In many disciplines, there is an obvious need to bring in data and discuss what this data means. Non-verbal data are shown in tables or figures that are placed either within the text or in an appendix. Figures include graphs, illustrations, maps, diagrams, pictures and other non-verbal information. There are many issues to consider when contemplating the best form that this information can take.

The research landscape is currently at its most competitive: funding is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, while post-doctoral positions are dwindling. This creates a pressure pot, where researchers feel forced to perform way past their capacity. A common result of this is burnt out, tired researchers – an image that is sometimes glorified in certain circles.

Working in academia comes with a lot of freedom. Researchers are afforded opportunities to shape their research project in a way that allows them to explore avenues that truly interest them. This is often the major draw for a career in research: the ability to get ‘sucked into’ the research and just work away at it. 

Academics are constantly faced with the overwhelming pressure to enter the commonly tread cycle of publish, get grant, publish, get grant… This publish-or-perish mentality perpetuates the idea that to continue doing research, you need to keep publishing, preferably in high-impact journals.

Although research papers and reports are often taken to be the more tangible products of original research, those are processed, finished, products: the basic, immediate, product is data, which is why “raw data” is the term often used. 

Financial bias can be described as “any financial involvement or entanglement between an author, editor, or peer reviewer of an academic article and that of an external entity which has an interest in the article.” 

Unlike conducting experiments in the semi-controlled environment of a laboratory or collecting literature from a library, field work involves observing and collecting data from natural environments. Field work enables researchers to examine scientific theories in action in the real world. 

Referring to the work of other authors is a key aspect of any academic research: the references you cite display your academic credentials and also locate or situate your research to identify the contribution it makes in the context of earlier studies.

Letters to the Editor (LTEs) (alternately called “Correspondence” or “Reflections”) are brief, focused communications that provide commentary on material recently published in a journal.  Although not peer-reviewed, they are considered contributions that advance the scientific discourse of a topic. As such, they are indexed along with the parent articles they discuss.

The standard IMRaD format (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) sets aside one section of a research paper for the results and another for discussing the results. 

Have you ever received peer review feedback from a leading journal that your work is not ground-breaking or novel? Some journals will flatly refuse to publish negative findings. 

This article will help you understand the difference between authorship and contribution and tackle such issues. Before that, though, let’s consider the importance attached to authorship and the order of authors in academia.

In this post, we will talk about the importance of academic editing and what academic editors do. You can also let this post decide if academic editing might be a career option for you!

Many scientific journals publish special issues, sometimes published regularly but often occurring irregularly. There are certain points to understand and consider when writing for and submitting to special issues.

Unlock the power of effective note-taking with our comprehensive 5-step guide. Learn essential techniques and strategies to optimize your note-taking skills for improved learning and retention

In this webinar, hear our expert panel share strategies on how you can get published in high-impact journals.

    Mastering the Art of Organising Literature: 4 expert tips to manage your reading list

Organising Literature: As important as the research itself

Researchers begin with a literature search and end up with vast amounts of data that might be challenging to handle.

Gain a clear understanding of the various stages your manuscript during the publication process. Learn to decipher common manuscript status terms and track the progress of your submission effectively.

Academic publishing is an essential aspect of scientific research enabling scholars to share their findings with the wider community. However, publishing operations entail significant costs including journal development, peer review administration, and article production. To cover these expenses, publishers often impose article processing charges (APCs) on authors. In this article, we will briefly discuss APCs, when authors need to pay them, how to pay them, and what options are available for authors who are unable to pay them.