Category Archives: Publishing your work

How to read a scientific paper

Posted on September 24, 2018 by

Do you remember when you read your first scientific paper? For me it was hard. Some parts I did not understand. Other parts were interesting. The structure seemed odd, with a narrative that did not flow. I read it from … Continue reading →

Posted in Presentations and seminars, Publishing your work, Reading critically, Scholarship, Undergraduates, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What happens when you don’t publish promptly?

Posted on June 12, 2016 by

If science is a relay race, when you don’t publish, the baton goes to someone else. If science is a quilt, when you don’t publish, someone else’s square will go in the place saved for yours. If science is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Publishing your work | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

PNAS is now tracking Online Impact. How do you fare?

Posted on April 26, 2015 by

The Cozzarelli Prize was just awarded to some excellent researchers who published last year in PNAS. The first was on the timeline for the Permian mass extinction. I turned to that paper and saw at the bottom of the page … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Communication, Publishing your work | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why this editor won’t be sending your paper out for further review at PNAS

Posted on April 2, 2015 by

As of 15 March 2015, I’m taking a 3 year stint on the editorial board of PNAS. Right now there are ten of us in the evolution section, so I’m likely to handle a lot of papers. What we do … Continue reading →

Posted in Publishing your work | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

No, you can’t acknowledge me in your paper without asking!

Posted on February 10, 2015 by

Most scientific papers have a brief acknowledgements section where people who helped in some small way with the study are mentioned. It used to be the place where the technicians, often female, who might have done all the work were … Continue reading →

Posted in Publishing your work, Scientific community, Writing | 13 Comments

Do you celebrate a paper submission with cognac?

Posted on October 6, 2014 by

There are celebrations for milestones of various kinds. In Japan I hear turning 60 is a big deal. Birthdays, graduations, even publishing can be celebrated. But why not celebrate something that is under your control? How about cheering when you … Continue reading →

Posted in Graduate school, Life in a biology department, Publishing your work, Scientific community, Social interactions, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Two figures every paper should include

Posted on September 3, 2014 by

When you read a scientific study, you want to understand what the authors did to get to their conclusions and you want to understand it quickly. After all, the interesting stuff is about the hypotheses and the authors’ discoveries. Yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Publishing your work, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments