

that will be read

Probably only part

that will be read

Publisher

Adaptations

Writing AbstractsGeneral guide

Aims

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Why the study was done (20%)

Your hypothesis (10%)

Techniques (10%)

Most important findings (40%)

Conclusion & implications (20%)

Publisher

Adaptations

Writing Abstracts

Structured abstract

Pal et al. (2012). New England Journal of Medicine 367: 1002-1011

Background/

Aims

Background/

Aims

TechniquesTechniques

Important

results

Important

results

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic and genetic evidence links type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer. The tumor-

suppressor phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) has roles in both cellular growth and metabolic

signaling. Germline PTEN mutations cause a cancer-predisposition syndrome, providing an opportunity to

study the effect of PTEN haploinsufficiency in humans.

Methods: We measured insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in 15 PTEN mutation carriers and 15

matched controls. Insulin signaling was measured in muscle and adipose-tissue biopsy specimens from 5

mutation carriers and 5 well-matched controls. We also assessed the effect of PTEN haploinsufficiency on

obesity by comparing anthropometric indexes between the 15 patients and 2097 controls from a

population-based study of healthy adults. Body composition was evaluated by means of dual-emission x-

ray absorptiometry and skinfold thickness.

RESULTS: Measures of insulin resistance were lower in the patients with a PTEN mutation than in controls

(e.g., mean fasting plasma insulin level, 29 pmol per liter [range, 9 to 99] vs. 74 pmol per liter [range, 22 to

185]; P=0.001). This finding was confirmed with the use of hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamping, showing

a glucose infusion rate among carriers 2 times that among controls (P=0.009). The patients' insulin

sensitivity could be explained by the presence of enhanced insulin signaling through the PI3K-AKT pathway,

as evidenced by increased AKT phosphorylation. The PTEN mutation carriers were obese as compared with

population-based controls (mean body-mass index [the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the

height in meters], 32 [range, 23 to 42] vs. 26 [range, 15 to 48]; P<0.001). This increased body mass in the

patients was due to augmented adiposity without corresponding changes in fat distribution.

CONCLUSIONS: PTEN haploinsufficiency is a monogenic cause of profound constitutive insulin sensitization

that is apparently obesogenic. We demonstrate an apparently divergent effect of PTEN mutations:

increased risks of obesity and cancer but a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes owing to enhanced insulin

sensitivity.

PTEN mutations as a cause of constitutive insulin sensitivity and obesity

ConclusionConclusion

Publisher

Adaptations

Writing AbstractsUnstructured abstract

Yanai et al. (2012) PLoS ONE 7:e44475.

A devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011, followed by several long and

intense aftershocks. Laboratory mice housed in the Tokyo, located approximately 330 km south of

this earthquake’s epicenter, displayed remarkable changes in a variety of behaviors and

physiological measures. Although unusual pre-earthquake behaviors have been previously

reported in laboratory animals, little is known about behavioral and physiological changes that

occur after a great earthquake. In the present study, the effects of Tohoku earthquake on mice

behavior were investigated. ‘‘Earthquake-experienced’’ mice displayed a marked increase in food

consumption without gaining body weight in response to the earthquake. They also displayed

enhanced anxiety, and in a formal fear memory task, showed significantly greater tone- and

context-dependent conditioned freezing. Water maze performance of earthquake-experienced

mice showed the quicker acquisition of the task, faster swim speed and longer swim distance than

the naive mice. Serum corticosterone levels were elevated compared to the naive mice, indicating

that the earthquake and aftershocks were stressful for the mice. These results demonstrate that

great earthquakes strongly affect mouse behaviors and physiology. Although the effects of a

variety of experimental manipulations on mouse behaviors in disease models or in models of

higher cognitive functions have been extensively examined, researchers need to be aware how

natural phenomena, such as earthquakes and perhaps other natural environmental factors,

influence laboratory animal behaviors and physiology.

Remarkable changes in behavior and physiology of laboratory mice after the

massive 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan

Publisher

Adaptations

Writing AbstractsUnstructured abstract

Although unusual pre-earthquake behaviors have been previously reported in laboratory animals,

little is known about behavioral and physiological changes that occur after a great earthquake.

In the present study, the effects of Tohoku earthquake on mice behavior were investigated..

‘‘Earthquake-experienced’’ mice displayed a marked increase in food consumption without gaining

body weight in response to the earthquake. They also displayed enhanced anxiety, and in a formal

fear memory task, showed significantly greater tone- and context-dependent conditioned freezing.

Water maze performance of earthquake-experienced mice showed the quicker acquisition of the

task, faster swim speed and longer swim distance than the naive mice. Serum corticosterone levels

were elevated compared to the naive mice, indicating that the earthquake and aftershocks were

stressful for the mice.

A devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, 2011, followed by several long and

intense aftershocks. Laboratory mice housed in the Tokyo, located approximately 330 km south of

this earthquake’s epicenter, displayed remarkable changes in a variety of behaviors and

physiological measures.

These results demonstrate that great earthquakes strongly affect mouse behaviors and physiology.

Although the effects of a variety of experimental manipulations on mouse behaviors in disease

models or in models of higher cognitive functions have been extensively examined, researchers

need to be aware how natural phenomena, such as earthquakes and perhaps other natural

environmental factors, influence laboratory animal behaviors and physiology

BackgroundBackground

AimsAims

TechniquesTechniques

Important

results

Important

results

ConclusionConclusion

Yanai et al. (2012) PLoS ONE 7:e44475.

Publisher

Adaptations

Writing Abstracts

Do not

include…

Do not

include…

ReferencesReferences AbbreviationsAbbreviations

Jargon/slangJargon/slangNumbers &

statistics

Numbers &

statistics

Things to avoid

Publisher

Adaptations

Writing Abstracts Describing numbers and statistics

We find that, under low extracellular tension, newly formed adhesions near the cell

periphery undergo a transient retrograde displacement preceding elongation.

This retrograde movement was only seen in nascent adhesions, within 30–90

seconds after appearance and occurred in a majority of nascent adhesions observed

(65%, nFA=39, ncell=6). The magnitude of retrograde displacement was 0.67±0.33 μm

(nFA=39, ncell=6) and, once immobilized, a majority (77%, nFA=39, ncell=6) of adhesions

elongated proximally.

Transient frictional slip between integrin and the

ECM in focal adhesions under myosin-II tension

Aratyn-Schaus & Gardel. (2010). Curr Biol. 20: 1145

Results

Abstract

References

Section 2

References

� Always format your references: check the Instructions for Authors for the appropriate format

� Formatting is required for in-text citations and for your References section

� Use reference management software (RefWorks, Mendeley, EndNote, Zotero, Papers)

Formatting

References

In-text citations can be presented in several styles:

� The incidence of kidney disease in children has increased since 2005 (Suzuki et al., 2010)

� The incidence of kidney disease in children has increased since 2005 [1].

� The incidence of kidney disease in children has increased since 2005.1

� Suzuki et al. reported an increase in the incidence of kidney disease in children since 2005 (2010).

In-text style

References

There are many reference styles:

� Chicago, Vancouver, Harvard, APA

Journal title abbreviations are common

� Use Index Medicus list

Some journals limit the number of citations

� Check Instructions for Authors

Reference list style

Advances in Drug Research

Adv Drug Res

Advances in Drug Research

Adv Drug Res

Cover Letters

Section 3

Coverage and

Staffing Plan

Cover Letters

Dear Editor-in-Chief,

I am sending you our manuscript entitled “Techniques to detect circoviruses in

Japanese bird species” by Raye et al. We would like to have the manuscript

considered for publication in Virology Methods Online.

Please let me know of your decision at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely yours,

Warren Raye, PhD

� Competition for publication space and for

editors’ attention is very high

Cover letters

Coverage and

Staffing Plan

Cover Letters

Dear Dr Graeber,

Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled “Amyloid-like inclusions in the brains of Huntington’s disease patients”, by

McGowan et al., which we would like to submit for publication as a Research Paper in Neurogenetics.

Recent immunohistochemical studies have revealed the presence of neuronal inclusions containing an N-terminal portion of

the mutant huntingtin protein and ubiquitin in the brain tissues of Huntington’s disease (HD) patients; however, the role of

these inclusions in the disease process has remained unclear. One suspected disease-causing mechanism in Huntington’s

disease and other polyglutamine disorders is the potential for the mutant protein to undergo a conformational change to a

more stable anti-parallel β-sheet structure…

To confirm if the immunohistochemically observed huntingtin- and ubiquitin-containing inclusions display amyloid features, we

performed Congo red staining and both polarizing and confocal microscopy on post-mortem human brain tissues obtained

from five HD patients, two AD patients, and two normal controls. Congo red staining revealed a small number of amyloid-like

inclusions showing green birefringence by polarized microscopy, in a variety of cortical regions.... ….detected inclusions

observed in parallel sections, suggesting that only a relatively small proportion of inclusions in HD adopt an amyloid-like

structure.

We believe our findings would appeal to a broad audience, such as the readership of Neurogenetics. As a wide-reaching journal

publishing original research on all aspects of neuroscience…

Please address all correspondence to….

