As a DPhil student or other early career researcher, getting your first paper published in a journal is a major milestone, but it can also be daunting. To demystify the process, we spoke with Latifah Almulla, a DPhil student in Engineering Science and Reuben College member, whose paper was recently published in Wiley's Advanced Functional Materials (AFM).
Now beginning her third year, Latifah focuses on developing drug delivery technologies for the brain. Her AFM article looks at developing ‘flow sensors’: a type of equipment that measures fluid movement, which can ultimately help you understand if you’re dosing a drug into the brain in the right way.
Here’s what she’s learnt about getting work published.
1. Simplicity is key
"Being as simple as possible is a golden rule, from conducting your research to how you present it. When writing up your paper (including when presenting figures), it’s best to be clear and simple for reviewers, editors and readers.
It also refers to your methods: in my specific case of developing flow sensors, I do think that configuring the device in the most straightforward way to measure flow did give us a higher chance of being published."
2. Stay focused on your aim
"Start the whole process with a clear objective and know from early on how you want to shape your story. If I think back to my first time ever submitting to a journal, I’d tell my past self to not get distracted by going in multiple directions and to focus on one thing."
3. Choose your journal carefully
"The first thing to think about is considering a journal’s scope. What journals in your field could fit your topic?
Next, think about a journal’s impact factor, especially if your priority is being cited or your work being as visible as possible. A higher impact factor generally means articles from the journal are cited more often, which could lead to more visibility and prestige.
Finally, consider your piece’s length. Some journals prefer long papers, others want short ones. My work here was longer, with lengthier supplementary data and results, so that’s why I chose to submit to AFM."
4. Please your reviewer
"Try and please your reviewer as much as you can. Be systematic in answering their questions one by one and do even more than what they ask.
For example, if they ask for an experiment, do it! And if you cannot do it for a specific reason, explain why and back it up with strong references and evidence. Even if you disagree with your reviewer, make sure you do it in a supported and professional manner."
5. Be patient!
"You need to be very patient. It’s not always easy to deal with the waiting involved from submission to acceptance. There’s also a lot of uncertainty: you don’t know how the reviewer will respond; you don’t know if the journal is going to accept your work.
My process with AFM wasn’t too long, but some journals can take years!"
