A guide through your research publication journey

Whether you are an early career researcher writing your first journal article or later in your career, one thing is certain, all journal articles are different. The first step to writing a research paper is knowing what is expected for a successful publication.

You must make sure you perfect your research article to meet publishing standards, then navigate the submission and peer review process. Read on for guidance on how to turn your paper into its best version, to maximize your chances of getting published. 

Choose the right service for the next step in your journey

Click the icons to learn more about the support available at each stage of the publication process.

Don’t forget, you can choose these services even if you aren’t submitting your paper to a Taylor & Francis journal.

How to choose the journal for publication

This is an important first step before writing your article because it means you can tailor your work to your target journal. By having a preferred journal in mind, you can write confidently to their specification and audience. This will help save you time and effort during the submission process.

Tips for choosing the right journal:

Conduct desk research and speak to colleagues and supervisors
Try tools like our Journal suggester, which reviews your abstract and pairs it with suitable journals
Familiarize yourself with the content of relevant journals, and their aims and scope statements
Know the journal audiences

We’ve created a free guide to walk you through all the things to consider when you’re looking for the best journal for your research. Download it today.

Download the free guide

Open access publishing

Choosing to publish your research open access (OA) makes it freely and permanently available online. Your peers will be able to read and build upon your research.

Many researchers also see OA publishing as an opportunity to boost the impact of their work. Funders and institutions may now also require research to be published open access.

Benefits of choosing open access: 

Increase the visibility and readership of your research 
Demonstrate societal impact 
Share your work freely
Comply with some funder mandates

Get your OA questions answered with this useful guide then choose open access with Taylor & Francis.

Choose Open

How to write a good research paper

Make sure you have selected the journal you want to submit to before writing your paper. This will affect the style, structure, and audience you are writing for. Choosing the journal before writing your paper also means you can tailor your work to build on research that’s already published.

Read the journal’s instructions for authors (IFAs) to understand what they’re looking for in papers submitted to them. These are sets of requirements that help guide authors to construct their article in the correct way and prepare it for submission.

The journal’s IFAs will tell you exactly what editors expect to see and the processes to follow. This will make sure there are no problems during production if your article is accepted.

Article formatting guide

Your research subject, focus, journal choice and any other consideration can affect the type of article you write. The best way to know how to structure your article is to study your target journal.

Formatting your research paper in the right structure can be a time-consuming task and at times frustrating. Consider using experts in manuscript formatting to help you along the way.  

Adding this service before submission will mean you don’t have to worry about meeting the journal’s guidelines while writing your research. Experienced editors will make sure your journal article is consistent, matching your article to your target journal’s IFAs.

If you’re working on formatting your article yourself, check if your target journal uses a formatting template or offers format-free submissions.

How to assess the quality of a journal article

There are some basic criteria to determine whether your article is of excellent quality. Writing an effective article is important but here are more qualities to consider:

The article is suitable for the journal by checking its aims and scope 
Your manuscript meets the style guidelines in the instructions for authors, such as word count, language clarity, and format 
It meets international standards of scholarly English, free of grammatical, spelling, and other common language errors 
The manuscript structure and technical inputs such as figures and charts comply with your target journal’s specific requirements 
Authors’ work is properly cited in your manuscript to avoid accidental plagiarism

Our pre-submission services will help you submit with confidence

Making your submission and navigating editorial process

Once you’ve written and polished your research paper, it’s time to take the next step – submitting to your chosen journal. If it passes an initial desk assessment, it’ll then go through the peer review process.

Make sure your paper was prepared for submission by reviewing the journal’s IFAs and policies. Check your format to make sure it aligns to the journal’s specified style guide.

Then write an effective cover letter. This is your opportunity to create interest on your research. You can highlight to the journal editor what makes your research new and important. Also state how your research is a perfect fit for the journal you are submitting to.

Make sure you: 

Follow the key points of your journal guidelines that apply to your submission  
Proofread your manuscript for inaccuracies and technical flaws to eliminate major reasons for rejection 
Acknowledge sources of ideas through proper citation to avoid accidental plagiarism 
Have subject-specific experts review your manuscript with suggestions for improvement

Ready to submit?

Our submission checklist will help you make sure you’re prepared.

Review the checklist

Resubmit with confidence

Get help addressing reviewer’s comments with our Rapid Technical Review service.

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What to expect after you submit

It is common for editors and reviewers to have suggestions on how to improve your research paper. Revisions are an extremely common part of the peer review process so be prepared to handle them effectively.

Straightforward recommendations require minor changes. Others may require extensive changes before your journal article can be accepted for publication.

Make sure all reviewer and editor comments are discussed in your revisions. You don’t have to act on all the suggestions that are made if you disagree. Just make sure you include an explanation for anything you have chosen to leave when you resubmit.

Real world research impact

There are important challenges to consider when pursuing your research career. Funding support, the journey to publication, uncertainty about your research future, and more.

To overcome these challenges, it is increasingly important for you to make your accomplishments stand out. You need to promote interest by communicating your research in easy-to-understand and shareable formats that will help explain its effect in the real world. 

Tips to get your research noticed

Increase the visibility of your research by showing the impact of your work to the world.

Research summary

Wide interest by communicating your research with easy-to-understand language.

Lay summary

Attract and increase readership with an eye-catching representation of your research.

Research infographic

Communicate your research to a wider audience with an engaging story.

Video highlight

Why researchers trust us

“I chose Taylor & Francis Editing Services because it was very useful and added advantages for me. It made my manuscript more understandable in terms of language”.
Dr Kalendar Arikan, Department of Biology Education
Hacettepe University