Most researchers will eventually have the experience of preparing and submitting a manuscript to an academic journal for peer review. Likewise, most experienced researchers have had papers rejected and faced the famous ‘Reviewer 2’ (shown to have a somewhat unjust reputation [1]).

Having some experience as Editors-In-Chief of this journal (Jamie Trapp 4 years, Martin Caon 11 years), where 50% of submissions are rejected without review and a further 30% are rejected after review, we thought it might be prudent to share some wisdom based on experience. This may help authors through the reviewing and publication process, and to avoid publishing a monstrosity such as a previous effort by one of the current authors [2].

There have been many recent articles with a broader approach than this one [3,4,5,6,7], including some that specifically state what to avoid [8,9,10]. The list provided below (Table 1) is not as broad as these previous articles, instead it focusses on common, specific issues/errors within submissions that arise with editors on a regular basis. It comes from observations as editors, supervisors of many PhDs, and our own experiences and mistakes as researchers. In addition to what is included here, we suggest that researchers also consult other similar articles which have a broader approach (such as those in the reference list and the many others not listed). There are also various resources available through a simple internet search.

The tips given here are presented as into a table of ‘Don’t/Instead’ in an attempt to provide readers with a solution to common mistakes (Table 1). The list is a guideline and far from exhaustive, and in some cases, authors might get published despite doing something from the Don’t list.

Finally, as a disclaimer, we can’t claim that we haven’t done some of the items on the Don’t list, or that we have done all the items on the Instead list, hence the title of the article. Therefore, perhaps Table 1 should be titled ‘Don’t do as I do, instead do as I say’ – if you do that, the most bodacious papers you shall write.

Table 1 – List of tips for authors preparing papers for a journal, in Don’t/Instead format
Full size table