From Draft to Publication: A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Your Research Paper Published

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What is the Easiest Way to Publish a Research Paper?

Publishing Any Research Paper

The procedure for publishing a research paper can be quite confusing and intimidating, mainly for individuals who are first-time authors. This article typically provides relatively simple step-by-step advice for each page of a publication, beginning when the author has finished the initial draft of the entire paper. Publishing any research paper is a significant milestone in an academic career as it enables the scholar to extend a wider audience. In the meantime, publishing research in any renowned journals can gain credibility as it will help to allure the trust of the public in the research which will reflected in more collaborations. It also triggers expert development as meticulous research necessitates deep analysis of a particular subject matter. The publication process includes certain steps, which are described below.

Step

Description

Comprehension of the publication procedure

First, it is important to familiarise oneself with the phases including preparation, submission, peer review, revision and publication.

Choosing the right journal

Selection depends on focus, scope, open access, review time, and impact factor.

Preparation of the manuscript

It is important to follow the guidelines of the journals and structure them according to them while proofreading the paper thoroughly.

Submission of the manuscript

Submit the manuscript through the online system of the journal and write a brief cover letter highlighting the significance of this paper.

Peer review procedure

Here, reviewers assess the quality of the paper and might advise revisions.

Revise & resubmit

Following that, it is important to address the feedback given by the reviewers by making needed revisions and resubmitting with an in-detailed acknowledgement letter. 

Acceptance & publications

After the acceptance of the review proofs, it is important to pay for publication if needed then and finalise the publication of the paper.

Promotion of the work

In order to do this, the results of the research can be shared on institutional repositories and academic platforms to enhance visibility.

Answer to all feedback following the publication

It is important for authors to communicate with readers and rectify any queries regarding the publications.

Say persistent

It is critical to manage rejections positively, following this revising the paper and submit it to other journals when necessary.

 

In-Detailed Analysis

(1) Selection of the topic for research is crucial and it is the initial step of a study, researcher should choose a topic based on their subject of interest.

(2) It is important to find relevant articles from renowned journals and utilise them to complete the literature review which can be started from Google Scholar. Write down critical speculations, issues, and possible solutions.

(3) Once the written paper is ready then submit that to the online source of any conference or journal site with a cover letter and conflict of interest.

(4) The reviewers of where the paper has been submitted will assess the originality, contribution to the subject, and quality of paper, also can suggest some necessary revisions.

(5) The author should recheck the paper as per the given feedback and submit again.

(6) Once the paper will accept, the author will get a proof to revise the paper for final corrections, and this final versioned will be eligible for publishing.

In essence, publishing any research paper requires meticulous preparation, by following the guidance one can easily accomplish desired results.

Understanding the Costs of Publishing a Research Paper

Publishing a research paper is a necessary step which contributes to the upliftment of a field study of an individual. This publishing sometimes gives birth to significant issues with the cost structure which can vary depending on the quality and structuration of the research paper. Submitting a paper in the journals is free, however, some journals charge nominal fees of Rs. 300 to Rs. 1500. Understanding these expenses is crucial for the researchers, especially for those with limited budgets and those who seeking funding for their publishing. 

Submission Fees

Some journals require the authors to pay the submission fees when they submit their manuscripts for review. These fees can range from $50 to $200 which assists to cover the administrative costs of the peer review of each paper.

Charges on Page

The traditional subscription-based journals charge fees to the authors depending on the number of pages within the manuscript. The changes for pages variedly ranged from $50 to $150 per page. The longer articles with various tables and figures which substantially increase the total cost. 

“Article Processing Charges” (APCs)

In case of the open-access journals, the authors are typically required to pay the “Article Processing Charges” to make their paper freely available to the public. The changes in APC ranged from $200 to $10,400 based on the reputation and prestige of the journal. For instance, journals such as PLOS ONE charge around $1700 while Nature Communications changes up to $5,000 or more than that.

Charges on Colour and Figures

The inclusion of coloured figures and photographs in a research paper can also pose extra costs. The charges can range from $100 to $1000 per figure based on the journal. The Authors have to consider the essentiality of the colour for the figures and tables.      

