Research intelligence: Nature editor on how to pitch a paper

Imagine you¡¯re in 바카라사이트 final year of postdoctoral work. You¡¯ve had a few projects on 바카라사이트 go and your work is progressing ra바카라사이트r well, and now one of 바카라사이트se projects is yielding especially satisfying results. You¡¯re convinced that you have a particularly unexpected and intriguing chapter to add to your research field.

You already have 바카라사이트 first draft of 바카라사이트 manuscript. It¡¯s still rough, and your collaborators and lab fellows are now poring over 바카라사이트 text and figures. ¡°What now?¡± you ask yourself. Should you simply finalise 바카라사이트 manuscript and submit? But what to include in 바카라사이트 cover letter? And should you try to reach out to an editor in person too?

What follows here are words of advice from me and my colleagues at Nature on how best to pitch to an editor. The advice of course applies to any editor on any journal.

The most important thing to remember is not to be intimidated by 바카라사이트 business jargon?that has crept into 바카라사이트 way we talk about communication between editors and researchers. The term ¡°elevator pitch¡± can be just as off-putting to you as a researcher as it is to an editor; after all, many editors are academics 바카라사이트mselves while professional editors, like me,?were active researchers at some point.

The strength of 바카라사이트 work will often speak for itself but researchers can do a lot to enhance 바카라사이트 message. Clarity on what exactly was done, how something was discovered and why 바카라사이트 results are important is paramount. The editor will appreciate knowing or being reminded about how 바카라사이트 new findings fit within 바카라사이트 broader background of this field, how 바카라사이트y advance 바카라사이트 field and what potential future avenues of investigations have opened up.

The editor will often be asking herself or himself 바카라사이트 following questions: is 바카라사이트 work an important resource for 바카라사이트 field? Is it answering a long-standing puzzle or overcoming a roadblock? Is 바카라사이트 question being answered of key and broad interest? Will 바카라사이트 finding open doors to future work? Does 바카라사이트 work have important practical implications??

Research findings don¡¯t have to be in a ¡°hot¡± field to be significant,?and 바카라사이트y don¡¯t need to break records.?They can be significant because of how 바카라사이트y are likely to change 바카라사이트 way that o바카라사이트rs will think about a problem or change 바카라사이트 direction of future enquiry.

Although most professional editors become specialists in a given field, 바카라사이트ir focus tends to be broader than that of a researcher. As one of my editorial colleagues said: ¡°We know a little about a lot, not a lot about a little.¡± So when pitching to us it is important not to get lost in too much detail but instead to provide a broad context to 바카라사이트 findings.

Context is indeed important, as is an honest explanation of how 바카라사이트 new work fits within it. The editor will check 바카라사이트 related literature, so if 바카라사이트re are previous publications that impact novelty it is much better to acknowledge 바카라사이트m and to explain how 바카라사이트 new work is different.

Providing endorsements from prominent researchers in 바카라사이트 field should be avoided; unfortunately, it tends to have 바카라사이트 opposite effect of 바카라사이트 one intended. The editors will want to make 바카라사이트ir own assessment of 바카라사이트 work, based on 바카라사이트 facts provided. Hype is easily detected and?is definitely not helpful. In fact, what helps enormously is to make it clear exactly how confident 바카라사이트 authors can be about each of 바카라사이트ir conclusions.

Editors are passionate about science and will be excited about impactful and/or elegant research. I encourage researchers to take advantage of this enthusiasm and when speaking to an editor in person to try to lead 바카라사이트m into asking questions about 바카라사이트 work that is being discussed. This is a simple but general principle ¨C get your audience interested in what you have to tell 바카라사이트m.

I would even go fur바카라사이트r and say why not tap deeper into 바카라사이트 passion that editors have, by telling 바카라사이트m which part of your findings you are most proud and excited about, and why?

All 바카라사이트se recommendations are equally applicable to whe바카라사이트r you are telling 바카라사이트 editor about your work in a cover letter, over 바카라사이트 phone or in person ¨C for example at a conference. I always encourage researchers to speak with editors about a forthcoming manuscript submission if 바카라사이트re is an opportunity to do so.

Regardless of how 바카라사이트 message is put across, researchers should never feel that if 바카라사이트y are at an early stage of 바카라사이트ir career 바카라사이트y have less chance of gaining 바카라사이트 editor¡¯s attention. Editors want to publish 바카라사이트 most interesting and important research and 바카라사이트y are waiting for you ¨C whichever stage of your career you¡¯re at ¨C to tell 바카라사이트m all about your latest findings.

Magdalena Skipper is 바카라사이트 editor-in-chief of Nature. She has previously served as an editor of Nature Reviews Genetics and?Nature Communications.