%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % % ST 810A -- TEMPLATE FOR MAKING PROSPER PRESENTATIONS % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % % These slides are created using the PROSPER package % % The pdf option sets things up for projection (after conversion to pdf) % The azure option is one of several available backgrounds; others % are rico, alienglow, autumn, darkblue (see below) % % To process and create pdf for projecting % % unity% add psutils % unity% add prosper % unity% latex prospertemplate % unity% dvips prospertemplate % unity% ps2pdf prospertemplate.ps % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % % To print 6-up, I make a postscript temp.ps containing the full % pages only (so only those where all bullets appear). This can be done % using ``ps'' option (see below) or by bringing up the ps file in % ghostview and manually selecting the pages you want in to include % in the handout % % psnup -nup 6 -l -b0.5in temp.ps prospertemplate_handout.ps % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % % Prosper offers lots of different user-contributed slide styles % with different type and background colors. Here, we use the % ``azure'' style. Other styles available with the distribution of % Prosper we have in the Department include ``alienglow,'' ``autumn,'' % ``contemporain,'' ``darkblue,'' ``default,'' ``frames,'' ``lignesbleues,'' % ``nuancegris,'' ``troispoints,'' ``rico.'' On unity, add prosper and % then go to the directory /ncsu/prosper and various subdirectories % to see more. Additional styles are available on various Prosper % web sites. Try them; it's fun! (Some of these have bugs, which % will be obvious when you try them with this file.) Advanced users % can modify these or create their own! % % The ``pdf'' option produces output for presentation with a laptop; % the ``ps'' option produces output for printing (no overlays, etc). % The ps option has some bugs; I have found it safer to simply go to % ghostview with the ps file produced using the pdf option and marking % the slides I want to include in the handout and saving them to a file % which I can then print n-up. % See the Prosper manual on the class web page for additional info. % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \NeedsTeXFormat{LaTeX2e} \documentclass[pdf,frames]{prosper} % put your packages here \usepackage{psfig,pstricks,amsthm,amssymb,amsmath} \usepackage{graphicx,psfrag,pst-node,subfigure} \renewcommand{\slideleftmargin}{-1.5in} % defining colors: % \newgray{vlgray}{0.9} \newrgbcolor{lblue}{0.8 0.92 0.95} \newrgbcolor{lred}{1 0.8 0.8} \newrgbcolor{lyellow}{1 1 0.6} \newrgbcolor{orange}{1 0.7 0.2} \newrgbcolor{lgreen}{0.87 0.95 0.8} %\newrgbcolor{dgreen}{0.37 0.43 0.37} \newrgbcolor{dgreen}{0.36 0.75 0.41} \newrgbcolor{violet}{0.6 0.0 0.4} % % put your newcommands % % Command so first word has color I use in azure \newcommand{\citem}{\item $\mbox{}$} % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% % % Info for the title slide here - it will be created automatically % by the ``maketitle'' command in the body of the document. This must % be in the preamble (before the \begin{document} statement) % This puts the NCSU logo in the lower left corner of each slide \Logo(-1.0,-1.1){\includegraphics[height=0.25cm]{newlogo}} \title{Academic Publication:} \subtitle{Journals and the Journal Editorial Process} \author{\large ST 810A, Spring 2005} \vspace*{0.2in} \institution{\includegraphics[height=0.8cm]{deptlogo}} \slideCaption{ST 810A, Spring 2005} % \slideCaption will also number each slide as n/N, where n is % the current slide and N is the total. If you want to suppress % the total, include the ``nototal'' option in the [] part of % the documentclass statement % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \begin{document} % Creates the title slide \maketitle % Now start the rest of the slides \overlays{8}{ \begin{slide}{Outline} \begin{itemstep} \item {\bf Purpose of journals} \item {\bf Some popular statistical journals} \item {\bf How to structure a journal article} \item {\bf What makes a good journal article?} \item {\bf Editorial structure of a journal} \item {\bf The review process} \item {\bf Submitting a paper} \item {\bf Acting as a referee} \end{itemstep} \end{slide} } \begin{slide}{Purpose of journals} {\bf {\red Research:} The mechanism by which knowledge is advanced \vspace{0.2in} {\red Journals:} The main mechanism by which results of research are disseminated \vspace{0.2in} {\red Purpose of a journal article:} \begin{itemize} \item Broad: Contribute to the progress and extent of knowledge in a discipline (or disciplines) \item Specific: Report on a particular, focused contribution \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Purpose of journals} {\bf {\red In Statistics:} Objectives and scope of journal articles \begin{itemize} \item[\green 1.] Situation