An Insider’s Guide to

Getting Published
Dr Alex Douglas
Reader in Service Quality Management
Liverpool John Moores University
Editor The TQM Journal

E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: 0151-231-3755
Aims of the session

To get you to share your knowledge,

i.e. to get you writing!
• To ‘demystify’ the publishing process
• To provide tips, insider knowledge and key questions to
maximize your chances of publication
• To encourage some of you to go beyond publishing, e.g.
reviewing
• Q&A session: ask anything!
Background

• Editor – TQM Journal – for 6 years;

• Industry for 15 years / academia 18 years;

• 35 journal papers published;

• Reviewed papers for Managing Service Quality, International Small Business

Journal, International Journal of Operations and Production Management,
Management Decision, Industrial Management and Data Systems,
International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage, International
Journal of Learning, International Journal of Productivity and Performance
Management, Higher Education Research and Development, Journal of
Business Economic and Management Review and International Journal of
Lean Six Sigma

• Editorial Advisory Board of: Managing Service Quality, International Journal

of Quality and Services Sciences, International Journal for Excellence in
Healthcare; Industrial Management and data systems; International Journal of
Lean Six Sigma; International Journal of Modelling in Operations Management,
also Italian and Indian Journals.
Leading Editor Award 2009
The TQM Journal’s publishing
philosophy

• Inclusive, international, innovative and

independent

• Supportive of scholarly research

• Committed to improving author and reader

experience

• Committed to publishing ‘Research you can

use’
What do we mean by research you can
use?

Research that
has an impact
The process of publishing your
research in a journal
Editorial supply chain and journal
management structure: journals

Publisher/
Author Editor Managing Production Users
Editor

Quality research EAB and reviewers The link between the QA – sub-editing Access via
papers publishing company and proof reading library
Solicits new and editor
papers Convert to SGML Hard copy
Research
Handles review
Helps editors
succeed in their role
for online
databases Database
process and build a first class
journal Print production Third party
Promotes journal
Overall responsibility
to peers Despatch
for journal
Attends Promotion and Added value from
conferences marketing publisher

Develops new Attends conferences

areas of coverage
Handles production
issues
Ideas: where to start

• Are you working on a Doctoral or Master’s thesis?

• Have you completed a project which concluded
successfully?
• Are you wrestling with a problem with no clear solution?
• Do you have an opinion or observation on
a subject?
• Have you given a presentation or
conference paper?

If so, you have the basis for a publishable paper

What journal should you submit to?

A good choice of journal can enhance the impact of your work and your reputation.

Which publications will reach the audience you want to

share your research with?

Considerations…be political…

Thomson Reuters ISI is the most well known ranking, but others exist:

• Citations are a good, but not complete, guide to quality

• Usage is a better measure of utility
• Other factors to consider are recent articles, most communicative, societies
and internationality, likelihood of acceptance, circulation, time from submission
to publication
• Be strategic (e.g. five articles in ‘low’ ranked journals vs one in ‘top’ ranked
journal)
e.g. The TQM Journal

Look at the citation history in Thomson Reuters Web of Science,

Scopus or Publish or Perish

Research the number of article downloads

253,665 TQM full articles downloaded in 2010

Most downloaded article so far this year:

Most downloaded article in 2010:

Rejection rate = 76%

“Many papers are rejected simply because they don’t
fulfil journal requirements. They don’t even go into
the review process.”

Target!
• Identify a few possible target journals/series but be realistic
• Check a copy of the journal/series or the publisher’s web site
• Follow the Author Guidelines – scope, type of paper, word length, references etc
• Find out who to send your paper to (editor, regional editor, subject area editor).
• Confirm how to submit your manuscript, e.g. e-mail; hard copy or online
• Read at least one issue of the publication – visit your library for access
• If still unsure, send an outline or abstract and ask if this looks suitable and
interesting (or how it could be made so)
• Include a cover letter – This is your opportunity to speak directly to the editor.
Example of author guidelines

Every journal
has detailed
notes and
guidelines
Co-authorship as a possibility

• With supervisor, across departments, someone

from a different institution
• Demonstrates the authority and rigour of the
research
• Especially useful for cross-disciplinary research
• Ensure the manuscript is checked and edited so
that it reads as one voice
• Exploit your individual strengths
• Agree and clarify order of appearance of authors
and the person taking on the role of corresponding
author
What makes a good paper?
HINT: Editors and reviewers look for …

• Originality – what’s new about subject, treatment or results?

