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COSPAR Capacity Building Workshop, Kumasi, Ghana, June 2017Eloise Ann Marais ([email protected])
University of Birmingham, UK
612: Preparation and Submission of Articles for Publication
Some General Guides, but not Gospel
http://www.facultyforthefuture.net/
Schlumberger Faculty for the Future
Funding Opportunity for Women from Developing Countries
Why We Publish
For scientists in academia, publishing is our bread and butter.
Publishing is also an opportunity to make a contribution to scientific knowledge. In our case this is often to further our understanding of the natural world and ways in which humans have perturbed this natural state.
There is also a system in place for evaluating each other’s work (peer-review). There is considerable discussion in the literature about the effectiveness and robustness of this system.
Our publication record is also frequently how we’re judged (for better or worse). Some metrics that are used include the number of publications, number of citations, quality of journals submitted to.
Quality of journals is quantified using the impact factor (e.g. 34 for Science, 38 for Nature, 3 for Atmospheric Environment, 5 for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics).
Options to track your progress: Use Google Scholar or ISI Web of Science (or similar) to quantify your publication record. I prefer Google Scholar as it’s easier to customize, update and maintain than ISI. Also provides a complete publication record to refer to when putting together a CV.
Screenshot of my private Google Scholar page
h-index
Citations in each year
Number of citations
Article title
Author list
Citations in each article
Articles ordered by number of citations
Screenshot of my private Google Scholar page
h-index
Citations in each year
Number of citations
Article title
Author list
Citations in each article
Articles ordered by number of citations
Screenshot of one of my articles
Citations in each year
Articles associated with this entry
Full text options
Link to publications that have cited this article
Article detailsAbstract
Author list
The ProcessAnalyze some data (in this case it might be satellite observations of atmospheric composition over West Africa).
Generate results that provide new insight into atmospheric composition in West Africa, such as new sources of pollution not yet identified. Assess the implications for air quality by running an atmospheric chemistry model.
Write up the results into a format suitable for a targeted journal.
Receive preliminary acceptance from the journal for the peer review process (pass initial formatting and content requirements of the journal). A word of caution: follow the formatting requirements to the letter!
Wait for what seems like forever for anonymous reviews from experts in the field (can be as few as 2 reviews or as many as 4).
Respond to reviews (maybe provide an additional figure or table or more detail about a process that was not clear to the reviewers). Some reviewers are reasonable;; many or not. Often the reviewers help to make the paper better and more accessible.
Once accepted by the Editor, undergo the final proofreading (this is your last chance to catch errors that would otherwise be recorded with permanence). These are embarrassing and avoidable (they convey sloppiness in writing that translates to sloppy data analysis)!
Exercise 1: Identify a Suitable JournalTask: Select a title from the list below. Once assigned, identify an appropriate
journal to submit to and justify your choice.
Titles to choose from:1. A review of atmospheric chemistry and air pollution in West Africa.2. Planning, Implementation and scientific goals of the West Africa DREAM field
campaign. 3. Satellite observations of methane concentrations over gas flares in Nigeria.4. Land cover change in Senegal from 1991-2013.5. Contribution of charcoal production and use to air pollution and vegetation loss in
Burkina Faso.6. Remote sensing of crop yields across the Sahelian belt.7. Soil salinity in the Lake Chad Basin.
Questions to guide your discussion (more may arise during your search):What journal should this work be published in? Why? What are the submission requirements (a google search like Environmental Research Letters submission requirements should lead you to the relevant information)?Are there other factors that make this journal suitable (cost, word restrictions, figure/table limitations)?
Some journals to choose from (you may know others not on this list):ScienceNatureScience ReportsThe LancetPloS ONEAtmospheric Chemistry and PhysicsEnvironmental Research LettersEnvironmental Health PerspectivesAtmospheric EnvironmentEnvironmental Science and TechnologyGeophysical Research LettersProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)Atmospheric Measurement TechniquesBiogeosciencesBulletin of the American Meteorological SocietyGeoscientific Model DevelopmentScience of the Total EnvironmentNature CommunicationsJournal of Geophysical Research - AtmospheresGlobal Biogeochemical CyclesNature Geosciences
How to know which journals and publishers to avoid:See the list of predatory journals and publishers (good way to weed out spam): http://beallslist.weebly.com/standalone-journals.html
How to write an effective abstractKeep concise and to the point (think of the reader)! Edit, edit, edit. Generally readers use the abstract to determine whether it’s worth reading the article.
Here’s a strategy I suggest: write the abstract, edit and re-edit. Then put it away for a week and focus on something else. This allows you to come back to the abstract and find errors or sentences that aren’t clear or could be more concise.
Waiting for a week isn’t always feasible for conferences, as there’s generally a mad scramble to meet the abstract submission deadline. But there’s generally no need to rush an abstract for a peer-reviewed publication.
To write an effect abstract, address the following questions:
What is the question/issue/problem?What was done (methods)?What was found (results)?Why is this important?
Exercise 2: Critique Abstracts
Task: Choose an abstract, identify where the abstract addresses these 4 main questions. If it doesn’t, is it justified in leaving it out?
