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Strategic Publishing: From draft to publication

From Draft to Publication

An author's draft can be submitted as a preprint (not peer-reviewed) or directly to a journal for peer review. After peer review and revisions, the manuscript may be accepted, copyedited, typeset, and published as a journal article. Preprints can later undergo peer review and transition into formal journal publications.

                            

Source: National Library of Medicine

Definition:

A preprint is a scholarly manuscript posted by the author(s) in an openly accessible platform, usually before or in parallel with the peer review process. Source: COPE.

Where are these Preprint Servers/Repositories?

Many platforms archive preprints; some are subject-specific, others include preprints from multiple disciplines. Search multiple platforms to find the latest research on a specific topic. Preprints can also be found searching PubMed and Google Scholar.

  1. arXiv is a preprint server for physics, math, computer sciences, quantitative biology, and statistics.
  2. Figshare is a repository where users can make all of their research outputs available and citable, shareable, and discoverable.
  3. Open Science Framework (OSF) is best for projects that bridge fields like psychology, education, data science, public policy.
  4. Preprints.org is a platform dedicated to making early versions of research outputs permanently available and citable. 
  5. Research Square over 25,000 preprints. Allows authors to submit preprints and make edits prior to peer review in a journal.
  6. SSRN is a multidisciplinary preprint server, with social science strength.
  7. Click here for a Directory of all Open Access Preprint Repositories. Listing of Preprint Servers maintained by Martyn Rittman from Preprints.org. 

Advantages:

Faster dissemination of your work

Provide access to work that might not always be published

Free to post

Gain early scholarly feedback before submitting for peer review

Showcase your work for grants and in your CV

Prove research originality through timestamps and preprint DOI

Find potential collaborators

Misconceptions:

What is scooping? 

When research is published by a researcher/s before a rival team can publish theirs on the  same topic, or where an idea or results are published without proper attribution to those who came up with the idea or had results first.

It's low risk because preprint servers will timestamp and/or add a DOI for each preprint deposited, making it clear whose research came first.

Can I trust the research that's not peer-reviewed?

One of the benefits to depositing preprints on servers or repositories is that the research community (rather than a small team of anonymised peer reviewers) can provide feedback, and help to improve preliminary research or debunk misleading information.

What if people read preprints and take the results as irrefutable evidence, not realizing that a preprint is not the final version?

Many preprint servers screen papers before accepting them. Preprints are also often marked as such, warning the reader that they are not peer-reviewed.

Will I get two DOIs if my preprint becomes a published paper in a journal? 

Yes, but the preprint DOI will be different to the journal's DOI.

Learn more about Citing Preprints, Recommendations and Responsibilities for Authors, and Other Preprint resources.

This page was adapted from resources at Bernard Becker Medical Library and Levy Library.

Congratulations - you're ready to submit to a target journal or publication, one at a time.

  • Have you attended a writing workshop on publishing readiness? Check the Graduate Research School workshop series
  • Get a final appraisal from a colleague, preferably one with publishing and editing experience
  • Adhere rigorously to the journal's instructions for manuscript preparation and submission guidelines:
    • may include detailed checklists and forms regarding methodologies, ethics, conflict of interest, and financial disclosures
    • may include plans for data archiving
    • may include suggesting referees
  • Write a good cover letter

Make the editor's job as easy as possible!

Types of Peer review

Peer review can take many forms. The most common types  are:

Single-blind: the reviewers know that you are the author of the article, but you don’t know who the reviewers are.

Double-blind: the reviewers don’t know that you are the author of the article, and you don’t know who the reviewers are either.

Open review: you know the names of the reviewers, and they know your name too.

Post-publication open review: after your article is published, readers can comment on it.

Source: Taylor & Francis

 

Videos

1)  A brief overview of the peer-review process, by NCSU watch now

2) 15 steps to revising journal articles - how to respond to peer-review critique

Tutorial

The peer-review process, including acceptance, rejection, revising and responding - by Springer

A peer-review process is used to assure the quality of published research

Publishers provide information to help prospective authors understand the peer-review process for their particular journal.

For example:

The peer-review process may vary between publishers.

As with subscriber journals, the peer-review process for Open Access journals may vary between publishers. Look at the journal's website for editorial information such as peer review, editorial board membership, and aims and scope. 

 

Become a Peer Reviewer, as this can stimulate your ability to appraise scholarly writing... and perhaps in turn, improve your own writing.

  • become involved in reviewing colleagues' papers
  • join Publons as a reviewer or editor, or as a space to track your research impact
  • Web of Science Academy offer free online peer reviewer training

Add any peer review work you do to your CV too.

Deposit your research in OUR Archive

Archiving a preprint, or an author accepted manuscript (AAM), or published version of your work, is a vital step in preserving and promoting access to your research outputs.

For staff, listing your work in MyResearch is mandatory at Otago, but does not garner citations.

OUR (Otago University Research) Archive offers the unique benefits of simultaneous preservation, access, promotion, networking and usage tracking.

Publish your work

Choose a traditional subscription publisher, an open access publisher, or publish through a researcher network.

 

Publish your data

Archive your research data to maintain integrity of your research output, and for potential reuse by other scholars.

See Managing your research data

Increase Your Visibility and Impact after Publishing

There are a number of ways in which you can promote your research, to increase your discoverability and scholarly visibility. It is important to keep track of what you publish and how frequently your research is being cited. 

Please refer to the following LibGuides for relevant guidelines, resources and skills:

Research Metrics and Impact Guide
5-Day Research Impact Challenge
Researcher Profiles Guide
University of Otago Research Impact Framework