The Myths vs Reality of Writing a Publication as a Student

Introduction

After I clicked the submit button on the journal submission portal, a wave of nervousness started to rise within me. As this is my first time submitting a manuscript in which I wrote as a first author, I start to doubt it will be accepted. A few months after I submitted the manuscript for review, I received an email with the journal editor’s decision, which stated:

“Your manuscript has been reviewed …

I regret to inform you that the reviewers raised significant concerns, and therefore your paper cannot be accepted for publication.”

Initially, I felt gutted as one of my worst fears came true. My first manuscript was rejected, and my career as a scientist seemed less like a possibility, as communicating and publishing research findings are essential in science. When the manuscript was resubmitted to another journal and later accepted, there was a sense of relief and clarity for me. 

Currently, I am a second-year PhD student in the Clinical Neuroscience program at the University of Cambridge. My postgraduate research projects are focused on shared decision-making with glioblastoma patients and using a gene delivery approach to treating traumatic brain injury. Prior to starting my PhD degree, as an undergraduate, I majored in Biology and Chemistry with a minor in Neuroscience. 

There was a great length of hesitation I had with getting involved with writing publications as a student. This was mainly due to preconceived notions or myths I encountered during my undergraduate studies. As a result, I did not start writing manuscripts until later in my academic career, when I was a graduate student. In order to help other students who are interested in writing, I wanted to debunk some of the myths that may hold them back from starting the process at an earlier stage of their academic career. 

Myth 1. You need to be invited to be a co-author on a paper

If you are interested in helping to write a manuscript, it is imperative to express interest and inquire how you can be involved rather than waiting to be asked to help with the writing process. During college, I was interested in writing a manuscript, but was not sure of how to start the process. I had felt as though I needed to be deemed worthy of being a co-author on a paper by a supervisor based on my performance as a researcher. One of my biggest regrets is that I did not speak up and express my goal of writing articles during college. At the end of the day, I had focused more on simply trying to complete projects rather than inquiring how I can grow as a well-rounded scientist. Being vocal and inquisitive about learning new things, such as the process of communicating my research findings, regardless of how minimal they might seem, was the lesson I had to learn during that time. 

Myth 2: Every manuscript needs a supervisor in order to be published 

Depending on the type of publication, a student can be the sole author. There are several types of articles students can write, including reviews, perspectives, personal views, letters to the editor and commentaries. Journals will provide more specific details on which types of articles they publish, and their requirements are listed on their websites. Some journals also have the formal option for submitting pre-submission inquiries in which you can provide an abstract of your work (before writing the entire draft) to see if your topic matches the scope of the journal and how well the proposed article would compete with the other articles the journal editors have received. Other journals have a more informal process, in which you can email the journal editors directly for inquiries about the appropriateness of your proposed manuscript. However, for research articles that cover research projects, having a supervisor or research mentor is, of course, essential. It is also important to consider if there are associated fees with publishing your paper; some fees can be covered by your university through established agreements with journals. If this is not the case, it can be very difficult to publish on your own because of the high publication fees.  

Myth 3. First authors on publications are expected to be excellent writers

Being a first author on a manuscript typically involves leading a project and can consist of a great deal of writing within a paper. Not being a great writer does not correlate with a low chance of being a first author on an article. There are a few steps you can take to improve your writing. First, being involved with co-writing a paper with colleagues can provide you with a foundation that you can continue to improve upon. This was the first step I took myself as it provided me with not only the foundation to improve my manuscript writing, but also the knowledge of the publishing process. It is also highly advised to use a software program or to have someone review the manuscript for any grammar and syntax errors before submitting it.    

Myth 4. Getting a manuscript “desk rejected” means your topic or research is not valuable 

Submitting a manuscript and later receiving a rejection from the journal editor prior to peer review can be jarring. Especially when you do not receive any details on the reason for the rejection, this can lead to more frustration and confusion. In this case, you can request feedback from the editor. One of the reasons a manuscript is rejected at the initial editor screening can be due to the topic of the manuscript not matching the scope of the journal. An example of this case is a paper I submitted that was focused on investigating the types of ethical challenges that Ugandan neurosurgeons encounter. The journal in which I submitted the manuscript was an Ethics journal, but the scope of the journal involved concise philosophical articles that substantively advance a normative/ethical argument. My manuscript involved describing ethical issues and was more suited for a practical ethics journal. Another potential reason is that a similar topic is being addressed for a current manuscript in progress of being published. Regardless of the reasons associated with the desk rejection, it does not correlate with your research not being important and valuable in the research community. 

Conclusion

The process of writing a manuscript for the first time can seem intimidating and overwhelming for students. Especially when you are not sure how to start and what is required to be successful. In addition, preconceived notions can hinder and delay your journey to your first publication. However, if you are interested in writing a paper, whether it focuses on a certain research project or topic, I encourage you to take the chance and start the process.