Insights into Scientific Publishing

As a researcher, you have probably wondered about how to publish your work in an influential journal. Publishing impactful work begins with good research, but turning the results into an accepted article can be a daunting process. This talk aims to unmask the publication process from the perspective of an editor at a Nature Portfolio journal. We will discuss the challenges in assessing the impact of a research output, the aspects editors look for during the initial assessment, and how to best communicate your work to the editor and reviewers – and ultimately the readers. I will also walk you through the stages of peer review, from how editors select referees, to how we make decisions.

Harry Geddes is an Associate Editor at Nature Communications, where he handles content related to materials science, focusing on inorganic materials chemistry and including porous materials, including zeolites and MOFs. He received his DPhil in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Oxford, and continued to work in Oxford as a postdoctoral research fellow. His research focussed on the structural characterisation of complex and disordered materials using advanced scattering and spectroscopic techniques, and developing data analysis approaches.