for which suitable methods are not available -- propose such a method \item[\green 2.] Methods are available, but have limitations -- extend, improve, relax assumptions \item[\green 3.] Methods are available -- propose a competing one and compare, illustrate \item[\green 4.] An important subject-matter application involves specific issues -- show how to handle these with existing or modified methods \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Purpose of journals} {\bf \begin{itemize} \item[\green 5.] Properties of existing or new procedures are not known -- work out formal theory \item[\green 6.] Properties of existing or new procedures are not known -- carry out extensive simulations \end{itemize} \vspace{0.2in} {\red Often:} A single journal article may address several of these } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Some popular statistical journals} {\bf {\it \red Journal of the American Statistical Association--Theory and Methods} \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue 1,2,3,5}: New, better methods for general or specific problems; theoretical properties; simulation studies of small sample properties; often, but not always, a short example \citem {\blue Audience}: Academicians, graduate students \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Some popular statistical journals} {\bf {\it \red Journal of the American Statistical Association--Applications and Case Studies} \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue 4}: Specific applications; analysis of a particular case study; new or modified existing methods; little or no theory; simulation study of properties; extensive data analysis \citem {\blue Audience:} Practicing statisticians, academicians, graduate students, researchers in other disciplines \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Some popular statistical journals} {\bf {\it \red Biometrics} ({\red Regular Communications}) \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue 1,2,3,5}: New, better methods for general or specific problems; some theory; simulation study of small-sample properties; {\red always} a motivating example \citem {\blue Audience}: Academicians, practicing statisticians, graduate students, researchers in other disciplines \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Some popular statistical journals} {\bf {\it \red Biometrics} ({\red Consultant's Forum}) \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue 4}: Specific applications; analysis of a particular case studies; new or modified existing methods for specific or broad application areas; little or no theory; simulation study of properties \citem {\blue Audience}: Practicing statisticians, researchers in other disciplines, academicians, graduate students \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Some popular statistical journals} {\bf {\it \red Annals of Statistics} \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue 5}: Almost exclusively {\red rigorous} theoretical developments \citem {\blue Audience:} Academicians, graduate students \end{itemize} \vspace{0.15in} {\it \red Biometrika}, {\it \red Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B} \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue 1,2,3,5}: New, better methods; theoretical results (not necessarily rigorous); simulation studies; sometimes a short example \citem {\blue Audience}: Academicians, graduate students \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Some popular statistical journals} {\bf \vspace*{-0.25in} {\it \red Statistics in Medicine}, {\it \red Applied Statistics}, {\it \red Biostatistics}, {\it \red Environmetrics}, {\it \red Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics} \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue 1,2,3,4}: New, better methods; little or no theory; heavy emphasis a detailed, motivating example/case study; sometimes simulation studies \citem {\blue Audience}: Practicing statisticians, academicians, graduate students, researchers in other disciplines \end{itemize} \vspace{0.15in} {\it \red Computational Statistics and Data Analysis}, {\it \red Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation} \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue 6}: Simulation studies, computational methods and algorithms \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red First step:} Identify the appropriate outlet \begin{itemize} \item What is the message I'd like to communicate? \item Focus on theory? A general methodological challenge? A specific application? \item Who would be most interested in my work? \item What journals tend to be read by researchers in my area and publish top work in the area? \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red General considerations:} \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue Length} -- most journals set a space limitation \citem {\blue Scope} -- given space limitations, how much can be communicated effectively {\red and} represent a meaningful contribution \citem {\blue Journal} -- different style, conventions, content; in fact, most journals have {\red specific} stylistic requirements \item Study the length, scope, and style of articles in your target journal \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red Length:} \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue Davidian's Rule of Thumb} -- no more than 20 double-spaced pages! (valid for all journals but {\it Annals of Statistics}) \item No more than 4 tables, 4 figures (may be exceeded for work that relies heavily on graphical display) \item Some journals will return papers that are too long to the authors without review! \citem {\blue Challenge} -- how to say all you think you need to say respecting the journal's length restrictions and style \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red Scope:} \begin{itemize} \item Avoid the ``general theory of the universe'' -- don't try to pack {\red everything} into one paper \item Stay focused on particular aspects related to a common theme -- don't ``go off on a tangent'' on things that are not central to the work or message \item Accept that you cannot give a comprehensive account of the necessary background -- give the reader a sense of required knowledge to appreciate your work and refer to previous literature \citem {\blue Challenge} -- what to include, what to leave out \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf \vspace*{-0.2in} {\red Style:} \begin{itemize} \item Most journal articles are written in the {\blue present tense} using the {\blue active voice} (``we'' even for single-authored papers \item References to what other authors have already done are usually in {\blue past tense} \item References to what you did in carrying out a simulation study and analyzing data are usually in {\blue past tense} \end{itemize} \vspace{0.1in} {\red For example:} ``In this article, we propose a new method\ldots'' ``Smith and Jones (2002) developed an approach\ldots'' ``We generated 1000 Monte Carlo data sets according the following scheme\ldots'' ``We first plotted the data by treatment group\ldots'' } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red Davidian's ``recipe'':} One generic way to structure an article (works for most journals) \begin{itemize} \item Abstract and keywords \item[\green 1.] Introduction \item[\green 2.] Set up problem, review other approaches \item[\green 3.] Main results \item[\green 4.] Simulation studies \item[\green 5.] Application \item[\green 6.] Discussion \item Appendices \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red 1. Introduction:} \begin{itemize} \item Opening sentence that focuses immediately on the problem to be considered, e.g., ``Longitudinal data sets are comprised\ldots'' \item First paragraph -- general setting \item Next few paragraphs -- what is currently known, references to key papers, limitations of what is available \begin{itemize} \item[\blue --] {\it JASA-T\&M}, {\it Biometrika} -- write down statistical model, explain things in terms of it \item[\blue --] {\it Biometrics}, {\it JASA A\&CS} -- refer to a specific data set that exemplifies the issue, leave notation till later \end{itemize} \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red Introduction:} \begin{itemize} \item Second to last paragraph -- what this paper does to address the challenges already noted; e.g. ``In this paper, we\ldots'' \item Last paragraph -- road map; e.g., \end{itemize} \begin{quote} ``In Section 2, we describe the basic model and review previous approaches. The details of our proposed method and its properties are given in Section 3. Simulation studies demonstrating performance in finite samples are reported in Section 4, and the methods are applied to the elephant tongue data in Section 5.'' \end{quote} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red 2. Set up problem, review other approaches:} \begin{itemize} \item If not done already, set up all notation, define statistical model, etc. \citem {\red Every} symbol should be clearly defined! \item Acronyms should be defined the first time they are used; e.g., ``in the case of ordinary least squares (OLS),\ldots'' \item In terms of the notation you have developed, describe relevant previous results, point out key aspects of the problem to be considered in the paper \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf \vspace*{-0.25in} {\red 3. Main results} \begin{itemize} \item The ``meat'' of the paper \item Motivate and describe the steps leading to main results you wish to communicate \item State clearly any assumptions you make \item State the key results, perhaps setting them off (e.g., as Theorems) \item May be advantageous to have subsections; e.g. ``Theory'' ``Computational considerations'' \item