Train Up an Author in the Way They Should Go: The Role of Societies and Journals in Teaching the Review and Publication Process

Abstract

When writing an academic manuscript, authors pay close attention to the guidelines and formats specified by their target journal; however, for much of the review and publication process, journal guidelines can be vague, incomplete, or unavailable to the author or reviewer. This commentary advocates for journals and societies to make their expectations for both authors and reviewers well-documented, easy to understand, and transparent, and for these groups to take a more active role in training the next generation of scientists. Research is a challenging enterprise, especially for students and trainees. Studying the theory and history of one’s discipline, perfecting bench and field skills, and learning the mathematical and computational tools for rigorous analysis all take effort, dedication, and effective instruction. For most researchers, well-established programs of education and training exist to teach students the competencies they need to be successful. When it comes to communicating one’s findings, most graduate programs teach the fundamentals of writing a scientific paper, including which information needs to be included, how a manuscript should be formatted, and how to permanently and transparently archive raw data and analyses. However, professional training becomes much more nebulous when navigating peer review and publication. Trainees often encounter a confusing system of official and unofficial mentors who help them navigate the review process. Ideally, trainees have mentors who are skilled writers with plenty of peer-review and publication experience and who have the time to shepherd their students through this gauntlet. Often, trainees must cobble together a network of more experienced […]