Presentation on publishing scientific research and how to write high-impact scientific papers by Dr. John Uhlrich as the Editor-in-Chief of Energy Technology, published by Wiley-VCH. Slides were presented on 27 October 2020 virtually for the SFB/TRR 270 Meeting of PhD students from the Technical University Darmstadt and University of Duisburg-Essen.

1. © 2020
Publishing Scientific Research &
How to Write High-Impact Research Papers
Dr. John Uhlrich
27 Oct 2020

2. © 2020
1) About Wiley-VCH
2) The psychology of editors and reviewers
and demystifying the publication process
3) Writing for scientific success
4) Q & A
Today’s Talk

3. © 2020
• PhD students?
• Post-Docs or beyond?
• Who has already published something?
• Have you had the opportunity to act as a
peer reviewer for a submitted research
manuscript?
• Who can imagine a career in publishing?
• Who has heard of Project DEAL?
Who are you?

4. © 2020
Who am I?
• Chemical Engineering, PhD University of
Wisconsin, USA
• Interface Chemistry of Hybrid Photovoltaic
Materials/Devices
• Postdoc 2009-2011: Fritz Haber Institute, Berlin
Department of Chemical Physics (H.J. Freund)
• Surface Science for Model Catalysis
• 2011– 2012:
– Editor, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional
Materials
• 2012-present:
– Editor, Energy Technology
– Currently Editor-in-Chief, Energy Technology
Editor, Advanced Energy Materials,
Advanced Functional Materials,
Advanced Energy and Sustainability

5. © 2020
Who am I?
• Chemical Engineering, PhD University of
Wisconsin, USA
• Interface Chemistry of Hybrid Photovoltaic
Materials/Devices
• Postdoc 2009-2011: Fritz Haber Institute, Berlin
Department of Chemical Physics (H.J. Freund)
• Surface Science for Model Catalysis
• 2011– 2012:
– Editor, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional
Materials
• 2012-present:
– Editor, Energy Technology
– Currently Editor-in-Chief, Energy Technology
Editor, Advanced Energy Materials,
Advanced Functional Materials,
Advanced Energy and Sustainability

6. © 2020
John Wiley & Sons
South Korea
Founded in 1807 in New York City by John Wiley
To this day family-owned in the 6th generation
Approx. 5,000 staff worldwide
Wiley Online Library has 130 million users
1,700 journals, 1200 society partners
Company headquarters are in Hoboken (New Jersey)
Wiley-VCH (Germany) has been part of Wiley since 1996

7. © 2020
Weinheim office

8. © 2020
• Wiley-VCH, Wiley-Blackwell, Ernst & Sohn, GIT
• Weinheim, Berlin, Zürich (CH)
• 530 employees (450/ 70/ 14)
– ~ 70% female - 30% male
– Average age ~ 42 years
– Average time with Wiley-VCH ~ 10 years
– Foreign employees 40%
from 24 different nations
• Primarily chemists, followed by materials scientists, physicists, biologists,
mathematicians
Our Office

9. © 2020
https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2018/02/06/focusing-value-102-things-
journal-publishers-2018-update/?informz=1

10. © 2020
Some highlights
46. Search engine optimization.
50. Dealing with data.
55. Media relations and publicity.
56. Social media distribution and management.
58. Integrating new standards.
60. Hosting and archiving.
73. Managing and protecting
editorial records.
101. Work together to solve more general
access and fairness issues.
86. Provide training in emerging publishing
markets. (but not just emerging markets!)
34. Copy-editing, proofreading, and styling of
materials.
27. Ethics investigations.
26. Management of peer review process.

