Academic publishing tips

Advice on academic publishing to help academics understand and navigate this complicated but vital instrument of scholarly work. You will find guidance on how to pitch to academic publishers, write book proposals, work with editors, understand peer review and get to grips with open access and copyright. Ultimately, these resources aim to help you get your research and insights published, as books or journal articles.

A librarian in a striped dress stacks books on a shelf

As university librarians, we should embrace open research

Open access represents a new opportunity, and librarians are ideally placed to implement it. Nazarbayev University’s library team offers their advice

Jerald Cavanagh, Darya Zvonareva, Monika Bukowska, April Manabat, Yelizaveta Kamilova

Nazarbayev University

Pledges and charters in medical schools: catalysts for change or performative promises?

Pledges demonstrating support in addressing issues such as racism and misogyny will often garner interest and may even attract pockets of funding. But they also risk oversimplifying complex problems, writes Lois Haruna-Cooper

Lois Haruna-Cooper

UCL

hands typing on a laptop, open research concept

Sharing qualitative research through open access

Traditional open access repositories are designed for sharing quantitative data. But what about qualitative data – non-numeric information and concepts such as case studies or interview transcripts? That’s where the Qualitative Data Repository comes in

Nathaniel D. Porter

Virginia Tech

Three ways libraries are championing the open access movement

Scholars and researchers should take advantage of libraries’ support of and expertise around open access publishing. Asking a librarian for help could protect your work and save you money

Karen Glover

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

What underpins effective patient and public involvement in health and social care research?

Is it rules or values? The two key ways to approach the art of PPI in healthcare research should come together in process, procedures and culture, writes Gary Hickey

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

A man with a backpack wanders along a jungle path

Researchers should harness the explorer’s spirit to find their career path

Lee Chien Ching shares advice to her younger self and other early career academics on forging your own path through the sometimes forbidding jungle of academia

Lee Chien Ching

Singapore Institute of Technology

The double-edged sword of open access publishing

Inclusivity is seen as a benefit of open access publishing, but is this an illusion? Here, William E. Donald asks questions about who pays and what counts, and offers scenarios for a fairer journal model

William E. Donald

University of Southampton

A young scientist uses a laptop and mobile phone in the lab

Science communication tips for university marketing teams

When research reaches a broader audience, it improves the society we live in and inspires the next generation of scientists. Iris Lai offers her advice on engaging the public with your institution's work

Iris Lai

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Show your research impact: a guide for academics and researchers

In academia, effectively demonstrating and communicating the real-world impact of research is increasingly vital for scholars, driven by demands from funding bodies and academic institutions

Mohammed Al-Bahrani

Al-Mustaqbal University

A microphone against a purple background

Five things to know before you launch a research podcast

Starting a podcast can open up your research to a new audience. David Allan and Andrew Murray show how

David Allan, Andrew Murray

University of the West of Scotland

Five ways to beat the procrastination monster

Writing and procrastination often go together like pen and paper, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here, Glenn Fosbraey offers strategies to stop putting off putting words on the page

Glenn Fosbraey

University of Winchester

An illustration of twelve people using megaphones

Get the word out: four ways to communicate with non-academic audiences

Sharing scientific research with the wider public can be instrumental in breaking down the barriers to academic work. Ashleigh Johnstone offers advice

Ashleigh Johnstone

Arden University

Four people use illustrated megaphones to shout at each other

Approach with caution: why education faculty should engage public intellectualism

The public debate on intellectualism is failing to consider education experts. Ali and Davin Carr-Chellman find the ways to reclaim the narrative

Ali Carr-Chellman, Davin Carr-Chellman

University of Dayton

Detail of many drawing circle on screen around icons

HARKing forward: an argument for a polarising research practice

Hypothesising (or proposing) after results are known is seen as going against scientific principles. Here, however, Yehuda Barach argues for its use in the name of unhindered enquiry and discovery when the scholarship is transparent and properly reported

Yehuda Baruch

University of Southampton

What is your academic writing temperament?

