American Chemical Society announces new series of educational videos on the publication of peer-reviewed research

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2011 — The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) today announced the launch of Publishing Your Research 101, a new educational, web-based video series designed to support authors and reviewers with the process of writing, submitting, reviewing, and editing reports of original scientific research intended for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

The video series, freely available from ACS Publications (http://pubs.acs.org/r/publishing101) covers topics such as the essential elements of a scientific journal article, ethical guidelines for authors and reviewers, criteria to consider when selecting a suitable journal for submission, writing a good cover letter, suggesting peer reviewers, responding to reviewer comments and editorial decisions, and guidance for authors who may need assistance with English language writing skills. New videos will be released on a monthly basis throughout 2011.

Publishing Your Research 101 features interviews with prominent authors and Editors of ACS journals about all aspects of the publication process. They provide their unique points of view from their own experiences with ACS journals and offer practical advice for publishing peer-reviewed research intended for interdisciplinary scientific audiences, such as chemistry, biology, medicine, physics, and engineering.

ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and currently publishes journals that are widely known for their editorial rigor and highly regarded as the most-trusted, most-cited, and most-read publications in chemistry. ACS Publications created the video series in response to encouragement received from students and faculty, including interactive discussion forums held at ACS National Meetings and ACS On Campus university visits. Scientists in various stages of their careers have affirmed their interest in learning how to improve their written contributions as part of their efforts to communicate broadly the significance of their discoveries by publication in ACS journals.

“The Publishing Your Research 101 video series is provided to help cultivate the chemists of tomorrow by fostering their growth as researchers, authors, and reviewers,” said Susan King, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Journals Publishing Group, at ACS Publications. “The effective communication of peer-reviewed scientific research is vital to both the scientific community and to every scientist’s chosen career path. This video series leverages the accumulated experiences of the authors and Editors of the most-cited journals in chemistry, serving as a guide to researchers to aid them in navigating the publication of an original research article. ACS Editors provide a valuable perspective into the publication of peer-reviewed research, providing both an editorial perspective, and the perspective of independent, actively publishing researchers.”

The first video of the series features an interview with George M. Whitesides, Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University, whose impressive publishing record includes more than 1000 peer-reviewed articles in the scientific literature, with nearly 600 studies published within 17 different ACS journals. Professor Whitesides has served on the editorial boards of numerous peer-reviewed journals. He and his collaborators have made significant contributions to the fields of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, organic synthesis, materials and surface science, microfluidics, and nanotechnology. Among other awards, Whitesides is the recipient of the National Medal of Science, the Kyoto Prize in Materials Science and Engineering, the Priestley Medal, the highest honor conferred by the ACS, the American Chemical Society's Award in Pure Chemistry, the Arthur C. Cope Award, the Dan David Prize, and the Welch Award in Chemistry. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Engineering. He is an ACS Fellow and also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Entitled “How to Write a Paper to Communicate your Research,” the first video addresses the following questions:

• When should you begin writing your manuscript during the research process?
• How do you typically approach the manuscript writing process?
• How do new technologies help scientists communicate their work?
• How many drafts does each manuscript undergo? Should manuscripts undergo an internal review?
• Should authors actively market their articles?
• How much attention should you pay to the creation of the title and the abstract for new manuscripts?

The inaugural video, along with links to additional resources, can be viewed at http://pubs.acs.org/r/publishing101.

The second video in the series, entitled “Writing Your Cover Letter,” will be available online in June, 2011 and will identify topics to be discussed in an accompanying cover letter when submitting an original research manuscript for consideration—such as how best to communicate the significance of the research to the field, and how the subject of the research study fits with the scope of the journal and its audience of readers. It will feature interviews with ACS Editors-in-Chief Professor Richard Eisenberg (Inorganic Chemistry) and Professor Timothy P. Lodge (Macromolecules), and ACS Nano Associate Editors Professor Paula T. Hammond and Associate Professor Jason H. Hafner.

The ACS Publications Division currently publishes 39 leading peer-reviewed journals in the chemical and related sciences, including the flagship Journal of the American Chemical Society, as well as Chemical & Engineering News, the Society’s weekly newsmagazine.

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