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.
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- Discipline specific guidelines for phototherapy
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- 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
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- 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