Benjamin Shaw | Director, Global & China
Author-centric thinking
Decision
timelines
Aims & Scope
Instructions for
Authors
Submission
systems
Author
Peer review
Language
screening &
guidelines
Author challenges on the path to publication success
assessing
relevance to
research topic
Preparation
citation
management
determining
likelihood of
acceptance
Journal
Selection
writing
an outline
navigating a
submission system in a
second language
comparing
journals
Writing
writing in
English
Publication
ethics
Submission
Peer
Review
understanding
comments
formatting to
guidelines
Publication
Success
decision to
re-submit, or try a
different journal
long decision
timelines
Author Challenges
All references, including URLs, must be numbered
consecutively, in square brackets, in the order in which
they are cited in the text, followed by any in tables or
legends. Each reference must have an individual
reference number. Please avoid excessive referencing. If
automatic numbering systems are used, the reference
numbers must be finalized and the bibliography must be
fully formatted before submission.
Author Challenges
所有引用，包括网址，必须连续编号，在方括号中，
它们被提及的顺序的文字，任何表或传说的。每个引
用必须有一个单独的参考号。请避免过度引用。如果
使用自动编号系统，参考号码必须定稿，并必须完全
格式化之前提交的书目。
Author challenges on the path to publication success
assessing
relevance to
research topic
Preparation
citation
management
determining
likelihood of
acceptance
Journal
Selection
writing
an outline
navigating a
submission system in a
second language
comparing
journals
Writing
writing in
English
Publication
ethics
Submission
Peer
Review
understanding
comments
formatting to
guidelines
Publication
Success
decision to
re-submit, or try a
different journal
long decision
timelines
A typical
Chinese author
Meet Dr. Du Shunda
Title: Associate Professor
Institution: Liver Surgery Department,
Peking Union Medical College Hospital
Publication track record:
 More than 10 articles in Chinese
 Only one article in English as the first
author, and two as co-author
 Four English articles currently under peer
review
A typical
Chinese author
Grants and incentives?
“I have two grants, one is from the hospital for 50,000
CNY; the other is from the National Natural Science
Fund for 200,000 CNY. My colleagues in our hospital
have grants with amounts ranging from just 10,000 20,000 CNY to tens of millions of yuan.
“If I write a case report, it will not be supported by a grant.”
“Our hospital does currently have a policy rewarding articles published
in SCI journals. However, I am not sure how long this policy will last;
maybe it will be canceled next year.”
A typical
Chinese author
Why publish?
“If I want to be promoted from an associate
professor to a professor, then I must publish
sufficient articles and obtain grants. Getting
published will also give me visibility in my
field.”
Author
Challenges
Survey
Culture / Experience
n=333
Author
Challenges
Survey
Culture / Experience
n=620
Author
Challenges
Survey
Language
n=333
Language
barriers
46%
A typical
Chinese author
Language barriers
“I usually write my manuscript in Chinese
then get it translated into English. However,
the translation often can not perfectly deliver
the same meanings in Chinese.
If I write in English myself then because of my limited
knowledge and skills in English writing, I cannot
satisfactorily express the key messages and uniqueness of
my article.”
Author
Challenges
Survey
Journal Selection
n=333
Author
Challenges
Survey
Journal Selection
Aimed at
Reaching Target
Audience and
Gaining
Recognition
69%
Convenience
20%
n=333
A typical
Chinese author
Journal Selection
Publication goals
“When I write an article I hope to submit to an
SCI journal with an IF of at least 1.0, which will
be useful for me.”
A typical
Chinese author
How do you choose a journal?
“I will list all the professional journals on
hepatology, ranking them from top to
bottom by IF.
If all of them reject or are not suitable for my
article, I will seek a more general journal that
is still related with hepatology.”
A typical
Chinese author
Speed
“I wish peer review could be faster. For
example, one of my articles underwent peer
review for 4 months, which was really too
long.”
A typical
Chinese author
Double-edged sword
“The pressure to publish unavoidably leads to
improper ethics. But on the other hand, the
pressure is also what is encouraging Chinese
authors to publish in the first place.”
A typical
Chinese author
How does Open Access fit in?
Perceived advantages
“Articles published in OA journals may reach a
wider audience.”
A typical
Chinese author
How does Open Access fit in?
Misconceptions
“OA journals have no SCI IF. Maybe they will have
some years later, but not now. However, since
they have no SCI IF, they are basically useless for
us.”
Publisher
Adaptations
Positive ways to engage with
international authors
Encourage:
 Reading
 Participation as peer
reviewers
www.edanzediting.com/STM-China
Downloads and further author-centric reading
@JournalAdvisor
Follow us on Twitter
[email protected]
Contact me