Relegate detailed derivations or intermediate calculations to an {\red appendix} \item Explain the importance and significance of results in plain English \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf \vspace*{-0.25in} {\red 4. Simulation studies} \begin{itemize} \item Numerical evidence of properties in realistic sample sizes, how new methods compare to existing ones, robustness to different conditions and violation of assumptions \item Pick situations that are representative of real life but not too complicated (e.g., similar to that of a motivating example) \item Describe exactly how you generated data, number of Monte Carlo data sets, software/hardware used \item Report important results in tables (e.g., MC bias, SD, MSE, etc.), but minimize clutter. Exclude results that may be summarized easily in words; e.g., ``all four methods exhibited relative biases of less than 1\% in all scenarios.'' \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red 5. Application} \begin{itemize} \item Level of detail depends on the journal \item State {\red specific} scientific questions to be answered and how they are formalized in terms of the statistical model \item At very least, report results (e.g., estimates, SEs) in a table so that interested readers can try to duplicate \item Recount the key steps and reasons for them in a detailed data analysis \item Figures are effective in telling the story of the data \item Summarize and interpret the results in terms of the subject-matter! \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red 6. Discussion} \begin{itemize} \item Restate the objective of the paper \item Review the key findings \item Discuss aspects that were not addressed and need further study, identify remaining limitations \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{How to structure a journal article} {\bf {\red Appendices} \begin{itemize} \item Except in the case of theoretical journals, it is standard to defer details to the end of the paper in an appendix \item Refer back to equations, theorems, etc., and fill in the details \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{What makes a good journal article?} {\bf \begin{itemize} \item All the qualities of good writing are required! \item Tell a story! \item Clear statement of objective, organization and flow, accessibility, completeness, clarity! \item Read lots of journal articles and discover for yourself! \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Editorial structure of a journal} {\bf {\red Basic premise:} \begin{itemize} \item Authors submit papers to journals with the hope that they will be published \item Not all papers are useful, are correct, or advance the discipline \item Thus, journals must select worthy papers from among those submitted \item A number of individuals (generally unpaid volunteers) are chosen based on their own reputations to make the selections \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Editorial structure of a journal} {\bf {\bf \red Editorial board:} Is printed on the cover or masthead \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue Editor} or {\blue Co-Editors} -- the ``heads'' who receive papers and decide their fate \citem {\blue Associate Editors} -- experts in particular areas who send papers to {\blue referees} to obtain detailed opinions on merit and summarize/assimilate these \item Number of Associate Editors depends on journal \end{itemize} \vspace*{0.15in} {\red Referees:} Members of the profession with expertise in the area of a paper who read it in detail and offer judgment on merit and constructive criticism } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Editorial structure of a journal} {\bf {\red Most journals:} One Editor or two or more Co-Editors \begin{itemize} \item {\it JASA T\&M} and {\it JASA A\&CS} have separate Editors \item {\it Biometrics} has three equal Co-Editors \item {\it Biometrika} has one Editor \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Editorial structure of a journal} {\bf {\red Role of Editors:} \begin{itemize} \item Receive submitted papers \item May reject (or accept, rare) a paper outright or \item Select an associate editor with requisite expertise who will, along with referees s/he selects, will read in detail and provide written critique and recommendation on whether to publish \item Make final decisions on which papers are published \item Set standards and conventions for the journal \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Editorial structure of a journal} {\bf {\red Role of Associate Editors:} \begin{itemize} \item Read individual papers in detail and decide whether they merit consideration by experts to gauge contribution \item If yes, send to referees and request critiques \item If capable, serve as an additional referee \item Consolidate the opinions of the referees and offer a recommendation