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Author and Editor Tips for Publishing Timely, Quality Research

How to Overcome the Quality vs. Timeliness Debate in the Age of Publish or Perish

By IGI Global on Aug 16, 2019
Every author (and editor) wants to publish their work quickly in order to ensure their research is disseminated in a timely fashion. At the rate at which research is progressing, and the influx at which it is becoming available to the academic community, it is oftentimes a race to publish studies before they become obsolete.

Add this timeliness necessity to the “publish or perish” pressure academics are already facing to publish as many papers as they can, and immediately the quality vs. quantity struggle begins.

Oftentimes, sadly, quality is sacrificed in this pursuit of swift publication leading to a pool of rushed research findings that can impact a journal or book’s credibility. But does timeliness have to compromise quality, or vice versa?

The answer is and should always be no. By following the tips below, not only can researchers increase the speed at which their work can be considered for publication, but also will ensure that they have the tools they need to prepare quality-focused manuscripts, leading to a greater likelihood of their work being accepted for publication.

Tips for Researchers:

  • Use a copy-editing service: Having your work copy edited before submission will save you time during the peer review and revision process. A consistent recommendation from review boards is that the manuscript be properly copy edited to ensure that it meets all English language rules and standards before being published. Regrettably, many authors of these manuscripts ignore these kinds of recommendations claiming that their work was checked for English language by an English language speaker in their country. The truth is though that in most cases such a person does not have a full command of the English language and/or the level of proficiency that a professional copy editor does. This lack of cooperation to prepare the content in the most proper way according to the standards of proper English language grammar, spelling, syntax, consistency, flow, etc. is the main factor contributing to complaints about the quality of the writing and difficulties understanding some of the published contents.

    IGI Global recently teamed up with the highly respected editorial service provider eContent Pro International® to offer all kinds of editorial services to IGI Global contributors including English language copy editing.

  • Choose the right fit for your article/chapter: Use your due diligence when choosing where to send your paper. Your paper should fit into the scope of the journal or book you are submitting to and should be in line with the types of manuscripts the publication accepts. For journals, if you are unsure whether your paper fits based on the description, mission, or topics covered, also look at the previously published article titles and abstracts from past issues.

  • Consider new, not yet indexed journals: If you need to see a published article sooner rather than later, consider submitting it to a newer journal that is not yet inundated with submissions. While these journals may not yet be highly ranked due to their recent emergence in the market (a journal usually needs to be established for at least two (2) years before indices will even consider accepting it), they will be able to more quickly process the paper due to lower submission quantities than their established and highly indexed brethren.

  • Follow the submission procedures: Taking the time to read through the submission procedures can cut both the author’s and editor’s time later by avoiding missing components that can delay the entire project. Ensuring that the editor and the publisher have everything they need from you upfront will save you both from wasted time that could be better used in moving the project forward. Also, if the publisher utilizes a manuscript submission system, it’s imperative to submit your work through that channel as work submitted by other means such as e-mail could get lost or moved lower in the queue for consideration. IGI Global’s submission procedures can be found on its Before You Write page.

  • Accept reviewer feedback and revise: Make sure you are ready to act on reviewer feedback during the peer review process and promptly, but thoroughly, revise and resubmit your paper. When you resubmit, note the revisions that were made to avoid confusion and allow reviewers to quickly locate the corrections.
Understanding publisher timeliness may also help researchers better plan for the potential turnaround times for publishing their research. IGI Global, for instance, is proud to offer flexible timelines that allow research to be published in as little as 9 to 12 months, which is much quicker than the industry standard.

If you are interested in taking advantage of IGI Global’s expedited and quality-centric publishing process to ensure your research receives the highest recognition and impact in your field of research, we invite you to check out our Call for Papers page to locate a suitable book or journal for your manuscript.
Interested in additional resources around scholarly publishing? View the recommended readings below:


All of these publications are available through IGI Global’s Online Bookstore and world-renowned InfoSci®-Books, a database of 5,300+ reference books with over 100,000 full-text chapters focusing on emerging research.

InfoSci-Books hosts key features such as full-text PDF and HTML format, no DRM, unlimited simultaneous users, and no embargo of content (research is available months in advance of the print release). Spanning across 350+ topics in 11 core subject areas, including computer science, education, media and communications, social sciences and humanities, and more, this robust research database is ideal for academic and research institutions.

Additionally, when a library invests in IGI Global’s InfoSci-Books and/or InfoSci-Journals (185+ scholarly journals) database, they can take advantage of IGI Global’s Open Access (OA) Fee Waiver (Read and Publish) Initiative to provide their institution with an additional source of OA article processing charge (APC) funding. Through this transformative initiative, IGI Global matches the library’s investment with a fund of equal value to go towards subsidizing the OA article processing charges (APCs) for their faculty patrons at that institution when their work is accepted under OA into an IGI Global journal.**

Purchase or recommend this database to your institution’s librarian.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of IGI Global.
Newsroom Contact
Caroline Campbell
Marketing Manager
ccampbell@igi-global.com
(717) 533-8845, ext. 144
www.igi-global.com/

*Perpetual purchase option reflects pricing for all InfoSci-Books 2020 (800+ titles) pricing for existing customers.

**The Open Access (OA) article processing charges will be waived after the student, faculty, or staff’s paper has been vetted and accepted into an IGI Global journal.
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