Author: Mónica Bonilla-del-Río – Translation: Erika-Lucia Gonzalez-Carrion
Once the research has been developed and the manuscript has been written, if this has not been done previously, the journal to which the contribution will be sent must be selected. In this case it is of vital importance to take into account the focus, scope and subject matter of the journal, in order to choose a publication that fits with the study we have elaborated.
Previously, in another post of the School of Authors, we have listed a series of tips to make a coherent and successful selection of a publication for the submission of our article.
In this sense, prior to submission, we must verify that our proposal is in accordance with the objective and the types of contributions accepted by the journal, by thoroughly consulting its web page and reviewing some of its latest published articles. After this selection, we will be able to proceed rigorously with the preparation of the submission.
Thus, before the complete submission of the manuscript, we will have to carefully read the journal’s regulations, taking into account all the requirements established by the publication in order to adapt our proposal to comply with all the guidelines.
First of all, we will have to check which are the prescriptive files to be sent, which normally refer, on the one hand, to the cover letter of the article, which will include all the identifying data of the authors, the declaration of originality and compliance with the code of ethics and, on the other hand, to the article, which must comply with the formal aspects indicated in the regulations. Among these general aspects we could highlight the use of a template, the structuring according to the contents proposed by the journal or the need to anonymize the file.
It will also be necessary to thoroughly review the rules related to references in order to comply with the criteria set by the journal. Thus, it will be necessary to adapt both the citations and the list of references to the style imposed by the journal (APA, Vancouver, Harvard…) and to add the DOI or web addresses in the cited publications. It is recommended to include updated references and to consult national and international journals of high impact.
Finally, other formal aspects related to typography, numbering or the use of bold or underlined text must be taken into account. In addition, the requirements regarding the incorporation of figures and tables, as well as complementary material, must be verified.
Once the document has been adapted and prepared according to the journal’s regulations, we will proceed to perform the last preliminary check by means of a final self-review of the manuscript, which will allow us to verify that we are indeed ready to start the submission.
To do this, the corresponding author must send the prescriptive files following the indications of the selected publication and using the journal’s system or web platform in a prescriptive manner. In this regard, the stipulated procedure should be strictly followed, which usually includes the following phases: registration or login to the platform, access to the profile, making a new submission, entering the metadata, selecting and uploading the documents, and confirming the submission.