To write an effect abstract, address the following questions:
What is the question/issue/problem?What was done (methods)?What was found (results)?Why is this important?
Here are the questions again:
Abstracts to evaluate
One:International agreements to limit greenhouse gas emissions require verification to ensure that they areeffective and fair. Verification based on direct observation of atmospheric greenhouse gasconcentrations will be necessary to demonstrate that estimated emission reductions have beenactualized in the atmosphere. Here we assess the capability of ground-‐based observations and a high-‐resolution (1.3 km) mesoscale atmospheric transport model to determine a change in greenhouse gasemissions over time from a metropolitan region. We test the method with observations from a networkof CO2 surface monitors in Salt Lake City. Many features of the CO2 data were simulated with excellentfidelity, although data-‐model mismatches occurred on hourly timescales due to inadequate simulation ofshallow circulations and the precise timing of boundary-‐layer stratification and destratification. Usingtwo optimization procedures, monthly regional fluxes were constrained to sufficient precision to detectan increase or decrease in emissions of approximately 15% at the 95% confidence level. We argue thatintegrated column measurements of the urban dome of CO2 from the ground and/or space are lesssensitive than surface point measurements to the redistribution of emitted CO2 by small-‐scale processesand thus may allow for more precise trend detection of emissions from urban regions.
Two:We use a model of agricultural sources of ammonia (NH3) coupled to a chemical transport model to estimatethe impact of U.S. food export on particulate matter concentrations (PM2.5). We find that food exportaccounts for 11% of total U.S. NH3 emissions (13% of agricultural emissions) and that it increases thepopulation-‐weighted exposure of the U.S. population to PM2.5 by 0.36 μg m−3 on average. Our estimate issensitive to the proper representation of the impact of NH3 on ammonium nitrate, which reflects theinterplay between agricultural (NH3) and combustion emissions (NO, SO2). Eliminating NH3 emissions fromfood export would achieve greater health benefits than the reduction of the National Ambient Air QualityStandards for PM2.5 from 15 to 12 μg m−3 . Valuation of the increased premature mortality associated withPM2.5 from food export (36 billion US$ (2006) per year) amounts to 50% of the gross food export value.Livestock operations in densely populated areas have particularly large health costs. Decreasing SO2 and NOxemissions will indirectly reduce health impact of food export as an ancillary benefit.
Three:China’s twelfth Five-‐Year Plan included pollution control measures with a goal of reducing national emissionsof nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 10% by 2015 compared with 2010. Multiple linear regression analysis was usedon 11-‐year time series of all nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pixels from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) over18 NO2 hotspots in China. The regression analysis accounted for variations in meteorology, pixel resolution,seasonal effects, weekday variability and year-‐to-‐year variability. The NO2 trends suggested that there was anincrease in NO2 columns in most areas from 2005 to around 2011 which was followed by a strong decreasecontinuing through 2015. The satellite results were in good agreement with the annual official NOx emissioninventories which were available up until 2014. This shows the value of evaluating trends in emissioninventories using satellite retrievals. It further shows that recent control strategies were effective in reducingemissions and that recent economic transformations in China may be having an effect on NO2 columns.Satellite information for 2015 suggests that emissions have continued to decrease since the latestinventories available and have surpassed the goals of the twelfth Five-‐Year Plan.
Four:High smoke concentrations in Equatorial Asia, primarily from land conversion to oil palm plantations, affect adensely populated region and represent a serious but poorly quantified air quality concern. Continuedexpansion of the oil palm industry is expected but the resulting population exposure to smoke is highlydependent on where this expansion takes place. We use the adjoint of the GEOS-‐Chem chemical transportmodel to map the sensitivity of smoke concentrations in major Equatorial Asian cities, and for thepopulation-‐weighted region, to the locations of the fires. We find that fires in southern Sumatra areparticularly detrimental, and that a land management policy protecting peatswamp forests in SoutheastSumatra would be of great air quality benefit. Our adjoint sensitivities can be used to immediately inferpopulation exposure to smoke for any future fire emission scenario.
Five:Future food production is highly vulnerable to both climate change and air pollution with implications forglobal food security. Climate change adaptation and ozone regulation have been identified as importantstrategies to safeguard food production, but little is known about how climate and ozone pollution interactto affect agriculture, nor the relative effectiveness of these two strategies for different crops and regions.Here we present an integrated analysis of the individual and combined effects of 2000–2050 climate changeand ozone trends on the production of four major crops (wheat, rice, maize and soybean) worldwide basedon historical observations and model projections, specifically accounting for ozone–temperature co-‐variation. The projections exclude the effect of rising CO2, which has complex and potentially offsettingimpacts on global food supply. We show that warming reduces global crop production by >10% by 2050 witha potential to substantially worsen global malnutrition in all scenarios considered. Ozone trends eitherexacerbate or offset a substantial fraction of climate impacts depending on the scenario, suggesting theimportance of air quality management in agricultural planning. Furthermore, we find that depending onregion some crops are primarily sensitive to either ozone (for example, wheat) or heat (for example, maize)alone, providing a measure of relative benefits of climate adaptation versus ozone regulation for foodsecurity in different regions.
