2014 NAALT/WALT Meeting Scientific Funding Breakout Whitepaper

WALT-NAALT Joint Conference, Arlington, VA USA
BREAKOUT SESSION 3: SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION AND FUNDING
CHAIRS: HEIDI ABRAHAMSE AND JEFFREY BASFORD
MEMBERS: SHIMON ROCHKIND; RENE-JEAN BENSADOUN; NICOLETTE HOURELD

General Guidelines for publication

• Competition for publication in the indexed literature is intense
• Peer-review remains central to acceptance
• There are ways to navigate the system-even for new and controversial ideas
• Competition for Publication is Growing
• Economic Forces
• Payments for Publication: Impact factor < 1 — $306 ; 1 < IF < 3 –$458 ; 3 < IF < 5 — $611 ; 5 < IF < 10 — $764 ; If ≥ 10 — $2,139 ; Publication in Science or Nature – $30,562
• Submission Rates Increasing
• Study Quality, Size and Focus are Important Factors
• Importance of topic
• Relevance to the journal’s audience
• Adequate power
• Appropriate analysis
• Trials registration (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov)
• Desirable papers: Translational and clinical trials ; Health Sciences/outcomes research ; Cost benefit and comparative effectiveness analysis ; Provide new information ; Potential impact on research or care
• Common mistakes: Not addressing differences between audiences ; Confusing, poorly worded presentation ; Reader may not understand your meaning ; Underestimating the level of competition ; Lack of novelty/utility ; Previous/overlapping publication
• Plagiarism and Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest are Serious Issues: Relevant journal editors are informed; Retractions/corrections are printed; Often reported the author’s institution
• Dealing with rejection: After the week, read the letter again; Read the rationale for rejection; Is the rejection final?; Is it a screening level rejection?; If resubmission permitted; Address comments following author guidelines ; Be courteous and respectful; Remember most journals have a formal appeal process; Ask for time extensions as needed.

• • Discipline specific guidelines for phototherapy
    • Selection of journal
  • • • Cater to audience
  • • • Check that journal accepts similar papers
      • Clinical trial requirements
    • Strong study design
      • Methodology should be selected and reproducible
      • Suitable quantitative data should always be supporting qualitative date
      • Adequate statistical analysis should be implemented
      • Clear images and diagrams in jpeg
    • Improving impact factor of journals in the field
      • More strict admission criteria
      • Specific journal guidelines to authors
      • Formalized statistical review
      • Increased review papers
      • Increased editorial commentaries
      • Publishing guidelines (eg; for laser therapeutic applications)
    • Specifications that should be listed in journal guide to authors
      • How laser parameters should be reported in papers
      • Empower journal administrative staff to return to author if paper do not meet minimum journal requirements
    • Authors
      • Young authors should employ mentorship
    • Plagiarism and Ethical conduct
      • Institute suitable plagiarism pre-check
    • • Dual submission to journals is unethical and may lead to disciplinary action
• Economics of Research and Funding
  • Ensure firewall between research and industrial support
  • Understand difference between contract research and investigator initiated research
  • Promote academic funding through clinically orientated photomedicine research
  • Promote photomedicine directly rather than introducing it as a peripheral to another issue
  • Successful grant application depends on suitable topic, collaboration, output history
  • Apply to suitable funding agencies
  • Scientific Societies should assist with grant application