Formatting and Editing Services for Languages

In the case of non-native English speakers, the services for professional editing and formatting are available. Costs for these services are varied depending on the length and the complexities of the paper. The general range of cost is $200 to $1,000 per paper. This editing and formatting service helps to improve the grammatical accuracy, clarity and overall presentation of the paper. 

Membership and Copyright Fees

Conducting partnerships with the professional organisations can often reduce the publication costs. The members can receive significant discounts on the submission fees, APCs and page charges. Some of the journals require the authors to pay the copyright fees for the retainment of the rights to their work. This fee can range from $50 to $200 per manuscript.

Hybrid Journals

These types of journals offer both open-access and subscription-based options. The authors can choose to pay the APC to make their paper openly accessible to all within the traditional subscription model. 

Publishing a research paper includes various costs from the submission fees to the APCs. Through understanding the range of these expenses and exploring the potential discounts along with the funding options, researchers can manage their publication budget in an efficient manner.    

  

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Can anyone publish a research paper?

Easiest Way to Publish a Research Paper

What is a research paper?

A research paper is a piece of writing that argues on a particular topic based on in depth research. There is no minimum level of educational qualification required to publish a research paper for it to get accepted in a journal although a few things must be kept in mind.

Important things to be kept in mind while publishing a research paper:

  • Academic background: the contribution of education is important as a well-educated and aware person is more likely to develop a paper that has suitable content. Not being able to understand the topic well remains a major hurdle for those who have absolutely no experience in the area and are not well-versed with writing. Moreover, being involved in some sort of academic course helps especially when one is particularly engaged in writing a topic based on that course
  • Novelty: it plays a major role in determining if one would write good quality content as being a part of a research community helps majorly.
  • Overall experience: matters a lot as a person who has absolutely no experience with writing surely cannot produce a tangible research paper.
  • Time at hand: time plays a crucial role in determining whether you would be able to produce a good quality research paper as being employed gives one less time to work on a paper.
  • A thorough knowledge about the language in which the paper is being published:

It must clearly be understood that there are certain kinds of skills needed to produce a good quality academic research paper like how to frame sentences, having good knowledge about grammar, not making spelling mistakes and most importantly, writing relevant content.

Steps to create one’s own research paper:

As an independent researcher, it is a tad more difficult to produce a good content research paper although Google is always available. The following are the steps to create one’s own research paper:

  1. Choosing a journal : one may ask a peer group of professors for suggestions while choosing a journal. Journals have specific formatting styles and so one must stick to the particular style while writing for that journal.
  2. Looking at the journal’s reach: the goal is to look at each journal’s audience, exposure, policies and procedures is imperative. Open access journals may increase readership as anyone may be able to access them.
  3. Writing the research paper: goal is to craft an effective introduction with a thesis statement. It is imperative to make a clear and strong statement about the vision of the thesis statement.
  4. Writing a literature review:  it is imperative to write literature review and the body of the paper and one may gain a good idea about how to do it by looking at other research papers.
  5. Writing the abstract: it describes what your paper is about, it is a short summary of the paper.
  6. Collecting and implementing feedback: it is important to get as many people as one can to read the abstract and provide feedback for improvement. Editing and revising the paper also becomes crucial as one needs to look for typos, grammatical errors and other problems associated with the paper.
  7. Submitting the paper: it involves checking the sources for plagiarism and identifying a few keywords.
  8. Writing a cover letter: it is used to explain why one chooses a particular journal. Submission of articles as per the journal’s submission guidelines is important.
  9. Navigating through the peer review process: one needs to have a clear understanding about which feedback to accept and which ones to reject. Resubmitting to the same journal or choosing another from your list is a decision that has to be made by the one writing the research paper.

Thus, it can be concluded that anybody can submit a research paper given he or she is aware of the mechanism that is involved in writing the paper.

How long does it take to write a research paper for publication?

Properly writing a research paper for publication is a precise and time-consuming process which could significantly vary on a different kind of factors. This aspect mainly involves the complexity of the topic, familiarity with concepts, research methodology and particular requirements of the conference or journals. The time could vary in different case scenarios and the timetable might be different to write a research paper. Hence, properly understanding various stages of the procedure could provide a better layout regarding the entire timeline. In this concern, selecting a topic and research planning might take 2 to 6 weeks.