11. © 2020
Project DEAL

12. © 2020
Open Access
As an Open Access transitional agreement, Project DEAL is
compliant with the Plan S Open Access movement in Europe.
• Wiley is the first large international publisher to
announce a partnership with Project DEAL for a
countrywide “Publish & Read“ agreement to
better address the growing research market and
evolving needs of researchers. Max Planck Digital
Library GmbH will be the implementation
partner for Wiley’s ca. 1700 journals.
Project DEAL – Transformational Publish and Read
Agreement with Wiley

13. © 2020
Researchers at Projekt DEAL
institutions can publish articles
Open Access in Wiley’s journals at
no cost to the authors.
Under an annual fee, this
transformative three-year
agreement provides all Projekt DEAL
institutions with access to read
Wiley’s academic journals back to
the year 1997.
The partnership will better support
institutions and researchers in
advancing open science, driving
discovery, and developing and
disseminating knowledge.

14. © 2020
To support the overall advancement of scholarly research, Wiley and
Projekt DEAL are together launching important new initiatives as part of
the partnership.
1. The Wiley editorial office will conduct at least 50 university/institute
visits within Germany to help inform researchers about the project
DEAL agreement and discuss Open Access issues.
2. A new flagship open access journal. This interdisciplinary journal
will publish top-tier scholarship from the global research community
and will serve as a unique forum for the development of new open
access publishing models.
3. Wiley and Projekt DEAL will establish an open science and author
services development group focused on innovating and
accelerating new publishing approaches.
4. The partners will also create and host a new annual symposium for
early-career German researchers focused on surfacing cutting-
edge ideas on the future of research communications.
Partnership

15. © 2020
Introducing Natural Sciences
VivianW.-W.Yam, Chief Editor for Chemistry
University of Hong Kong
Bretislav Friedrich, Executive Editor
Fritz-Haber-Institut der MPG, Berlin
Marianne Bronner, Chief Editor for Biology
California Institute ofTechnology
Gerard Meijer, Chief Editor for Physics
Fritz-Haber-Institut der MPG, Berlin
www.naturalsciencesjournal.com
EmphasizingOpen Data and Open Peer Review concepts

16. © 2020
Open Access
READ
All German institutions that are participating in Project DEAL will
have permanent open access to Wiley’s entire E-journal portfolio
Effective as of 15th January 2019
Permanent access to journals as far back as 1997
Includes around 1,700 journals
PUBLISH
All responsible corresponding authors affiliated with a
participating institution publish their original research or
review articles with Open Access in Wiley journals (both in
original Gold Open Access journals and in subscription
journals), normally under a CC-BY license.
For Gold Open Access journals, institution-specific policies
For subscription-based journal articles that are accepted
from 1st July 2019  4250 papers were published OA
through the DEAL framework last year
PUBLISH & READ - What does this mean to
you?

17. © 2020
Summary of Project DEAL
• The DEAL publish & read agreement in Germany with
Wiley is the first of its kind – something (for all of us) to
be proud of!
• Take advantage of the opportunity to publish Open
Access free of charge in any hybrid or gold OA journal
in Wiley‘s portfolio (as well as to read the all the works
from the rest of the world without paywall).
• Invite us to come visit! (virtually for the time being)
• Open to new projects (Special Issues, collaborations)
• Germany and Wiley have taken this first step together:
We hope that this is a sign of more deals to come,
around the world.

18. © 2020
Markets in transition: Open Access
agreements
United States
China
United Kingdom
Germany
Japan
Australia
Canada
Italy
India
France
Spain
Netherlands
South Korea
Brazil
Switzerland
Sweden
Iran
Turkey
Denmark
Taiwan
Belgium Poland
Austria
Israel
Norway
Finland
New Zealand
Other
Geographic distribution of Wiley article output (corresponding authors, 2018)
Hungary

19. © 2020
Wiley-VCH Journal Genealogy

20. © 2020
1600 journals, books
And More...

