Why include a limitations section? Including a section on the limitations of your findings will demonstrate command over your research. A reviewer may look negatively upon your study if they spot a limitation that you failed to acknowledge. If you discuss each limitation in the context of future research—i.e., suggest ways to improve the validity […]
Author or contributor? The A to Z of authorship
The average number of authors on scientific articles has increased 5-fold over the last 100 years, from one author per paper in 1913 to more than five authors per paper in 2013 [1], and recent times have seen the rise of hyperauthorship, with one paper listing 5,154 authors [2]. This development has resulted in an […]
How to reference (Part 1)
There is an abundance of resources out there to help with referencing, many of which focus on the technicalities, such as the best style of referencing to use or the best software. However, there is a lack of guidance on how to interweave references into the narrative, which articles to include or exclude, whether to […]
Streamline the publication process with a presubmission enquiry
Before formally submitting to a journal, you can contact the editor describing what you would like to get published. This is known as a presubmission enquiry. If appropriate and presented correctly, a presubmission enquiry will allow the editor to quickly assess if a formal submission is worth your time. Some journals (e.g., The Journal of […]
Verb tenses in scientific manuscripts
A key aspect of producing a well-written scientific manuscript worthy of publication is the use of appropriate verb tenses in the different sections of the manuscript. Here, we discuss when/where/how to use the different verb tenses. Examples of the verb tenses used in two well-written published articles can be found here and here. Title: Titles are […]