One-day agenda on scientific publishing

09:00

Welcome and introductions

09:30

What Makes a Great Paper? – 30 mins
Examples of what top tier journal editors look for in a manuscript

10:00

Practical Exercise 1: You’re the Editor! – 30 mins

10:30

Titles and Abstracts – 30 mins
How to create a brief and engaging title and abstract for your paper

11:00

Break

11:15

Practical Exercise 2: Reviewing Your Abstracts – 1 h 45 mins
Participants must bring in a recent, unpublished abstract which they can review one-to-one with the editors to get expert feedback on their work

13:00

Lunch

14:00

Submitting Your Paper – 20 mins
Submission procedures, making a case to editors, and tips on structuring and writing a good cover letter

14:20

Practical Exercise 3: Pitching your Research – 40 mins

15:00

The Editorial Process and Peer Review – 30 mins
An overview of editorial processes at top tier journals and of peer review, including tips on writing rebuttal letters when responding to a reviewer’s comments, and how to be a good peer reviewer yourself 

15:30

Break

15:45

Practical Exercise 4 : Assessing Referee Reports - 30 mins

16:15

Journal Decisions – 30 mins
A guide through the editorial process post peer review, what happens after a paper is accepted, as well as how to deal with rejection

16:45

Q&A and feedback

17:00

End of day