to the Editor (accept, revise, reject) \item Remind referees of the need for {\red timeliness} \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Editorial structure of a journal} {\bf {\red Role of Referees:} \begin{itemize} \item Provide an informed, expert judgment on the merits of a paper in the form of written comments suitable for transmission to the authors \item Does the paper represent a genuine, useful advance in methodology, understanding, and/or novel data analysis? \item Is it correct? \item Are there ways it could be improved? \item Send a separate letter or report for the Associate Editor (not to be seen by authors) recommending rejection or publication, either in its current form or after changes/revisions are made \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{The review process} {\bf \vspace*{-0.25in} {\red Usually:} \begin{itemize} \item Paper is received at journal, Editor rejects outright or assigns to Associate Editor \item Associate Editor reads, assigns to referees \item Referees, Associate Editor prepare written reports and recommendations \item Associate Editor summarizes and sends to Editor \item Editor makes final decision on whether to reject, ask, for revision addressing concerns, or accept (rare). Letter sent to author(s) with decision, reports from reviewers, and (for revisions) summary of what must be done \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{The review process} {\bf \vspace*{-0.25in} {\red Usually:} \begin{itemize} \item If invited, authors submit revision, paper goes back to Associate Editor (may or may not return to Referees) \item Continues until all concerns addressed satisfactorily, paper is accepted, authors receive letter \end{itemize} {\red Blinding:} \begin{itemize} \item Almost all journals -- Authors are {\red blinded} to identities of Associate Editor and Referees, but Associate Editor and Referees know identity of authors \item Some journals -- ``Double blind;'' i.e., Referees are also blinded to identity of authors \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Submitting a paper} {\bf \vspace*{-0.25in} {\red Considerations:} \begin{itemize} \item Examine a recent issue and note style, level of technical detail, topics in published papers \item Become familiar with the Editor(s) and Associate Editors by studying the masthead; one of the AEs will handle your paper (and thus have the major say in its fate)! \item Visit the journal's web page! \item Note the {\red instructions for authors} (in journal and on web page) and follow these {\red exactly}, including conventions on math, tables, figures, length, type size and spacing \item Virtually all journal submission is {\red electronic}! \item Enclose a {\red brief} cover letter making clear your intention and noting any conflicts of interest \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Submitting a paper} {\bf \vspace*{-0.25in} {\red If your paper is} \begin{itemize} \citem {\blue Rejected} -- consider the comments carefully (they are usually valid), consider addressing them and sending to another journal (sometimes suggested by the reviewers) \citem {\blue Not accepted but a revision is invited} -- address the comments as best you can, prepare a point-by-point response of how you have done this, be gracious, and resubmit as soon as possible \end{itemize} {\red Rarely:} You may feel the reviewers are simply {\blue wrong} or completely {\blue misunderstood} your paper (bad writing?) \begin{itemize} \item You may write to the Editor, explain why you believe the decision was inappropriate, and ask for reconsideration \item Don't get your hopes up\ldots \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Submitting a paper} {\bf {\red When your paper is accepted:} \begin{itemize} \item Follow the specific instructions {\red exactly} -- copyright forms, submission of files (e.g. \LaTeX\ source by e-mail or disk) \item You will receive {\blue galley proofs} (typeset version of your paper as it will appear in the journal) \item Check the galley proofs carefully, answer questions from the copy editor, and return as soon as possible! \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \begin{slide}{Acting as a referee} {\bf \vspace*{-0.25in} {\red Refereeing:} You may be called upon as an expert in your area to serve as a referee \begin{itemize} \item A {\red professional responsibility} \item A way to become involved in the editorial process and the discipline \item A way to learn about new developments in your area \end{itemize} {\red Responsibilities:} Offer constructive, fair, unbiased criticism \begin{itemize} \item Resist the temptation to be competitive \item Be gracious, not mean-spirited \item Do not nit-pick or rewrite, but offer general comments to help an author to improve content and value of the work and restructure the exposition \end{itemize} } \end{slide} \end{document}