(Press-News.org) A large-scale survey of the process for submitting research papers to scientific journals has revealed a surprising pattern: manuscripts that were turned down by one journal and published in another received significantly more citations than those that were published by the first journal to receive them.
The study, led by researchers at McGill University and published by the journal Science, covered papers carried in 923 journals from the biological sciences between 2006 and 2008. The researchers generated an email to the corresponding authors of virtually all articles published during that period in 16 subject categories. This computerized survey retrieved the submission history of more than 80,000 articles – 37% of the more than 215,000 articles covered by the survey.
The findings shed new light on pre-publication processes, which constitute a significant amount of the time allocated to scientific research. Roughly three-quarters of all articles were initially targeted to the journal that would eventually publish them, indicating that authors were generally efficient at targeting their research and limiting the risk of rejection. Surprisingly, however, articles that were rejected by one journal and resubmitted to another were significantly more cited than "first-intent" articles published the same year in the same journal.
"We think the most likely explanation is that inputs from editors and peer reviewers, and the greater amount of time spent working on resubmissions, makes papers better and improves the citation impact of the final product," said Vincent Calcagno, who initiated the project as a postdoctoral fellow in theoretical ecology at McGill and completed it after moving to France's Institut national de la recherche agronomique. Calcagno co-authored the paper with Prof. Claire de Mazancourt, his former supervisor at McGill's Redpath Museum who is now working for the Centre national de la recherche scientifique in France, as well as Emilie Demoinet of McGill's Department of Biology; then-undergraduate student Kathleen Gollner; Prof. Derek Ruths of McGill's Department of Computer Science and Lionel Guidi of the University of Hawaii.
The findings also suggest that researchers may benefit from the strategy of publishing groups that facilitate resubmission of declined manuscripts to other journals of the group. "These results should help authors endure the frustration associated with long resubmission processes and encourage them to take the challenge," the researchers conclude.
One notable caveat: the survey found that papers resubmitted from a journal in one discipline category to a journal in a different category yielded lower impact after publication than those resubmitted to the same discipline category. While many academic experts have been calling for more interdisciplinary research, "what this suggests is that, for some reason, there may be barriers to this kind of interdisciplinary work gaining the same degree of impact as research done and published within their own (academic) communities" Prof. Ruths noted.
###
For the abstract of the study, visit: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/10/10/science.1227833.abstract
Study of research manuscript submissions shows initial rejection may lead to higher impact
Resubmissions from other scientific journals yield more citations than first-intent submissions
2012-10-13
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
VCU researchers uncover molecular basis of infection of tick-transmitted disease
2012-10-13
RICHMOND, Va. (Oct. 12, 2012) – Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have identified the "keys" and "doors" of a bacterium responsible for a series of tick-transmitted diseases. These findings may point researchers toward the development of a single vaccine that protects against members of an entire family of bacteria that cause disease in humans, domestic animals and livestock.
Survival for many bacteria is dependent on their ability to invade human or animal cells. And it needs to be done in a very precise fashion. Bacteria use a specific ...
Blood cells may offer telltale clues in cancer diagnosis
2012-10-13
Postdoctoral Research Fellow Devin Koestler is a biostatistician in the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He develops and applies statistical methods to large volumes of data, seeking new approaches for understanding disease, cancer in particular. Koestler and his colleagues are investigating the potential use of white blood cell variation as a diagnostic, predictive, and research tool in the study of non-blood cancers.
"There is promise here for a new diagnostic tool," says Koestler. "What we show here is not ready for immediate clinical utility, but I think ...
NASA sees heaviest rainfall near Typhoon Prapiroon's center
2012-10-13
NASA measured light-to-moderate rainfall occurring throughout Typhoon Prapiroon, with just a small area of heavy rain near the storm's center is it tracks through the western North Pacific Ocean.
When NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed over Typhoon Prapiroon on Oct. 12 at 0741 UTC (3:41 a.m. EDT), the precipitation radar instrument detected light to moderate rainfall occurring over most of the storm at a rate between .78 to 1.57 inches/20 to 40 mm per hour. The northwestern quadrant of the storm had the lightest rainfall rate.
There was ...
NASA sees some strength in Tropical Storm Patty's brief debut
2012-10-13
Tropical Depression 16 formed on Oct. 11 and by 5 p.m. EDT that same day, it strengthened into Tropical Storm Patty. NASA's TRMM and Terra satellite's captured imagery on Patty's rainfall intensity and cloud heights, both of which showed strong, high thunderstorms around the center of circulation.
On Oct. 11 at 11 a.m. EDT the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced the formation of tropical depression sixteen (TD16) northeast of the Bahamas. Earlier, at 0422 UTC (12:22 a.m. EDT), the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite had a look at the disturbed weather ...
X-ray satellites monitor the clashing winds of a colossal binary
2012-10-13
The hottest and most massive stars don't live long enough to disperse throughout the galaxy. Instead, they can be found near the clouds of gas and dust where they formed -- and where they will explode as supernovae after a few million years. They huddle in tight clusters with other young stars or in looser groupings called OB associations, a name reflecting their impressive populations of rare O- and B-type stars.