21. © 2020
• Honestly assess the
importance/impact and
scope of your work
• Journal Impact Factor is not
everything!
• What are the implications
of your research?
• How important will others
find your research?
– In your field?
– In related fields?
• Publication fees? Open
access?
• Speed of publication?
• What is the scope of your
candidate journal?
• Who reads your candidate
journal?
Selecting the Journal

22. © 2020
•Covering the technical aspects of
applied energy research
–Generation
–Conversion
–Storage
–Distribution
•Companion journal of other related
Wiley titles (Advanced Energy
Materials, ChemSusChem, etc.)
•Listed in important databases
(ISI, Web of Knowledge, Scopus)
•Impact Factor (2019): 3.404
•Accepted Article for near immediate publication
following acceptance
Launched in 2013
Editor-in-Chief
Dr. John Uhlrich

23. © 2020
•Covering the technical aspects of
applied energy research
–Generation
–Conversion
–Storage
–Distribution
•Companion journal of other related
Wiley titles (Advanced Energy
Materials, ChemSusChem, etc.)
•Listed in important databases
(ISI, Web of Knowledge, Scopus)
•Impact Factor (2019): 3.404
•Accepted Article for near immediate publication
following acceptance
Launched in 2013
Editor-in-Chief
Dr. John Uhlrich

24. © 2020
•Covering the technical aspects of
applied energy research
–Generation
–Conversion
–Storage
–Distribution
•Companion journal of other related
Wiley titles (Advanced Energy
Materials, ChemSusChem, etc.)
•Listed in important databases
(ISI, Web of Knowledge, Scopus)
•Impact Factor (2019): 3.404
•Accepted Article for near immediate publication
following acceptance
Launched in 2013
Editor-in-Chief
Dr. John Uhlrich
Special Issue on Ferroic Cooling
Guest Editor: Dr. Sebasitan Fähler, IFW-Dresden
Link: http://bit.ly/FerroicCooling

25. © 2020
Number of source items published in 2018 and 2017
_________________________________
Impact Factor2019 =
Number of citations in 2019 to articles published in 2018 and 2017
Example
Journal of … publishes 75 articles in 2017 and
83 articles in 2018.
In 2019 it receives a total of 344 citations to
these articles in all the other published journals.
The journal’s Impact Factor for 2019 is
344  (75 + 83) = 2.18
2019
2016
2015
2014
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Cited
window
Citing
window
2019
2017
2018
Impact Factor (IF)
The 2019 Impact Factor first appears in 2020.

26. © 2020
“...originally appeared in a postscript of my previous Editorial,
and then it was just to note that I did not wish to write about
it because it has become a plague. ”

27. © 2020
1) Arbitrary 2-year window, citation practices depend upon the field and
on the specific work
2) Assumes that all citations are positive (a citation is not necessarily
an endorsement!)
3) Overinterpretation and misuse of the Impact Factor values: doesn’t
say anything about the quality of an individual work
4) Incentives for poor research practice & unethical behavior (on the
parts of both publishers and authors)
Problems with IF-based Assessment

28. © 2020
“If your research does not generate papers, it
might just as well not have been done.
‘Interesting and unpublished‘ is equivalent to
non-existant.“
“Realize that your objective in research is to
formulate and test hypotheses, to draw
conclusions from these tests, and to teach
these conclusions to others. Your objective is
not to ‘collect data‘.“
George Whitesides, “Whitesides‘ Group: Writing a
Paper“, Essay in Advanced Materials, 2004, 16, 1375 .
Why publish at all?

29. © 2020
Don't underestimate how hard it is or
how long it takes to write a good paper.

30. © 2020
Is the novelty
high enough?
Difference to
prior work?
Important to the
whole readership?
Important to
researchers
in this field?
After the initial check for scope and length is done,
the manuscript is examined more closely:
the most
important
hurdle!
„Publishing space is
limited – choose a journal
whose readership will be
keen to see your results!“
What Editors Look For (Manuscript Suitability)

31. © 2020
Conclusions section of manuscript
While reading new manuscripts, editors will especially look at:
Cover letter “If I‘m interested, my
readers will be, too!ˮ
Literature references
Visual information
Abstract
Where will the Editor look?