Many early career researchers struggle to write enough. The key is to move away from an abstract notion of productivity and towards a productive writing process, explains Rachael Cayley. Here, she offers questions to help ECRs find their writing rhythm

Rachael Cayley

University of Toronto

Give your academic paper its best chance of being accepted

Peer review is a key step in the journey to publication in that prestigious journal, but not every paper gets to this stage. Here are key reasons for desk rejection and how to avoid them

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology

A young woman recording herself presenting on camera

Life after publication: promote your work for maximum impact

Seeing your work in print is by no means the end of the story. Chris Tancock offers advice on how you can make your published work stand out and benefit from the broadest visibility

Christopher Tancock

Elsevier

Universities and academics need to make space for ‘useless’ research

The academic race for short-term results and practical applications must be balanced with research that can, in due time, become incredibly useful, writes James Derounian

James Derounian

De Montfort University

Is open access tarnished?

As open access terms have split into colour-coded brands, not all allow totally unrestricted access and reuse. Among these, “bronze OA” stands out as a potentially damaging misnomer, writes Steven Vidovic

Steven U. Vidovic

University of Southampton

Unlocking padlock and open access publishing

Open access is inevitable – only the ‘how’ remains up for discussion

Scholarly knowledge is produced mainly at taxpayers’ expense. Why they should have to pay again to read it remains a mystery, writes Peter Baldwin

Peter Baldwin

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), New York University

Man climbing up-and-down graph-like staircase

How to sustain a journal and beat the academic publishing racket

Starting a journal is hard enough – keeping it going is an ongoing challenge. Here’s how to maintain success in academic publishing

James Williams, Asma Mohseni

University of Derby

Group of four multiracial young people in a meeting

A DIY guide to starting your own journal

An antidote to frustrations with traditional academic publishing might be to launch a grass-roots open access journal. Here are the steps to consider

Judith Johnson

University of Leeds

Ten tips to succeed in publishing in English as a second language

English is now selected five times as often as the authors’ national language for journal article publication. Christopher Tancock explains how you can get published even if English is not your first language

Christopher Tancock

Elsevier

Illustration of robot framed by screen acting as editor to writer at laptop

Not replacing but enhancing: using ChatGPT for academic writing

Generative AI and how it can be used for plagiarism has provoked fear in higher education. However, the technology can also improve and accelerate your writing process if it is applied in a constructive, positive manner

Brooke Szücs

The University of Queensland

Strategies to maximise the benefits of open research

Sharing data, publishing preprints and making research outputs freely available all have tangible benefits for individual scientists and society. Here are tips to get started

Tariq Al-Musawi

Al-Mustaqbal University

Books and papers piled around an empty notepad with a pencil poised to write

Making the abstract concrete

Strategies for writing effective abstracts for conference and research papers

Steven Bateman, Yingchun Li

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

How to pitch a book to an academic publisher

Key considerations for researchers when choosing an academic publisher and preparing their pitch

Victoria Pittman

The University of Bristol

Rubber ducks in a row illustrating reproducible research

How to publish responsible reproducible research

Scientific publishing includes not just the manuscript but also data, computer code and lab protocols. Here, Laurent Heirendt shares practical advice that your research institute can follow to publish research results that are reproducible

Laurent Heirendt

University of Luxembourg

Image of someone typing into a laptop with multi-coloured streams firing out of it

Three ways to refresh your academic writing

To answer the common question posed by researchers, ‘how can I improve my academic writing?’, Anne Wilson outlines three simple steps that can help

Anne Wilson

Royal Literary Fund

Illustration of man at laptop surrounded by graphic elements

Creating an impactful visual abstract with no design experience

The basic principles of design offer guidelines for creating a scientific visual abstract. This guide will take you from blank space to eye-catching, easy-to-understand graphics

Lipsa Panda

Elsevier

Writing an abstract concept illustration funnel and laptop

Read this before you write your abstract

The abstract is arguably the most important element of a scholarly article, so it should be informative, meaningful and impactful. Michael Willis gives two objectives, and practical tips, to keep in mind

Michael Willis

Wiley

Improving research culture at universities

To improve research culture, we must change the way we measure performance

Jo Cresswell explains how universities can support more collaborative cultures by changing the way academics are reviewed, assessed and rewarded

Jo Cresswell

Dr Joanne Cresswell Coaching

Knocking down the house of policy impact in higher education

It’s high time we rethought policy impact

The frameworks currently in use for rewarding policy impact are peppered with problems and pitfalls – here’s how to fix them, says Christina Boswell

Christina Boswell

The University of Edinburgh

Young Indian woman opens a carton of books

How much should you publish?