First stage of research

Before beginning with the writing, an individual had to first identify a researchable and clear question or research objective. This stage includes effectively reviewing the existing literature to consider what has already been published on topic and if there is a gap in knowledge. The planning phase further involves outlining the entire methodology. This stage might approximate two weeks, particularly if the researcher is familiar with the topic. However, for individuals who explore new areas, it might take much longer time than two weeks. Aside from this, conducting the research phase is one of the most time-consuming processes if the study includes interviews, surveys and experiments. However, the time required to analyze and collect data could vary widely depending on the study’s complexity. Few projects might require several weeks of data collection, particularly if a person is dealing with large samples or conducting longitudinal studies.

The second stage of research

The next stage involved writing the draft. Once an individual has the data, the writing process will begin. The time takes to write a draft mainly depends on writing habits and familiarity with academic writing ability. For experienced writers, properly drafting the core section of a paper such as the introduction, methodology, results and discussions might take four to six weeks. For less experienced individuals,  creating a draft might take eight weeks or longer.

The fourth stage of research

After completing the first stage of the draft, revision is a crucial step. Properly giving a revision is vital for publications which involve more than checking grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.  This stage significantly involves revising the arguments and assuring whether the data is represented accurately. The editing and revision can take between two to three weeks which mainly depends on the revision extends.

The fifth stage of research

After completing the research, the individuals had to format the paper as per the submission guidelines of the selected conference or journals. This process further involves assuring the reference and citation effectively follow the required style. Besides, it is also important to check whether the tables and figures are formatted precisely or not. However, depending on the variety of formatting, this final stage might take anywhere from one to two weeks.

Last stage of research

The last stage of research is undergoing through peer review procedure  which take several weeks to multiple months.

Can I publish my own research paper on Google Scholar?

Google Scholar is one of the most widely utilized academic search engines that allows academics, researchers and students to find scholarly sources and papers easily. There is a misconception that an individual can directly publish or upload their own research paper in Google Scholar. This database works as a collector, and university repository, indexing papers through academic journals and other reliable resources of scholarly work. It does not provide any direct publishing capabilities yet allows an individual’s research to be explored after it is uploaded in a relevant form. However, following several steps, an individual can get indexed on Google Scholar.

Publishing a paper within a repository or academic journal

Google Scholar mainly indexed the content through academic journals, conference papers and university repositories. Henceforth, to have appeared on  Google Scholar first it requires to be established on a platform which is already indexed by this search engine. Another best way to ensure that the paper is indexed through Google Scholar is to effectively publish within a peer-reviewed academic journal. Several journals are automatically indexed through Google Scholar. Hence if the paper is properly accepted by such kinds of journals, it will finally appear on Google Scholar without having any kinds of additional work.

Assuring the paper is search engine friendly

In Google Scholar to correctly index a paper, specific technical requirements had to be met. This requirement could mostly be managed through the repository and journals. Google Scholar initially preferred PDFs. An individual had to upload a paper in this format only and the text had to be selectable. It means that any scanned images or printed documents cannot be unloadable. Besides, the paper should have proper metadata such as journal name, publication date, author name and title. Besides, if an individual is self-achieving then he or she has to ensure that scythe paper formatting is consistent with the academic standards. Google Scholar is much more likely to index papers which duplicate formal academic documents.

Setting up a Google Scholar profile

Individuals can not directly publish a paper to Google Scholar yet they can create a profile to showcase and manage the entire work. Properly setting up a Google Scholar profile allows one to interconnect all the publications in one place which makes it much easier to find the research. First, the individual had to go to the Google Scholar homepage and sign in with the Google account. Then the individual would be prompted to develop the profile. Then, the personal details had to be added and had to involve the research interests, institutional details and name.

Promoting the research

After the paper was published by Google Scholar, then the individuals had to promote it and ensure the research could be discovered through academic networking platforms such as Linkedin and different kinds of social media. Besides, they can further link the Google Scholar profile through personal websites.

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