The reputation and ranking of higher-learning research institutions depend significantly on the quality and quantity of published research papers originated from such institutions. Preparation of a high-quality paper requires good research works as well as relevant technical skills and information on several issues. Good journal articles or books can help researchers in many ways, such as in securing a position/association with research institutions, research laboratories, HEIs, private companies, etc. A good record of publication can attract collaboration with pioneers associated with reputed national and international establishments and laboratories involved in scientific research.
Continuous encouragement to adopt the best practices and applicable standards in authoring and publishing are helpful in enlarging the pool of quality publications. Researchers should also be supported through different schemes to get the maximum benefit out of their hard work besides the sharing of their contribution more appropriately in the progress of the associated establishments.
Peer review is used to determine a research paper's suitability for publication. It is also viewed as an important standard of publishing excellence. The Committee on Publication Ethics has worked out certain best practice guidelines on publication ethics for authors, editors, peer reviewers, and publishers in their respective domains. It should also be noted that one can develop ideas comfortably after several years of authoring and publication experience only. There are several trends and models in the world of publishing that may contribute to confusion when selecting an appropriate publishing trend/model to approach with a manuscript. A researcher should thoroughly study the publishing trends/models to understand their pros and cons in order to choose the most appropriate and feasible one before submitting a research paper for possible publication. Post publication information such as citation of papers, h-index and i10 index of authors, etc. may also be of great importance for many authors and concerned institutions to justify publication impact.
One needs to maintain a good publication record to approach several funding agencies for supporting research projects, fellowships, and awards. However, it is always beneficial to publish inthe right journals for maximum visibility and dissemination of one’s research findings. Also, publications in right places help one to maintain a standard and sustainable practice of publication.A good amount of effort is required to gather crucial information regarding publication places, such as their quality, acceptability, respect in the scientific community, etc. due to the present competitive and complex scenario of publishing. It can be a good idea to discuss such issues with more experienced people having sufficient knowledge in authoring with a good publication record. There are several measures of quality for publication avenues. Some of them are acceptable in the regional context or to a group of countries only, and many others are accepted worldwide as indicators of prestige and position of a publication venue. There are also certain debatable issues, including the ranking of journals, and experiencing criticism from several parties worldwide. Thus, it is always beneficial for researchers to stay updated with such issues, and association with platforms that often discuss these issues can help one in understanding the timely issues. There are also several practices being adopted by several institutions worldwide for different purposes, such as compulsory similarity check of one’s published articles if produced for promotion benefit or want to claim others’ benefits out of one’s publications, posting of research articles in institutional archives, different cash benefit options for publications in pre-approved list of journals, etc.
Regional institutions dealing with research can jointly operate high-quality journals focusing more on regional research as articles on research findings having regional importance may be hard to get published in journals having sufficient acceptance in the research community worldwide. Such initiatives may help in attracting national and international attention toward regional research for greater participation involving scientists having much advanced or the requisite expertise to carry forward a particular research for the benefit of the entire society. As there are many redundant journals within the same field of study, a newborn would not impact much provided that the aim and scope are not sufficiently focused on particular areas of research. It is also essential to have the necessary expertise in several areas including technical and ethical issues associated with publishing to operate a successful journal.
It should be fruitful to adopt more specific and effective institutional plans at regular intervals to deal with contemporary issues associated with scientific authorship and publishing. Institutional research to ascertain the publishing trends of individual departments may also be designed to chalk out effective plans for boosting the overall authoring and publishing scenario of an institution. It is more beneficial to go with the best practices and standards having wider acceptance in the academic and research communities. Interested researchers can go through several courses and interactive training programs available through the websites of several reputed publishers, and these programs can help one to understand various issues associated with research and publication. It can also be a good idea to search for materials and services offered by several trusted societies and organizations to make the research output standard and reliable. Several books discussing various issues associated with authoring and publishing of scientific works are also available. One may feel the need for more excellence in science through journal publications of high impact and quality patents and also the translation of the new ideas to practice. Sometimes, it is observed that much of the good work stops once a publication or patent is realized. In general, there is a need to do more research work that goes beyond publication or patent and translate findings into real practice.