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Introduction to Academic Publishing: From Conceptualization to Publication
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:1.00
Study Course Accepted:12.04.2023 12:05:58
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | SL_046 | LQF level: | Level 7 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 2.00 | ECTS: | 3.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Communication Sciences; Library Science | Target Audience: | Medicine | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Nityanand Jain | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Statistics Unit | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Baložu iela 14, Riga, +371 67060897, statistika rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 0 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 0 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 0 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 6 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 12 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 12 | ||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.2 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 0 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 0 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 0 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 6 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 12 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 12 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | Knowledge of scientific research, literature reading, and skills in statistical data processing methods. | ||||||||
| Objective: | To acquire basic knowledge and skills in academic publishing practices and peer-review processes required for the development and dissemination of research work in internationally recognized academic journals. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Introduction to academic publishing – double edged sword. To publish or not? | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 2 | Finding literature and formulating research question. Earmarking references. Different referencing styles and management software. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 3 | Choosing the right type of article for publication. Emerging types of article types. Preprints. Pre-registration of clinical trials and reviews. Ethics approval. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 4 | Choosing the correct journal for publication. Types of journals publishing models (online/print/offline). Open access and subscription models. Creative common licences. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 5 | Moving away from Journal Impact Factor. Introduction to Article Metrics. Altimetric and PlumX. H index. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 6 | Data collection. Ethical requirements for open-source data and surveys. Need for attribution to sources. Use of copyrighted material and visual material. Paraphrasing and plagiarism. The use of AI-based software (ChatGPT) in writing | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 7 | Styling and highlighting the main aspects of the content. Guidelines for different article types. IMRaD model. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 8 | Manuscript preparation and internal peer-review. Identification of conflict of interests, data availability statements, transparency statements – CREDiT, funding, author diversity and equality, and reference diversity. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 9 | Formatting based on journal’s guidelines. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 10 | The submission processes. Recommending reviewers. Cover Letter. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 11 | Handling the Peer-review process. Expectations from authors and peer-reviewers. Possible journal decisions. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| 12 | Post-acceptance process (uncorrected proof, corrected proof, in-press, Epub ahead of press, published). Post-print and Version of Record. Proof-reading. Promoting your paper and boosting citations. Online and Institutional depositories. Corrections, Erratums, and Retractions. | Classes | 1.00 | computer room | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | Students will be required to perform literature search, formulate appropriate research question and hypotheses, and to convey the added value of their proposed work. Further, students will have to perform data search from open data bases, statistical analysis of the data, and preparation of visual material. In the second half of the course, students will be required to write a 1000 to 1500 words manuscript in groups of 3-4 students. Referencing and proper citation of relevant data sources and literature are required. After final submission and publication of the paper, students need to present their results and highlight their contributions based on the CREDiT statement. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | 1. Class participation and attendance (20%). 2. Professionalism and quality of work during manuscript preparation and peer-review process (60%). 2. Group presentation of the published/accepted manuscript (20%). | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | |||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | Upon completion of this course, students will have acquired knowledge that will allow to competently understand the academic publishing process and avoid major pitfalls for rejection of manuscripts by journals. | ||||||||
| Skills: | Students will be able to formulate research questions, perform literature review, data collection, statistical analysis, and publish their research. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | Upon completion of this course, students will be able to take an informed decision about how to select the appropriate journal for submission of scientific work and handle all different phases of the publication process. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Gastel G., Day R. A. 2016. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. 8th Edition. Greenwood. | ||||||||
| 2 | Alley M. 2018. The Craft of Scientific Writing. 4th Edition. Springer. | ||||||||
| 3 | Belcher W. L. 2019. Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks. A Guide to Academic Publishing Success (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing). 2nd Edition. University of Chicago Press. | ||||||||
| 4 | Heard S. B. 2016. The Scientist's Guide to Writing: How to Write More Easily and Effectively throughout Your Scientific Career. Princeton University Press. | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Jain N., Tanasov A., Chodnekar S. Y., Rakauskaitė A., Lansiaux E., Skuja S., Reinis A. 2023. Rising Quantitative Productivity and Shifting Readership in Academic Publishing: Bibliometric Insights from Monkeypox Literature. Account Res. Apr 3. doi: 10.1080/08989621.2023.2199159. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37012606. | ||||||||
| Other Information Sources | |||||||||
| 1 | Nature Master Class. | ||||||||
| 2 | Sage Campus. | ||||||||
| 3 | Karger Courses. | ||||||||
