GETTING THOSE PAPERS WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED Kenneth G. McQueen & Kathryn E. Fitzsimmons CRC LEME, Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, Australian National University, ACT, 0200 INTRODUCTION The results of scientific research are useless unless they are communicated to others. Communication can occur in many ways, but the peer reviewed scientific journal article is still the standard for reliable dissemination of research findings. Writing and publishing articles in scientific journals requires hard work, practised skill and perseverance. WHY PUBLISH Until you start publishing your research you don’t really exist as a scientist. Publication is the surest way to get onto the scientific radar and hopefully stay there. Published journal articles (and now also e-journals) allow wide circulation of your research results and provide a secure and readily accessible storage system. Publication carries with it the “precedent principle” (i.e. the first to publish gets the credit), ensuring that you receive recognition for your scientific discoveries once they are published. If you are a postgraduate student, published papers can be used to support your thesis (some universities allow you to write your thesis as a series of publishable articles). A good publication record is essential for career advancement (job applications and promotion). You have probably heard the adage “publish or perish”, but your publications must be good, otherwise it can be “publish and perish”. Publication in peer-reviewed journals can provide the quality control you need. There are other good reasons to publish. Scientific research is creative; crafting the results into a journal article is the culmination of this creativity. It can provide a great sense of achievement and personal satisfaction. Scientists have a responsibility to publish their findings, particularly as the taxpayer commonly funds their training and research. As an individual scientist, you also have a responsibility to your colleagues and the profession to advance the state of scientific knowledge by communicating your findings and ideas. WHAT TO PUBLISH What have you done or discovered that the world should know about? Does it add to knowledge? This is what you should publish. Journal editors and reviewers will generally apply three tests: 1. Is it new? 2. Is it interesting? 3. Is it correct? If your article meets these criteria it is worth publishing. Clearly there are degrees of interest and you need to decide whether the results are of international or local importance. There will be a range of data in your research findings. Focus on what is new to science; new ideas, new observations, descriptions of new areas. Remember that negative results can also be of interest, particularly if they disprove current theories and interpretations. THE WRITING AND PUBLICATION PROCESS Getting started and outlining your article The hardest part of writing is getting started. Writing a plan or outline is generally a good way to start. This is less daunting than launching straight into the text. Once a framework is in place it is easier to build on, and ideas will flow as creative thinking is stimulated. It may help to construct a graphical or diagrammatic outline. This is a good way to organise ideas that come randomly rather than in a logical linear progression. The initial plan can be the standard template for the structure of a journal article (Figure 1). It helps to have a potential journal in mind, as this may influence the overall structure of the article. Outlines can then be constructed for each part with headings defining the different sections. These commonly become topic headings in the article. Each section can then be planned in more detail (possibly down to paragraph level). As new insights and interpretations develop these can be allocated to the appropriate part of the structure, or the detailed plan can be modified or reorganised. Expect to refine and rewrite your plans many times. This approach makes it easier to maintain a logical sequence of ideas and arguments for the final article. As the article takes shape it will be easier to decide where figures and tables are required or which sections need strengthening with more information or better argument (or even additional data). While you are writing keep your audience in mind; imagine what information and explanation they will need to follow your presentation and interpretations. Table 1 summaries the functions and typical content of the various parts of the article. Regolith 2006 - Consolidation and Dispersion of Ideas 236