When ChatGPT gets it wrong
ChatGPT’s capabilities are irrefutable. However, when asked to edit the language of scientific papers, it can make mistakes. Crucially, ChatGPT…
Many journals now ask for unprocessed western blot images. How long should the lab keep them?
Those journals that ask for unprocessed original images of gels and western blots often publish the data as supplementary materials.…
Can images from the Internet or a Chinese-language journal be used for publication in a different journal?
Yes, you can re-use images from the Internet and Chinese-language journals if you have obtained the necessary copyright permissions and…
If I find an error in a past publication, is it necessary to contact the journal?
Covering up a mistake is perceived as dramatically worse than the mistake itself. Discovering an error in a past publication…
Biomedical images – how much processing is too much?
Of almost 4000 retractions listed in the Retraction Watch database in 2021, over a quarter involved “concerns/issues about image” or…
Which author affiliation do I use?
Multiple relocations for fixed-term contracts are the norm in academia. This means that researchers often publish data collected from one…
Tips to reduce wordiness in scientific writing
Wordy text can be difficult to read. In this blog, we discuss ways to reduce wordiness in scientific writing, using…
Email invitation to submit a manuscript
“I have been invited to submit to a journal. How do I know it’s a good journal?” This question was…
“We are studying a narrow field and we disagree with previous research results. How can we report this?”
This question was asked in the Q&A session of an online talk presented by International Science Editing. In this blog,…
“Reject with option to resubmit.” Why do editors choose this option?
An editorial decision of “reject with option to resubmit” is inherently confusing, for inexperienced and seasoned authors alike. Has the…