Charlesworth Knowledge, the education arm of Charlesworth Author Services, recently concluded a series of successful writing and communication workshops at a number of universities, hospitals, and higher education institutions in the southern Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. We interacted with, coached, and mentored academics and researchers across a range of disciplines, and presented English communication workshops on diverse topics including ‘research tools’, ‘maximising impact’, and ‘writing and publishing impactful scientific papers’. Our hands-on editorial-based teaching approach means authors learn while writing their own scientific papers, and we are able to help them steer their research through the peer-review and editorial process.

As our teaching team draw from their extensive experience of actually publishing their own work in high-profile journals as well as deep peer review and editorial experience, we are able to answer questions from researchers with authority and provide tips and tricks to ease the scientific publishing process. We’ve been there and done that. The Charlesworth Group also provides a range of author services that are objective and impartial when it comes to publishing models, and we have no agenda when it comes to journal selection: as we are publisher-independent, you can be sure that our advice about your papers, both editorially and in pre-peer review, will ensure your work has the best chance possible of actually being published in your target journal. Did you know that 85% of authors who use our services get their work published in their journals of choice?

We’ve collated a series of commonly asked questions received during our south China workshops; answers, tips, and tricks in response to issues such as ‘the future of academic assessment’, ‘effective journal selection’, ‘are major revisions the same as acceptance?’, and ‘differentiating your work from that of other teams working on similar topics’. Other common questions include ‘how long should I wait for my paper to come back from peer review?’, ‘is it ok to write to an editor to ask about the status of my paper?’ and, most intriguing ‘where do you get your ideas for research projects from?’. Our courses have also taught us that, irrespective of research field and institution type, academics are keen, above all, to learn to improve their own English writing and ensure that their work has the best chance possible of successful publication in a high-profile journal.

We find that some things about research remain constant all around the world, no matter the country; it’s necessary to identify a key question, win funding (or not), collect data and carry out experiments, then write up and publish in the best outlet possible. Throughout the lifecyle of a research project, indeed throughout research careers, it’s also becoming more and more important to ensure impact: not just in terms of the best papers possible, but also feeding back into public perception and influencing policy, perhaps leading to further funding generation. Charlesworth help researchers to develop all of these ‘soft skills’. Our tools and methods are constantly changing and so you’d think that research ‘should be getting easier’.

Not so.

Developing an effective message for a research paper and then communicating this to editors, reviewers, and, ultimately, readers is one of the keys to success in academic publishing. You will get your work published in a good journal if you: (1) pick an important research question (up to you); (2) use an appropriate method (also, up to you), and; (3) write a short, clear account that follows a tight structure and uses effective writing to convey your message to your target audience. We can help.

Charlesworth Knowledge provides training course and teaching materials for researchers all over the world via workshops that can be booked by institutions. Get in touch with one of our team for more information (helpdesk@cwknowledge.com).