What is the Procedure to Publish a Research Paper? A Step-by-Step Guide

What are the Key Publication Terms You Must Know?

• Manuscript: A manuscript is the final written version of your research paper that you submit to a journal.
• Peer Review: Peer review is the process by which experts in your subject evaluate your manuscript.
• DOI: A DOI or Digital Object Identifier is a permanent identification number assigned to a published paper.
• Impact Factor: The impact factor measures how often other researchers cite articles in a journal.
• Journal Indexing: Indexing means a journal is listed in trusted academic databases.
• Citation: A citation occurs when another researcher refers to your published work in their paper.
• Open Access Journals: Open-access journals make articles freely available to everyone.
• Subscription-Based Journals: Subscription journals require readers or institutions to pay for access.
• Predatory Journals: Predatory journals are fake or unethical publishers that exploit researchers.

How to Prepare Your Research Paper for Publication?

Before you start the research paper submission process, your manuscript must be complete and well-written according to the guidelines. A publishable research paper follows a standard structure called IMRaD format, which includes introduction, methodology, results, and discussion sections, along with an abstract, conclusion, and references.

Mention a title that is clear and descriptive, accurately reflecting your research content. After that, an abstract, a brief summary (usually of 150-300 words) that highlights your research question, methods, key findings, and conclusions. Remember, many readers will decide whether to read your full paper based on the abstract alone.

What are the Non-Negotiables of Publishing a Research Paper?

Research ethics are non-negotiable in academic publishing, which means using someone else’s work or ideas without proper credit, which will be flagged as plagiarism. Even accidentally copying text from your own previous publications (called self-plagiarism) is not acceptable.

Before submitting your paper, run it through plagiarism detection software like Turnitin and aim for a similarity index below 15%, though requirements vary by journal. Remember to add citations properly to avoid ethical issues and credit stealing.

What’s the Research Paper Publication Process?

Before moving forward towards choosing the journal for publication, it is important to understand the full research publication workflow.

Developing a strong research paper to submit.

Selecting a suitable or relevant journal.

Setting the formatting according to the targeted journal requirements.

Submitting the manuscript for peer review.

Passing it through the peer review process and making the suggested changes.

Reviewing the paper before getting it published.

Doing publication tracking using the assigned number and sharing your work.

Key Takeaway: Each step is crucial and requires patience; skipping or rushing any stage may lead to rejection.

08 Steps to Publish a Research Paper

Step 01: Develop a Publishable Research Paper

Before reaching out to any journal, you must make your research paper ready to submit. If we can say more precisely, make your work publishable.

• Add clear research aims and objectives.
• Address a research gap in existing literature
• Use suitable research methods
• Present results honestly without manipulation
• Draw a logical conclusion at the end

E.g., a literature review alone is not publishable unless you have turned it into a full study.

Step 02: Decide the Research Paper Structure

Most academic journals, such as JSTOR, Elsevier, etc., follow a standard structure. While some may slightly vary, the fundamentals remain the same.

The typical research paper structure accepted by international journals is:

• Title
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Methodology
• Results & Findings
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• References

You can copy this structure as it is and write a perfect research paper that your reviewers can assess easily.

Step 03: Prepare a Winning Abstract

Most studies are usually rejected just because of a poor abstract that does not convince the reviewers. Try your best to create a strong abstract that can actually move readers and encourage them to explore further.

A strong abstract:

• States the research aim
• Explains the research methodology
• Summarise key findings
• Highlights significance

Step 04: Choose the Right Journal for Publication

Now, it is time to select the journal in which you want your work to be published. You can pick the right academic journal by following the guidelines below:

• Identify journals in your academic disciplines
• Read their aims and scope
• Review their recent publications
• Check their submission guidelines

For example, a psychology study may suit journals focused on behavioural science or education rather than business or innovation. Remember, journals usually receive thousands of submissions each year and if your paper does not match the journal’s focus.

Then, ot may get automatically rejected, but it doesn’t mean there are issues with your manuscript. Maybe your work is not in alignment with their publication aims.

What are the Key Factors Influencing Journal Selection?

• Impact Factor: An impact factor measures how often articles in a journal are cited. It varies by academic disciplines.
• High impact does not always mean guaranteed acceptance.
• Some disciplines naturally have lower impact factors.
• Students or newbie researchers can publish in lower or mid-tier journals.
• Journal Indexing: Indexing refers to databases such as Google Scholar that list journals

Well-recognised journal indexes include:

• Scopus-indexed journals
• Web of Science journals

Step 05: Prepare Your Manuscript & Follow Guidelines

Now, you have selected the journal to submit your paper and get it published. It is the time to mould your manuscript into the shape your targeted academic database requires. It usually involves increasing or reducing the word count, and following the suggested citation style, such as MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, etc., in in-text citations or the works cited list.

Don’t forget to comply with font and spacing or other such formatting requirements as well, so as not get your prose rejected. It is also usually required to write a cover letter convincing the journal to publish the study. In the cover letter, you actually need to:

Introduce the research.

Explain its relevance to the journal.

Confirms the content’s originality.

How to Prepare a Publishable Research Paper?

Use clear and concise language

Avoid using unnecessary jargons

Support your claims with references, not just explanations.

Maintain logical flow between arguments and paper sections.

Cite all sources correctly.

Declare conflicts of interest.

Step 06: Go Through the Peer Review

Since you have prepared the research study strictly according to the journal’s guidelines and submitted it, it will go straight to the journal’s experts for peer review. It will be evaluated through stringent quality checks, and you may also receive some suggestions for improvement in this process that you have to follow to make the study perfect.

You need to respond effectively to the peer review suggestions and secure your publication. Ensure to:

• Address every comment clearly
• Make changes as recommended carefully
• Explain disagreements respectfully
• Fix reference citation mistakes
• Adjust research methods and reassure the suggested changes.

Step 07: Proofread & Check After Acceptance

Once your research paper is accepted, you will be asked to make the final revisions required or do proofreading and editing. After the final submission, your paper will be published, and you will receive a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or tracking ID to view it live.

Step 08: Promote and Share Your Paper

Finally, you have succeeded in publishing your ground-breaking research; it is time to promote it and increase visibility. You can do the following things to promote your publication:

• Add paper to Google Scholar, as some journals may automatically add it, to get cited.
• Share to relevant academic forums or platforms where it can be useful for others to read.
• Reference it in your future works to increase its relevance and credibility.

Frequently Asked Questions