For reputation or promotion? Book or peer-reviewed journal? Publishing is a high-stakes issue for academics. Catherine Léglu looks at scholars’ motivations to publish, where and how often

Catherine Léglu

University of Luxembourg

Don’t be cruel: how to write a fair peer review report

Not every comment in a peer review report will be positive, but it is possible to highlight weaknesses and errors in a journal article while being constructive. After all, behind every manuscript are authors who have ploughed time and effort into the submission

Sin Wang Chong, Shannon Mason

The University of Edinburgh, Nagasaki University

Image representing critical analysis of research

Great citations: how to avoid referencing questionable evidence

Researchers don’t always stick to careful citation practices and occasionally cite evidence that has been questioned or even retracted. Find practical tips on how to avoid citing faulty evidence and maintain good citation hygiene

Dmitry Malkov

Elsevier

The evolving meaning of ‘corresponding authorship’ in research

How the role of the corresponding author is changing in terms of research team dynamics and the perception of its meaning, and the implications for assuming the role

Rachel Herbert, Alison McIntosh

Elsevier, University of St Andrews

Peer review is frustrating and flawed – here’s how we can fix it

What would peer review 2.0 look like? Mark Humphries offers ways to optimise the process for better efficiency and research outcomes

Mark Humphries

University of Nottingham

Academic research and publishing can be difficult to navigate for early career researchers

Are you ready to publish? Top tips on how to prepare your manuscript

From explaining the publishing cycle to outlining what makes a strong manuscript, Jing Tang walks ECRs through key steps when preparing to publish for the first time

Jing Tang

Elsevier

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

Campus Talks: Pointers on writing and publishing for academics

Academics, authors, publishers and postdocs share their advice on how to improve your academic writing and chances of getting published

Campus contributors

Campus

Amplifying your research paper can be achieved if you are ready to be proactive

How to be proactive when amplifying research papers

Conferences might be the first thought, but there are many options for furthering your paper’s reach – and they usually require you to take the lead

Ashleigh Johnstone

Arden University

Magnifying-glass-over-scrambled-block-letters

Streamline your research using academic search engines

Specialist search engines can put the most relevant literature at your fingertips, but which is the best one for you, and how can you optimise your searches?

Jack Wang

The University of Queensland

Image of a book to illustrate ways to get published beyond academia

How to get a book published outside academia

Lexi Stadlen shares advice on how to turn your academic research into a commercially published book and reach audiences beyond academia

Lexi Stadlen

Independent academic

How I plan to get through REF results day

If the results don’t deliver what we think we’ve earned, it will be a blow, but it won’t change the fact that what we do matters, says John McKendrick

John McKendrick

Glasgow Caledonian University

Why does open access make publishing more complicated?

The shift towards open-access publishing can leave students and researchers confused. Here, a group of research facilitators answer the most common questions about the new publication landscape – and sum up where we stand

Inma Peral, Maël Guennou

University of Luxembourg

What to do when an academic journal rejects your article

Nobody likes negative feedback but rejection is not all bad. Here is how to see rejection of your article by a peer-reviewed journal as an opportunity

Catherine Léglu

University of Luxembourg

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

Campus Talks: How to use social media to promote your work

Two scholars who have embraced social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Twitch and podcasts to communicate their research explain how they got started and what works

Simon Clark, Christina Zdenek

Independent academic, The University of Queensland

University libraries and academic publishers need to find a long-term solution to the issue of e-textbooks

We must end the ‘us and them’ standoff between libraries and publishers

University libraries and publishers remain at a damaging impasse over digital textbooks – the solution requires communication, collaboration and openness to big ideas

Libby Homer

Anglia Ruskin University

Man at laptop with symbols of academia, how to write a successful book proposal

Six tips for writing a successful book proposal

An interesting concept is not enough to guarantee your book will get published. In crafting a pitch, it helps to be succinct and targeted and to show an ability to deliver

Simon Clark

Independent academic

What is peer review and why it is important?

Peer review is the lifeblood of good science. But understanding the process can take time, and gaining review experience can be daunting. Marc Gillett explains the key elements of this critical component of science

Marc Gillett

IOP Publishing

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