2 PRS Proofreading and Editing Service PhD Experts • All Academic Areas • Fast Turnaround • High Quality There is, of course, no one foolproof method for producing an excellent article, and each paper involves a number of decisions that only the author can make about the content, structure and presentation necessary to report unique research in ways that are acceptable and effective within a given field or discipline. There are, however, a number of concerns that every academic or scientific writer should consider carefully while planning and writing a manuscript for publication, and there are approaches and techniques that tend to be far more successful than others. These concerns, approaches and techniques are the matters on which this Guide to Academic and Scientific Publication focuses. 1.1 Research: methods, Practices and sources Whether the research you’re planning to publish is based upon a single text or experiment or is only a small part of a much larger project, you will need to decide exactly what to include and what to exclude while planning and drafting your paper. Certainly this decision will be based on the word limits set by the journal (or journals) in which you’re hoping to publish your work, and some authors may wish to choose a journal at this point (see Chapter 2 below) and use its guidelines to help determine the content, structure and layout of their writing. While it’s certainly a good idea to take a careful look at not just journal guidelines but articles already published in the journals you may be considering as you’re designing your paper, it’s usually best to begin by focussing on your research. Choosing the methods, practices and sources that will best test or support your theories is essential, and so, too, is explaining them and the reasons why they are appropriate for your research as clearly as possible to your readers. PARt I: wHAt to PUBlIsH And wHeRe to PUBlIsH It