• Relevance to and extension of existing knowledge
• Research methodology – are conclusions valid and objective?
• Clarity, structure and quality of writing – does it communicate well?
• Sound, logical progression of argument
• Theoretical and practical implications (the ‘so what?’ factors!)
• Recency and relevance of references
• Internationality/Global focus
• Adherence to the editorial scope and objectives of the journal
• A good title, keywords and a well written abstract
Plagiarism and referencing

• Plagiarism (from the Latin plagium meaning ‘a kidnapping’) is

the act of taking someone else’s work and passing it off as
your own (false attribution). It is considered fraud!
• Hard to detect with peer review but there are new tools to
help us
• Emerald’s entire portfolio is included in
iThenticate web-based software from
iParadigms http://www.ithenticate.com/
• Emerald’s Plagiarism Policy can be seen at
http://info.emeraldinsight.com/about/
policies/plagiarism.htm
• For more general information visit
http://www.plagiarism.org/
Copyright

• As the author, you need to ensure that you get permission to use
content you have not created before submitting your manuscript
otherwise this may delay your paper being published

• Supply written confirmation from the copyright holder when submitting

your manuscript

• If permission cannot be cleared, we cannot republish that specific

content

• More information including a permissions checklist and a

permissions request form is available at:

http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/writing/permissions.htm
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/writing/best_practice_guide.htm
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/writing/originality.htm
How to increase electronic
dissemination
• Use a short descriptive title containing main keyword – don’t
mislead
• Write a clear and descriptive abstract containing the main keywords
and following any instructions as to content and length
• Provide relevant and known keywords – not obscure new jargon
• Make your references complete and
correct – vital for reference linking and
citation indices
• All of this will make your paper more
discoverable which means more
dissemination and possibly more citation
Emerald has structured
abstracts
• A structured abstract – in 250 words or less (no more than 100 in any
one section)
• Purpose – Reasons/aims of paper
• Design – Methodology/’how it was done’/scope of study
• Findings – Discussion/results
• Research limitations/Implications (if applicable) – Exclusions/next
steps
• Practical implications (if applicable) – Applications to practice/’So
what?’
• [NEW] Social implications (if applicable) – Impact on society/policy
• Originality/value – Who would benefit from this and what is new about
it?
www.emeraldinsight.com/structuredabstracts
Before you submit your article: your own
peer review
• Let someone else see it – show a draft
to friends or colleagues and ask for their
comments, advice and honest criticism
• We are always too close to our own
work to see its failings
• Always proof-check thoroughly – no
incorrect spellings, no incomplete
references. Spell checkers are not fool-
proof
Spot the error:
“A knew research methodology introduced in 2007…”
Timetable from submission to initial
feedback to authors

• The Editor(s) do an initial read to determine if the subject

matter and research approach is appropriate for the journal.
Approx. 1 week
• The Editor(s) identify and invite two reviewers.
Approx. 1 week
• Reviewers usually have 6-8 weeks to
complete their reviews
• The Editor(s) assess the reviewers' comments
and recommendations and make a decision
Approx. 2 weeks
• Expected time from submission to review feedback:
3-3.5 months
Once you have submitted your article

A request for revision is good news! It really is

• You are now in the publishing cycle. Nearly every published paper is revised at
least once
• Don’t panic!
• Even if the comments are sharp or discouraging, they aren’t personal

If your paper is rejected:

• Don’t give up!
At least 50% of papers in business and management don’t get published.
Everybody has been rejected at least once
• Ask why, and listen carefully!
Most editors will give detailed comments about a rejected paper. Take a deep
breath, and listen to what is being said
• Try again!
Try to improve the paper, and re-submit elsewhere. Do your homework and
target your paper as closely as possible
• Keep trying!
How to revise your paper


 Acknowledge the editor and set a revision deadline
 Clarify understanding if in doubt –
‘This is what I understand the comments to mean…’
 Consult with colleagues or co-authors and tend to
the points as requested
 Meet the revision deadline
 Attach a covering letter which identifies, point by
point, how revision requests have been met (or if
not, why not)
Support for The TQM Journal authors

• Dedicated Editor, Editorial Assistant and

Publisher.

• Emerald is a Signatory of the Committee on

Publication Ethics (COPE), committed to
protecting its authors’ work from copyright
infringements.

• Numerous resources for authors at http://www.emeraldinsight.com/authors/index.htm

• Online Scholar One Manuscript Central submission process.

 EarlyCite: Pre-publication of The TQM Journal articles online will mean

people can read (and cite!) your work earlier.

• Complimentary journal issue and five reprints upon publication.

Other useful resources

• www.isiwebofknowledge.com (ISI ranking lists and impact factors)

• www.harzing.com (Anne-Wil Harzing's site about academic publishing
and the assessment of research and journal quality, as well as software
to conduct citation analysis)
• www.scopus.com (abstract and citation database of research literature
and quality web sources)
• www.cabells.com (addresses, phone, e-mail and websites for a large
number of journals as well as information on publication guidelines and
review information)
• www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk (a general resource for academic
writers, designed primarily with international students whose first
language is not English in mind)

What do you use?

Any questions?

For any answers you didn’t get today (or were

too shy to ask) …

Alex Douglas
[email protected]