Getting ready to submit your manuscript for publication? 

I’ve encountered common mistakes over the years when peer reviewing manuscripts submitted for publication to scientific journals. 

Here are five of the most common manuscript writing mistakes I’ve seen – and how you can avoid making them.

 

MANUSCRIPT WRITING MISTAKE #1: NOT SHOPPING AROUND

Sending your manuscript to the wrong journal. Many researchers submit papers to the first journal that they can think of. 

It’s only human to dream big: when we think of publishing, we think of submitting to one of the most prestigious journals - The Lancet or the British Medical Journal! We want to aim high. But are you being unrealistic about the nature of your results? If so, you could be wasting time by inviting instant rejection! 

Manuscripts that do not fit the remit of a journal do not even get sent to peer review; they fall at the first hurdle.

How to avoid this mistake:

Be realistic!

Examine the references you have cited. They must be closely related to your study, which is a good sign for your target submission. However, studies or methodology too closely related to what you have done can signal that you should look elsewhere. 

A Google Scholar keyword search on your article topics can turn up relevant journal titles. Put together a short list of potential journal titles. Ask a trusted colleague.

Schedule some time in which to browse several journals online in your field simply to see what a Journal’s mission and Aims and Scope are – what type of articles and topics the journal has published. Some journals don’t publish review articles. Check that you meet a journal’s manuscript criteria. 

It helps also to look at several articles recently published by a journal, or at least the abstracts, to get a better idea of whether your article is a good fit and how to structure it to the journal’s tone and style. 

Choosing the right journal is such an important decision that I have one last, critical, tip. 

Check out who is on the editorial board. These are the leading international scholars in their field. Have you cited anyone on the Editorial Board? If not, this may not be the best journal where to target your manuscript.

 

MANUSCRIPT WRITING MISTAKE #2: INAPPROPRIATE TITLE

An inappropriate manuscript title. Often a manuscript’s title is too long, or does not accurately reflect the manuscript’s content or key variables. 

Keeping a title short can make it difficult, however, to create an interesting title that captures a reader’s attention and describe accurately the content of an article. 

The title is one of the most important elements of an article. If it fails to capture your audience’s attention, all is lost. 

Creating a killer title ensures that your manuscript gets read and is therefore more likely to get cited.

How to avoid this mistake:

First, know your audience so that you can capture their attention. 

Capitalise on what distinguishes your article from others – what is unique to your study? Use appropriate keywords that you have used within the article; keywords other researchers are likely to use when searching databases. 

Many journals set a word limit for titles, but as a rule of thumb they should be 15 words or fewer. 

Also don’t promise more than the article delivers. 

For new authors, study the titles of published manuscripts to get a clear idea of what makes a great title. Unless you develop this understanding, you will struggle to write an accurate, compelling and meaningful manuscript title.

 

MANUSCRIPT WRITING MISTAKE #3: UNFOCUSED INTRODUCTION

Too many references and ideas, or citing studies unrelated to your research question. An over-inclusive review of the literature is a common mistake to make. 

Many researchers mistakenly believe that they have to showcase their entire understanding and knowledge of a topic. So they often end up cramming in as many references that they can into the literature review and discussing all they know about a topic. 

The result is an unfocused background section and a missed chance to offer a compelling justification for your research.

How to avoid this mistake:

What’s your contribution to the ongoing conversation in your field? How did you address the gap in knowledge? Who will care? 

What is your story - your main message, or purpose, relating to the results of your study?

The answers to these questions help you to structure the background section of your manuscript and keep it focused on your research question.

Make your supporting references count towards telling this story. So don’t include everything you ever read about your topic. 

The main purpose of the introduction/background section is to build your argument to support what you have done and why.

Nothing more. 

 

MANUSCRIPT WRITING MISTAKE #4: NOT FOLLOWING THE JOURNAL’S GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS 

Ignoring a journal’s author guidelines for the structure, content and presentation of a manuscript is simply inviting rejection. Ignore the word limit set by the journal and your manuscript will be either too long or too short. 

How to avoid this mistake:

Download and read the Journal’s “Instructions to authors” and follow carefully before submitting your article for publication. Failure to follow these instructions, including formatting guidelines, simply invites delay or worse, outright rejection. 

Look at several recently published articles in your chosen journal to identify the layout and any specific sub-sections that need to be included.

 

MANUSCRIPT WRITING MISTAKE #5: LACK OF EDITING

Poor grammar, spelling or punctuation are all red flags.

When peer reviewers spot spelling mistakes, typos, grammatical errors or inconsistencies within the content, a negative judgment of the author’s research capability is usually formed. This lack of accuracy invariably invites further in-depth scrutiny of your manuscript, with a keen eye fixed to spotting additional errors. 

How to avoid this mistake:

Proofread! And proofread again! Reading it aloud helps you to detect elements of your writing that need clarification or correction. 

Quality check your article and tidy it up. 

Check the content and structure – have you missed anything? Is there a logical order of presentation? Your figures and tables should agree with your text and captions. 

Are there redundant sections? For example, text that refers to data within tables needs to be a commentary on those data not simply repeating it. 

Get a trusted colleague or mentor to read your manuscript and ask them to tell you what is unclear or does not read well. This is time well spent and you can return the favour. 

So, here’s a checklist to help you to avoid making the same common mistakes:

• My manuscript is a good fit to a journal’s mission, criteria, aims and scope
• My manuscript has a killer title, accurately reflecting my results
• My manuscript has a tightly focused and compelling introduction
• My manuscript follows the Journal’s author guidelines
• My manuscript has been edited and proofread, and polished to perfection

Have you seen any other academic writing mistakes? Let us know in the comments.

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