32. © 2020
Cover Letter: The Worst Type

33. © 2020
• Why is this topic important?
• Why are these results significant?
• What is the key result? (breakthrough!)
• Why is it an advance on previous work?
• Why are you submitting to this journal?
• Why will this journal’s readers read it?
• Provide reviewer suggestions
Together with the conclusions section of your paper, the cover
letter is one of the first things the editor will see, so make it
count!
Tip: Keep the letter as concise as possible – the longer it is, the
easier it becomes to overlook something important.
Maximizing Success: Writing the Cover Letter

34. © 2020
• Why is this topic important?
• Why are these results significant?
• What is the key result? (breakthrough!)
• Why is it an advance on previous work?
• Why are you submitting to this journal?
• Why will this journal’s readers read it?
• Provide reviewer suggestions
Together with the conclusions section of your paper, the cover
letter is one of the first things the editor will see, so make it
count!
Tip: Keep the letter as concise as possible – the longer it is, the
easier it becomes to overlook something important.
Maximizing Success: Writing the Cover Letter
Solar Cell Example:
We have fabricated a solar cell with high efficiency and stability,
using earth-abundant materials, by using a simple synthetic method,
nontoxic precursors, using a scaleable fabrication procedure, with a
unique combination materials that increase our fundamental
understanding of photovoltaic devices.

35. © 2020
Manuscript rejected on reports
Manuscript submitted
Editors examine &
make initial decision in house
Manuscript sent out
for external peer review
Editor makes decision
based on reports
Manuscript is accepted as
is or with minor revisions
Manuscript transferred
to the publication workflow
Manuscript rejected on reports
but reinvited if
major revisions promising
Manuscript rejected on topic,
novelty, or quality
Revisions requested
if possible in short time
Manuscript rejected on format
but reinvited (e.g., shorten)
Peer Review Editorial Workflow

36. © 2020
• Present data honestly and accurately, not
fabricate or falsify data
• Reference and cite properly, not plagiarize or
ignore related work
• Avoid fragmentation and redundant
publication
• Inform the editor of related manuscripts under
consideration or in press
• Submit to only one journal at a time
• Disclose conflicts of interest
Author Responsibilities

37. © 2020
• Ensure efficient, fair, and timely manuscript processing
• Ensure confidentiality of submitted manuscripts
• Make the final decision for accepting or rejecting
• Base decision to accept or reject only on the merits of
the manuscript
• Not use work reported in a submitted manuscript for
their own research
• Ensure fair selection of referees, including those
suggested or requested for exclusion by author
• Respond to suggestions of scientific misconduct
• Deal fairly with author appeals
Editor Responsibilities

38. © 2020
• Treat it as a discussion of your paper from one of the top
experts in your field.
• Don’t take it personally – it is not an attack on you!
• Be thorough and a little self-critical; remember that the referee
is trying to help you improve your work and its presentation.
• Remember that everyone is human! Take every criticism as
an opportunity for improvement; this is a “trial run“ for how
your work may be perceived after publication.
How to Read a Referee Report
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2017/01/18/15-steps-to-revising-journal-articles/

39. © 2020
• Treat it as a discussion of your paper from one of the top
experts in your field.
• Don’t take it personally – it is not an attack on you!
• Be thorough and a little self-critical; remember that the referee
is trying to help you improve your work and its presentation.
• Remember that everyone is human! Take every criticism as
an opportunity for improvement; this is a “trial run“ for how
your work may be perceived after publication.
How to Read a Referee Report
http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2017/01/18/15-steps-to-revising-journal-articles/
https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-
network/2017/mar/31/dear-anonymous-peer-reviewer-
your-criticism-made-me-a-better-researcher

40. Credit: Nick Kim (www.nearingzero.net)
Stay Calm 

41. © 2020
1. Have something to say.
2. Say it.
3. Stop as soon as you have said it!
4. Give the paper a proper title!
Source:
John S. Billings:
An Address on
our Medical
Literature.
Br Med J (1881)
2:262-268.
The Four Basic Rules

42. © 2020
Titles and abstracts are searchable separately from the
main paper in databases and online
Therefore to increase your paper’s “discoverability”:
give it a specific and concise title
include many appropriate keywords
“search-engine optimization”
Title & Abstract