Give the

background to

the research

What was

done and what

was found

Interest to

journal’s readers

A good cover letter

Coverage and

Staffing Plan

Cover LettersGeneral rules

General rulesGeneral rules

Manuscript title/

Publication type

Manuscript title/

Publication type

Corresponding

author details

Corresponding

author details

Background,

rationale, results

Background,

rationale, results

Address editor

personally

Address editor

personally

Why are your

findings important?

Why are your

findings important?

Reviewer

recommendations

Reviewer

recommendations

Coverage and

Staffing Plan

Cover LettersGeneral rules

“Must-have”

statements

“Must-have”

statements

Not submitted

to other journals

Not submitted

to other journals

Source of

funding

Source of

funding

Authors agree on

paper/journal

Authors agree on

paper/journal

Original and

unpublished

Original and

unpublished

Conflicts of

interest

Conflicts of

interest

Authorship

contributions

Authorship

contributions

Coverage and

Staffing Plan

Cover Letters

“The following items are also required as part of the

manuscript submission process:…The names,

addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of

four or five potential independent reviewers…”

“When submitting a paper authors are requested to

suggest 6 international referees…”

Recommending reviewers

Coverage and

Staffing Plan

Cover LettersRecommending reviewers

� From your reading and references

� Networking

� Aim for younger and mid-level scientists

� Provide reasons for recommending or

excluding a reviewer

� Editors have the final decision on reviewer

choice

Peer Review

Section 4

Peer ReviewImproves your manuscript

�Few papers are accepted without revision

� Rejection and revision are integral to the peer review process

Acceptance

Minor

revision

Major

revision

Rejection

Peer ReviewImproves your manuscript

� Peer review is a positive process

� Improves science

� Recommend to get involved in the peer

review process

http://www.springer.com/authors/

journal+authors/peer-review-academy

Peer ReviewThe peer review process

Accept

EditorPeer

ReviewRevision

Reject

Might become

suitable

Major? Minor?

Peer ReviewDecision letter

Manuscript ID number

Reasons for revision

How to submit a revision

24-July-2012

Dear Dr. XXXXX

Manuscript ID WJS-07-5739: “Long-term outcomes following right-lobe living donor liver transplantation."

Your manuscript has been reviewed, and we cannot accept the manuscript as submitted. The reviewer

concerns are included at the bottom of this letter.

You can submit a revised manuscript that takes into consideration these comments. You will also need to

include a detailed commentary of the changes made. Please note that resubmitting your manuscript does not

guarantee eventual acceptance, and that your resubmission may be subject to re-review by the reviewers

before a decision is made.

To revise your manuscript, log into http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/wjs and enter your Author Center, where

you will find your manuscript title listed under "Manuscripts with Decisions." Under "Actions," click on "Create

a Revision." Your manuscript number has been appended to denote a revision.

…

Peer Review

…You will be unable to make your revisions on the originally submitted version of the manuscript. Instead,

revise your manuscript using a word processing program and save it on your computer. Please also highlight

the changes to your manuscript within the document by using the track changes mode in MS Word or by using

bold or colored text. Once the revised manuscript is prepared, you can upload it and submit it through your

Author Center.

When submitting your revised manuscript, you will be able to respond to the comments made by the

reviewer(s) in the space provided. You can use this space to document any changes you make to the original

manuscript. In order to expedite the processing of the revised manuscript, please be as specific as possible in

your response to the reviewer(s).

IMPORTANT: Your original files are available to you when you upload your revised manuscript. Please delete

any redundant files before completing the submission.

Because we are trying to facilitate timely publication of manuscripts submitted to the Surgical Endoscopy, your

revised manuscript should be uploaded as soon as possible. If it is not possible for you to submit your revision

in a reasonable amount of time, we may have to consider your paper as a new submission.

Once again, thank you for submitting your manuscript to Surgical Endoscopy and I look forward to receiving

your revision.

Decision letter

Procedure for responding

Due date for resubmission

Peer Review

� Politely respond to all the referee’s

comments in a response letter

� Make it easy to see the changes

� Refer to line and page numbers

� Different color font

� Highlight the text

Revision

Peer Review

� Conduct additional experiments and

analyses as suggested

� If this is impossible, you must explain

why

� You can disagree with reviewers, but

provide evidence (cite references)

Revision

Peer ReviewWriting a response letter

Address editor personally

Manuscript ID number

Thank reviewers

Highlight major changes

John G. Hunter

Editor-in-Chief

World Journal of Surgery

16 August 2012

Dear Dr. Hunter,

Re: Resubmission of manuscript reference No. WJS-07-5739

Please find attached a revised version of our manuscript originally entitled “Long-term outcomes following right-

lobe living donor liver transplantation,” which we would like to resubmit for consideration for publication in World

Journal of Surgery.

The reviewer’s comments were highly insightful and enabled us to greatly improve the quality of our manuscript. In

the following pages are our point-by-point responses to each of the comments.

