John Dixon - How to Publish in Biomedicine: 500 Tips for Success, Third Edition

How to Publish in Biomedicine

500 TIPS FOR SUCCESS

THIRD EDITION

How to Publish in Biomedicine

500 TIPS FOR SUCCESS

THIRD EDITION

John Dixon

Consultant in Healthcare Communications and Trainer in Scientific Writing, United Kingdom

Louise Alder

Trainer and Medical Communications Consultant, able mc Ltd., United Kingdom

Jane Fraser

Medical and Bioscience Communications Consultant and Skills Trainer, United Kingdom

CRC Press

Taylor & Francis Group

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2017 by John Dixon, Louise Alder and Jane Fraser

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Version Date: 20160719

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Contents

The Authors Revenge

There was an old editor (your foe),

Who usually preferred to say no,

He ranted and railed,

Till his heart nearly failed,

He died lonely and broken ho, ho!

Anon, 1823

Such is the miserable life of a journal editor.

First things first. Read this book. It is all true. Beautifully written. Brilliantly argued. You would be a fool to ignore the wise words it has to offer.

If, however, you are pressed for time (and unless you are working at a London teaching hospital, you will be), here is a summary. Structured, of course. The three As to acceptance are:

Approach. The covering letter is vital. Editors are showered with manuscripts daily (25 at The Lancet). We cannot possibly read through every page of every paper. Nor would we want to. A brief, gently hyperbolic account of what you have done and why it should be irresistible to the editor is a sure way to get noticed. But

Appeal. I am assuming rejection (which, be honest, is the likely outcome). The editors decision is never final. Editors are jitteringly insecure about their judgements. No one wants to pass up the scientific equivalent of an actors role in Jurassic Park. If your paper has not been peer-reviewed, claim tragic injustice and a terrible missed opportunity. If a reviewers pen has led to editorial refusal, claim undisclosed bias and a poverty of intellect on the part of the advisor. In other words, appeal to the editors better nature namely, greed for a higher impact factor.

Attitude. Be quick in your rebuttal of the editors decision. We have short memories. No recollection of your paper means no chance. And, in all your correspondence, be polite. I have a growing pile of incredibly irate letters from well-known professors of medicine, all of whom are too used to people saying yes to them. Here is the latest on my desk: Although I have not argued the toss with the last three rejections from The Lancet of papers in which I have been involved, I think this decision is extremely unfair and certainly I find it very difficult to accept based on the rather meagre contents of your letter. I am becoming increasingly confused about your editorial policy. I really cannot accept a rejection (etc., etc.). You can imagine that these sort of wails generate billowing gasps of laughter at The Lancet and consign the feted professors paper to unrecoverable obscurity. Charm, by contrast, works wonders.

Writing is hard, it is true. But when writing is done with others, it can be rewarding perhaps even pleasurable. Is this not a worthy end in itself, irrespective of the capricious editor?

In all of this publishing palaver, authors should remind themselves that, contrary to their expectations, editors like to be liked. We want to publish your work. So, put your pen down, put your feet up, pour yourself a large vodka, and read on. Even this Foreword was rejected first time around.

Richard Horton

July 1997

John Dixon MA FRCS MRCGP MBA

John qualified in medicine having studied at the University of Oxford and Guys Hospital Medical School, London. Initially he trained as a surgeon, gaining experience in accident and emergency medicine, orthopaedic, thoracic, general and ENT surgery, and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (otolaryngology) and Edinburgh (general surgery). He then became a GP and Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, having had experience in paediatrics, neonatology, and obstetrics and gynaecology. Since 2003, John has completed an MBA at Warwick University Business School whilst working as a Primary Care Trust project manager. He then spent five years as Director of Medical Communications in a UK medical communications agency, becoming a freelance consultant in healthcare communications in 2013. Throughout his career John has enjoyed teaching and being taught, and the peer-reviewed academic literature has been central to his work. His consulting and training interests include supporting scientific writers to ensure their communications are accurate, understandable and use appropriate language. He provides training in scientific writing and presentation skills for academics from a diversity of scientific disciplines in universities and research institutes across Europe