Overcoming barriers to writing a research manuscript –

How an academic editor can support you on your publication journey

As a PhD student or an early career researcher you know that it is important to get your research published, especially if you are aspiring a career in scientific research. It can improve your career prospects and benefit you when applying for funding. However, the journey to publication isn’t easy. Working with an academic editor will make this journey easier for you.

Steps in getting your research published

There are a number of steps you have to take before your research is ready to be published:

1. Choosing the right journal for your article. It is helpful to know where you want to publish before you start writing so that the writing can be tailored to meet the journal’s scope.
2. Preparing a research manuscript.
3. Submitting the manuscript. Every submitted manuscript must be accompanied by a cover letter with the purpose of getting the journal editor to look at your manuscript.
4. Responding to peer review. The editors of the journal will decide if the manuscript is to be sent for peer review. If so, the reviewers will comment on the manuscript and you will have to respond to the reviewers’ comments.

You yourself are probably in the best position to choose an appropriate journal since you know the journals that publish articles in your field and you can talk to your colleagues and supervisors about what they feel might be the right one. An editor is able to help you with all other steps. I want to focus, though, on step 2: ‘Preparing a research manuscript’, the issues you may encounter along the way and what I can do to help you resolve these.

Barriers you may encounter when preparing a research manuscript

Fierce competition

There are many researchers who want to have their work published and only so many journals to publish in. Journals receive many more manuscripts than they have space for, which means journal editors need to select which manuscripts are worth sending out for peer review. As a result, a manuscript is often rejected before reviewers even get to see it. If that happens, your work will, ultimately, not be published in that journal.

A possible reason for rejection is the quality of the writing. To improve the chances of the manuscript going forward to peer review, you must present it in the best possible way. You certainly must adhere to the journal’s instructions, the writing must be clear and understandable and there should be no spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes. It is often the case that when you read the same thing yourself over and over again, you no longer see what needs to be corrected. I can provide that second pair of eyes that helps you make sure that the manuscript is presented well.

Lack of confidence

When you are completing your doctoral study or when you are in the early years after obtaining a PhD, you often don’t have a lot of experience in academic writing. The thought of writing up your research might feel so overwhelming that you don’t even get started. I can help you with organising the content and creating an outline for your paper to make the process more manageable. Once you know what you will write about in each section of the paper, it is going to be easier to get started, one section at the time.

Once you have started writing, doubt may creep in about the quality of your writing. There will be others within the department who have a lot more experience in publishing research articles. However, they also started out from the same position as you are in now. Therefore, you don’t have to be as good yet as they are. If you don’t feel comfortable showing your first draft to a more experienced researcher in your department, you can show it to me and I can make suggestions on how to improve.

Alternatively, you may lack confidence in your ability to write in the English language. It can be difficult to think in one language and write in another. I have experience in editing texts written by researchers whose first language isn’t English. Therefore, I can check your manuscript to make sure that sentences are constructed properly and that the text is clear and understandable. In addition, I can correct spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

Lack of time

Getting published is not always a requirement for being awarded a PhD. As a consequence, you may find yourself too busy with your research to make time to write. This can also be an issue if you are an early career researcher. In addition to your research, you may have other commitments associated with your job, such as teaching, mentoring students or presenting your research. In that case, writing may well end up having the lowest priority on your to-do list. I can help you get started with the writing process or take care of a draft version you have written and that needs finishing.

To improve your chances of the manuscript being sent for peer review, it is important that the journal’s instructions for authors are followed carefully. This can be time-consuming. So, if you are pressed for time or want to improve your work-life balance, why not ask me to take care of this for you?

Cost

You may be worried about the cost of involving an academic editor. Don’t be! YOU are in charge, of what you want me to do and of the cost. You may have a budget and we can talk about what I can do for you within your budget.

Contact me

Feel free to reach out to me if you would like to find out more. You are not committed to anything just by contacting me. We can always arrange an online meeting to discuss how we can move your writing forward and stay within your budget.