One of the nearest and richest OB associations in our galaxy is Cygnus OB2, which is located about 4,700 light-years away and hosts some 3,000 hot stars, including ...
NASA spots first tropical cyclone of southern indian ocean season
2012-10-13
The very first tropical cyclone of the Southern Indian Ocean season has been born, and NASA's TRMM satellite captured an image of its rainfall.
On Oct. 12 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT), Tropical Cyclone 01S (TC01S) was "born" about 90 nautical miles (103.6 miles/166.7 km) west-southwest of Diego Garcia, near 8.3 South latitude and 70.6 East longitude. Diego Garcia is a coral atoll located in the south central Indian Ocean and is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. It is about 1,970 nautical miles (3,650 km) east of Tanzania, Africa.
TC01S had maximum sustained winds ...
Smoking may lead to cataracts in aging population
2012-10-13
Rockville, Md. – Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor for a wide-range of diseases. Now, scientists have evidence that smoking may also increase the risk of age-related cataract, the leading cause of blindness and vision loss in the world.
Reported in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (Smoking and Risk of Age-related Cataract: A Meta-analysis), the new findings are the result of a meta-analysis conducted by a team of researchers from China.
"Although cataracts can be removed surgically to restore sight, many people remain blind from cataracts due ...
A complex logic circuit made from bacterial genes
2012-10-13
By force of habit we tend to assume computers are made of silicon, but there is actually no necessary connection between the machine and the material. All that an engineer needs to do to make a computer is to find a way to build logic gates — the elementary building blocks of digital computers — in whatever material is handy.
So logic gates could theoretically be made of pipes of water, channels for billiard balls or even mazes for soldier crabs.
By comparison Tae Seok Moon's ambition, which is to build logic gates out of genes, seems eminently practical. As a postdoctoral ...
Halcyon Software Expands Presence In Europe With New Channel Partnership
2012-10-13
Halcyon Software, the global leader in multiplatform systems management software, has announced the formation of a strategic partnership with pheron technologies group, the leading provider of business service management solutions to the German market. Based in Frankfurt, pheron technologies group will deploy Halcyon's technology across its direct customers and channel partner network throughout Germany and East Europe.
According to Heinz Günter Meser, IT Strategy Consultant for pheron technologies group: "Partnering with Halcyon Software will enable us to extend ...
"The Brain Lady" Debra Burdick is Featured Speaker at the 2012 ADHD Awareness Expo Online
2012-10-13
Debra Burdick, LCSW, BCN, also known as "The Brain Lady', is a featured speaker at the 2012 ADHD Awareness Expo, October 14-20, an on-line virtual community event for finding help and support for ADHD. Burdick will share her tips and strategies for achieving successful results with ADHD kids, teens, and adults. The online address for the free event is ADHDExpo.com, and it will stream 24 hours a day.
Thousands of people from more than 38 countries are expected to participate. The event, which can also be accessed by iPhone, iPad, and other mobile devices, will include ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
KAIST Develops Retinal Therapy to Restore Lost Vision
Adipocyte-hepatocyte signaling mechanism uncovered in endoplasmic reticulum stress response
Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid
Low LDL cholesterol levels linked to reduced risk of dementia
Thickening of the eye’s retina associated with greater risk and severity of postoperative delirium in older patients
Almost one in ten people surveyed report having been harmed by the NHS in the last three years
Enhancing light control with complex frequency excitations
New research finds novel drug target for acute myeloid leukemia, bringing hope for cancer patients
New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans
Illuminating single atoms for sustainable propylene production
New study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination
Study examines lactation in critically ill patients
UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer West earns AIMBE’s 2025 Pierre Galletti Award
Doubling down on metasurfaces
New Cedars-Sinai study shows how specialized diet can improve gut disorders
Making moves and hitting the breaks: Owl journeys surprise researchers in western Montana
PKU Scientists simulate the origin and evolution of the North Atlantic Oscillation
ICRAFT breakthrough: Unlocking A20’s dual role in cancer immunotherapy
How VR technology is changing the game for Alzheimer’s disease
A borrowed bacterial gene allowed some marine diatoms to live on a seaweed diet
Balance between two competing nerve proteins deters symptoms of autism in mice
Use of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast
Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption, survey finds
The experts that can outsmart optical illusions
Pregnancy may reduce long COVID risk
Scientists uncover novel immune mechanism in wheat tandem kinase
Three University of Virginia Engineering faculty elected as AAAS Fellows
Unintentional drug overdoses take a toll across the U.S. unequally, study finds
A step toward plant-based gelatin
ECMWF unveils groundbreaking ML tool for enhanced fire prediction
[Press-News.org] Study of research manuscript submissions shows initial rejection may lead to higher impactResubmissions from other scientific journals yield more citations than first-intent submissions