Six:Fuel combustion is a significant source of numerous air pollutants, which reduce local air quality, and affectglobal tropospheric chemistry. Satellite observations of nitrogen dioxide, emitted by combustion processes,allow for robust monitoring of atmospheric concentrations at high spatial resolution on continental scales.Here we evaluate changes in tropospheric NO2 concentrations over Europe between 2004 and 2010. Weisolate long-‐term (timescales greater than one year) variability in the daily NO2 observations from the OzoneMonitoring Instrument (OMI) using a spectral analysis. In 2010, we find substantial reductions inNO2 concentrations of at least 20% throughout Europe. These reductions are as much the result oftemporary reductions prompted by the 2008–2009 global economic recession, as of European NOx emissioncontrols. Our results demonstrate that realistic concentration pathways of NO2 do not follow simple lineartrends, but reflect a compilation of environmental policy and economic activity.
Seven:Assessment of the global burden of disease is based on epidemiological cohort studies that connectpremature mortality to a wide range of causes, including the long-‐term health impacts of ozone and fineparticulate matter with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5). It has proved difficult to quantifypremature mortality related to air pollution, notably in regions where air quality is not monitored, and alsobecause the toxicity of particles from various sources may vary. Here we use a global atmospheric chemistrymodel to investigate the link between premature mortality and seven emission source categories in urbanand rural environments. In accord with the global burden of disease for 2010, we calculate that outdoor airpollution, mostly by PM2.5, leads to 3.3 (95 per cent confidence interval 1.61–4.81) million premature deathsper year worldwide, predominantly in Asia. We primarily assume that all particles are equally toxic, but alsoinclude a sensitivity study that accounts for differential toxicity. We find that emissions from residentialenergy use such as heating and cooking, prevalent in India and China, have the largest impact on prematuremortality globally, being even more dominant if carbonaceous particles are assumed to be most toxic.Whereas in much of the USA and in a few other countries emissions from traffic and power generation areimportant, in eastern USA, Europe, Russia and East Asia agricultural emissions make the largest relativecontribution to PM2.5, with the estimate of overall health impact depending on assumptions regardingparticle toxicity. Model projections based on a business-‐as-‐usual emission scenario indicate that thecontribution of outdoor air pollution to premature mortality could double by 2050.
Eight:Traffic and power generation are the main sources of urban air pollution. The idea that outdoor air pollutioncan cause exacerbations of pre-‐existing asthma is supported by an evidence base that has beenaccumulating for several decades, with several studies suggesting a contribution to new-‐onset asthma aswell. In this Series paper, we discuss the effects of particulate matter (PM), gaseous pollutants (ozone,nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide), and mixed traffic-‐related air pollution. We focus on clinical studies,both epidemiological and experimental, published in the previous 5 years. From a mechanistic perspective,air pollutants probably cause oxidative injury to the airways, leading to inflammation, remodelling, andincreased risk of sensitisation. Although several pollutants have been linked to new-‐onset asthma, thestrength of the evidence is variable. We also discuss clinical implications, policy issues, and research gapsrelevant to air pollution and asthma.
Effective figures and tables should be neat, clear, and self contained.
The intention of the figures and tables is to convey information more effectively than could be conveyed in the text.
Generate Effective and Clear Figures
Exercise 3: Critique a figureTask: Assess whether the figure below is clear and self contained. What information
is missing? How should this information be provided (in the plot or the caption)?
Figure 1. Organic aerosol mass concentrations in the Southeast United States.
How to become a productive and prolific writerWriting is challenging, exhausting, and sometimes you just don’t feel like it.
Some suggestions on improving your writing and productivity:• Develop a writing schedule and stick to it! Set aside an hour a day to write productively and without any disturbances.
• Keep a writing journal to track your productivity. This could be an Excel spreadsheet of the number of pages written each day, number of papers and proposals submitted each year etc.
• Get experienced writers to critique your writing• Learn to be critical of your own writing (Is this the most effective word to use? Can I say this more concisely? Is this accessible to the reader?).
• Form a writing group to motivate each other to stick to a writing schedule, develop writing targets, and hold each other accountable if targets aren’t met.
• Read a lot and extensively. Read fiction, non-fiction, science articles, policy articles, newspaper articles. Identify phrases that work well. Keep a dictionary or your phone close by to look up new words that you might be able to incorporate in your writing.
• Subscribe to email lists for relevant journals to receive alerts of new articles if you’re looking for new material to read.
Additional DetailsSome books about writing and writing styles:The Elements of Style, Strunk and WhiteHow to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing, Paul SilviaOn Writing, Steven King
Consider subscribing to receive article alerts from the following journals:(All journals provide clear instructions on how to subscribe to their email lists)Environmental Science and TechnologyAtmospheric Chemistry and PhysicsGeophysical Research LettersNatureNature Climate ChangeNature GeosciencesScienceEnvironmental Research LettersJournal of Geophysical Research
