Course

Part 2: Publishing a Research Paper

Scientific Writing and Publishing

8 Modules Duration: 5h30

Part 2 of the Scientific Writing and Publishing course focuses on how to submit your research paper and gives a comprehensive overview of the editorial and publishing process.

What you'll learn

  • How to select a journal for publication and submit your paper
  • How to navigate the editorial process, including how to write cover letters, the peer review process, as well as the different editorial decisions and how to appeal them
  • Ethical considerations, such as duplicate submission

Features

  • Part 2 of a 3-part course
  • Certificate of completion
  • Taught by 5 Nature Research journal editors
  • English language captions and transcripts

Access options

For researchers

Your institution has a Nature Masterclasses subscription?
Great! Register or log in to access the full course.

Unsure whether your institution subscribes?
Here’s how to find out.

Your institution doesn’t subscribe yet?
Individual subscriptions are not available. Recommend our courses to your institution.

For institutions and labs

Give your researchers access to our on-demand platform to:

Grow impact and reputation through high-quality output
Support the professional development of your team
Save time on mentoring and training

See our subscription plans

The course

Authorship and authors' responsibilities | 0h40 | 11 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • how the line between authorship and acknowledgement can be defined in various situations
  • to recognize authorship practices that fail to meet acceptable standards of scientific integrity
  • how to discuss authorship and author order in your team.
Selecting a journal for publication | 0h35 | 8 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • what criteria to use when choosing a journal
  • how the order of priority of these factors may change depending on the situation
  • how to identify and avoid questionable journals
  • how to create your own checklist for journal selection.
Submitting your paper | 0h30 | 9 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • what information is useful for editors when they receive your paper
  • how to organize this information into a strong cover letter and how to summarize your research without repeating the abstract
  • which additional information and documents can be requested by journals at each stage of the process.
Understanding peer review | 1h05 | 12 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • the different models of peer review 
  • how editors select referees
  • when and how to peer review
  • the benefits of being a peer reviewer.
Journal decisions | 1h00 | 9 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • to distinguish the different types of editorial decisions
  • to read and interpret editorial decision letters
  • how to prepare a rebuttal and an appeal letter
  • what happens after acceptance and publication.
The editorial process | 0h15 | 6 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • editorial processes at different journals
  • the different stages of manuscript handling by editors
  • how editorial teams work together to make initial decisions on manuscripts
  • what happens to your article after it’s accepted.
Measuring impact | 0h40 | 7 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • what research metrics are
  • the different levels of metrics (article, author, institution)
  • how to calculate metrics and how to use them
  • limitations of research metrics and how the research community is working to change the metrics landscape.
Plagiarism and other ethical issues | 0h45 | 10 lessons

In this module you will learn:

  • about the different types of misconduct
  • about our editors’ perspective on specific cases of misconduct
  • in which circumstances a correction or retraction might be appropriate
  • where to look for further information and advice.