43. © 2020
What effect?
Which metal(s)?
What type of coupling reaction(s)?
Which aryl alcohols?
Specific
Concise
Contains many keywords
Effect of Metal Catalyst on the
Outcome of Coupling Reactions
with Aryl Alcohols
Ruthenium Trichloride:
An Effective Catalyst for C-H
Activation with 2,4-Disubstituted
Aryl Alcohols
Targeting Your Title

44. © 2020
DOI: 10.1126/science.355.6320.102
Telling a Story

45. © 2020
DOI: 10.1126/science.355.6320.102
Answer 3 Questions:
• What is the Status Quo?
– Too little: Risk losing a large audience who may
not be experts on this topic.
• What is wrong with the Status Quo?
– Too little: “Why do we need yet another paper
on this topic?“
• How does this work go beyond the Status
Quo?
– Too little: The novelty of your work is not clear.
Telling a Story

46. © 2020
• Don‘t forget to factor in time to work on
the presentation of your work
• Have a friend/colleague read your
manuscript; read your own work again
after setting it aside for a couple of days
• Have a native speaker proofread for
language, if available (editorial services
are also available)
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/ www.ChemistryViews.org
A Few More Tips

47. © 2020
• Don‘t forget to factor in time to work on
the presentation of your work
• Have a friend/colleague read your
manuscript; read your own work again
after setting it aside for a couple of days
• Have a native speaker proofread for
language, if available (editorial services
are also available)
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/ www.ChemistryViews.org
A Few More Tips
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/

48. © 2020
• Don‘t forget to factor in time to work on
the presentation of your work
• Have a friend/colleague read your
manuscript; read your own work again
after setting it aside for a couple of days
• Have a native speaker proofread for
language, if available (editorial services
are also available)
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/ www.ChemistryViews.org
A Few More Tips
http://wileyeditingservices.com/en/Sharing your work after publication: www.howcanishareit.com

49. © 2020
1) Unpublished work is lost and properly communicating science
takes effort
2) A simple writing style is best!
3) Optimize your content for internet use
4) Peer review isn’t perfect but it is the best we have
5) Competition is hard, so make your work stand out
6) Take an active role in promoting your work
Conclusions

50. © 2020
Questions?
jjuhlrich@wiley.comJohn Uhlrich
Wiley Author Services
bit.ly/DEALAuthor
www.projekt-deal.de/wiley-contract
OA questions
cs-openaccess@wiley.com
@EnergyTechnol
www.entechnol.com
Submissions:
www.editorialmanager.com/ente/
https://www.facebook.com/EnergyTechnologyJournal/

51. © 2020
1) Unpublished work is lost and properly communicating science
takes effort
2) A simple writing style is best!
3) Optimize your content for internet use
4) Peer review isn’t perfect but it is the best we have
5) Competition is hard, so make your work stand out
6) Take an active role in promoting your work
Conclusions

52. © 2020
A look into the future with Authorea

53. 53
Scientific, social, and economic research impacts our lives in innumerable
ways. And it’s just the beginning: all fields of research are becoming more
computational, collaborative, data-driven, automated, and web-based.
Researchers
produce
21st century
research

54. 54
Written up
using
20th century
technology
From PDF to Word, most document formats we produce today are not natively
collaborative, data-driven, or version controlled. Also they are incompatible with one
another.

55. 55
A centuries-old research “paper” does not look too different from documents
we publish, share and read today (i.e., static, lifeless PDFs)
Published
in a
17th century
format

56. The challenge
Many authoring and publishing legacy systems “flatten” data, code, and
visualizations made by researchers by imposing size and file format
restrictions.
AUTHORING
TOOLS
EEO & PEER
REVIEW
PRODUCTION &
TYPESETTING
inputs:
data, code,
visualizations
outputs:
flat, static print
pdfs1 2 3

57. Open HTML-first
Data-driven
Interoperable
Interactive
Our approach
An ecosystem of interoperable, modern tools operating upstream from
publishing in the researcher lifecycle
Executable

58. Open Peer Review timeline
displays events in peer review
flow
Preprint open for community
comments