Publishing a scientific paper as open access (OA) is an important career step for researchers, especially early-career researchers and first-time journal submitters. It builds your academic track record and credibility, secures funding and career advancement, and helps you share your discoveries with a global audience.

Scientific publication can often be a long process. Typical timelines of stages such as peer review taking several weeks to months in standard cases. Add to this the complexities of formal submission, especially for those less experienced with the scholarly publication process, and the route to publication can seem dauting. In reality, the publication journey is a series of manageable steps.

In this article, we will guide you through each step involved in publishing a scientific paper, including choosing the right journal for your research, preparing your research paper for submission, and revising your research paper after submission.

Choosing the right journal for your research

Your first step in publishing your scientific paper is choosing a journal suitable for your research.

Publishing research is not about finding the easiest route; you need to find a journal that aligns with your topic and editors that understand the potential of your manuscript. Some researchers even write their research paper with a specific journal in mind.

There are certain criteria you should note when choosing a journal. Here are the most important things to consider:

• Find journals that fit the scope of your work using journal-matcher tools.
• Consider target audience.
• Check indexing record.
• Assess performance metrics such as Journal Impact Factor, CiteScore, and altmetrics.
• Ensure the journal uses an open access model and offers transparent article processing charge (APC) pricing.

Publishing in the right journal is important for maximising visibility and impact for your research, but a huge volume to choose from can make it difficult to select one. By focusing on the criteria above, you can narrow down your selection from thousands of journals.

For more information on the criteria for journal selection, see our article in choosing the right journal for your research.

Preparing your research paper for submission

Once you have decided on a target journal, the next step in the academic publishing process is preparing your research paper for submission.

The logical place to start is to consider what journal editors check for and expect to see in a paper submission. Although journal submission requirements differ between journals and disciplines, editors do check that certain information has been provided within or alongside the research manuscript.

Here is a useful checklist for preparing your paper for submission:

• Front matter: Title, Author list, Affiliations, Abstract, Keywords.

• Research manuscript sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion (optional).

• Back matter: Supplementary Materials, Author Contributions, Funding, Data Availability Statement, Acknowledgments, Conflicts of Interest, References.

For the front and back matter, ensure that you are following your target journal’s submission guidelines for more clarification on the information needed and how it should be displayed and formatted in your manuscript, etc.

For organising your manuscript sections, the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) is the global standard for organising scientific papers and should be used appropriately.

In addition to including the above information, your manuscript must also be formatted correctly.  Scholarly journals have specific expectations around manuscript formatting. It is essential that you familiarise yourself with your target journal’s formatting guidelines.

For further in-depth guidance on how to complete your front matter, research manuscript sections, and back matter, see our article on preparing your research paper for submission.

Revising your research paper after submission

After submitting your research paper to your target journal, the next stage involves a pre-check carried out by an Academic Editor to assess the suitability of your manuscript. Your paper’s scientific integrity and alignment with journal scope will be assessed during this period.

During this stage the Academic Editor may request revisions to be made before formal peer review. Once your scientific paper has passed the pre-check and undergoes peer review, reviewers may also request further revisions before publication.

Approaching revising your research paper consists of assessing what needs to be done and addressing your paper’s issues accordingly. Here are some things to consider:

• The scale of revisions required: Are minor revisions (confusing sentences, grammar and spelling mistakes, missing references, numerical errors) or major revisions (section rewrites, reanalysis of data using different statistical models, strengthening the core argument or theoretical framework) required?
• Reading and categorising reviewer comments: Look for common links between different comments and start organising them into categories, such as factual corrections, theoretical oversights, structural rewrites, stylistic suggestions, clarification requests, etc.
• Writing a point-by-point response letter: This is a structured document submitted alongside the revised manuscript that responds to each individual comment and demonstrates how you have addressed the issues outlined by the reviewers.
• Resubmission: Resubmit your revised research paper to your target journal following their guidelines on resubmission.

For more information on how to carry out these steps, see our article on revising your research paper after submission.

Helping you publish your research

Publishing a scientific paper can open many doors for researchers, but the journey to publication is not always straightforward. The investment required is extensive, and difficulties can arise during any stage of the process.

At MDPI Author Services, we specialise in helping researchers prepare their paper for submission and publication. Our Academic Editing Service provides four rounds of editing carried out by PhD specialist editors. This service includes a review of structure, terminology, a technical review report, and free layout editing. Click here for a free quote.

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