Revisions in the manuscript are shown as underlined text. In accordance with the first comment, the title has been

revised and the entire manuscript has undergone substantial English editing.

We hope that the revisions in the manuscript and our accompanying responses will be sufficient to make our

manuscript suitable for publication in World Journal of Surgery.

Peer ReviewPoint by point response

Reviewer comment 1: There are many typos

and complicated phrases. This manuscript

should be corrected by a native English speaker

before resubmission.

Response: Thank you for your comment. The

entire manuscript has undergone English editing

by a native speaker.

Peer Review

“The English needs to be improved”

“Your writing is difficult to understand”

� Grammar and spelling

� Long, complex sentences and paragraphs

� Gaps in the logic

� Poor manuscript organization

� Too much information

Understanding reviewer comments

Peer ReviewPoint by point response

Reviewer comment 2: This is an interesting

discussion providing valuable data examining

the long-term outcomes after living donor liver

transplantation.

Response: Thank you. We appreciate your kind

comment.

Peer ReviewPoint by point response

Reviewer comment 3: Some additional background on

the grafting technique used is required in the

Introduction. What are the advantages and

disadvantages of this technique?

Response: In accordance with your suggestion, we have

added a discussion on the advantages and

disadvantages of the grafting technique used in the

Introduction section of the revised manuscript (p4, lines

7–13).

Peer Review Incorporating your response

…The technique used for grafting the transplanted liver to

the recipient liver in this study is the conventional method

used at our institution, and in most living donor

transplantation procedures currently being conducted [15].

Right-lobe grafting is the preferred technique because it

offers a better position for surgery, has a decreased

chance of hepatic venous obstruction, and provides

greater hepatic mass than left-lobe grafting. However, this

technique can be difficult for surgeons to master and care

must be taken when choosing the appropriate plane of

transection to avoid graft congestion [16].

Peer Review

Reviewer comment 4: Of the techniques you describe, is

there a difference in outcomes between their use in young

patients vs older patients?

Response: Because only a small number of surgeries using

either technique have been performed to date, it is not yet

clear whether there is a difference in preferred technique

based on the age of the patient. However, we have outlined

our reasons why we consider right-lobe grafting to be

superior for all ages in the Discussion section of the revised

manuscript (p11, lines 12–21).

Point by point response

Peer Review Incorporating your response

…As explained above, we chose to examine the long-term

outcomes using right-lobe grafting as it provides many

anatomical advantages when performing the transplant.

Because of the small number of surgeries performed

worldwide to date, it is not yet clear whether right-or left-

lobe grafting has a particular advantage based on the age

of the patient. However, based on the long-term outcome

results shown here, we consider that there is strong

support for the primary use of right-lobe grafting in live

donor liver transplantation for patients of all ages.

Peer Review

“The authors hypothesized to look for the pharmacokinetics of

the insulin using this 4 mm needle; However they didn't do

bioequivalence analyses for glucose pharmacodynamics. That

is one of my concerns about this methodology.”

� Questions from reviewers may not always be

apparent

� Cosmetic changes

“Hidden” questions

Coverage and

Staffing Plan

Final Steps

� Second round of review

What happens next?

Acceptance!

Editor assigned:

peer review or

acceptance

Manuscript

re-submitted

Reviewers

evaluate: accept,

reject or revise

Manuscript

sent to original

reviewers

Additional

revisions

Coverage and

Staffing Plan

Final Steps

� Submission to publication, 3–24 months

What happens next?

Acceptance!

Editor assigned:

peer review or

acceptance

Manuscript

re-submitted

Reviewers

evaluate: accept,

reject or revise

Manuscript

sent to original

reviewers

Additional

revisions

Coverage and

Staffing Plan

Final Steps

� Clear, concise, accurate writing

� Compliance with Instructions for Authors

� References properly formatted

� Descriptive, stand-alone Abstract

� Cover letter

� Suggest peer reviewers

� Suggest potential editors

� Declare conflicts of interests

Checklist for acceptance

Any questions?

Thank you!

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Appendix

Structured abstracts

Why?

• Easy for authors to write

• Easy for readers to understand

• Good for computerized indexing

�Follow the IMRaD format:

Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion

�CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) recommends structured abstracts for papers about randomized controlled trials (RCT)

Appendix Cover letters: useful set phrases

�Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled (title), which we would like to submit for publication as a (publication type) in (journal name).

�To our knowledge, this is the first report showing…

�We believe our findings would appeal to the readership of (journal name).

�Please address all correspondence to:

�We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Appendix Cover letters: useful set phrases

All cover letter should contain these sentences:

� We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.

� All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with submission to (journal name).

� The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Or…briefly describe any conflicts of interest that exist