Write & Publish
SciFree
Use this open access publishing journal search tool to find APC waivers and discounts to publish open access.
Instruction Sessions
Upcoming Sessions
Medical and Scientific Writing
How NOT to Write a Medical Paper by ISBN: 9789385062292Publication Date: 2016-06-17Writing a medical paper, or any other scientific text, is full of pitfalls which make it difficult to get it accepted for publication. This book gives practical advice on how one can circumvent these dangers. It is filled with examples, predominantly negative ones which exhibit how one should not write a medical paper. This book highlights the fallibilities that manuscripts are often susceptible to, and hence will help writers avoid committing those mistakes. Explanation of the fate of a manuscript after its submission and, eventually, acceptance, to help writers understand expectations and responses.
Medical Writing by ISBN: 9783319701257Publication Date: 2018-01-09This book is a guide that assists readers in translating observations, ideas, and research into articles, reports, or book chapters ready for publication. The text includes in depth instructions for writing and publishing: review articles, case reports, editorials and letters to the editor, book reviews, book chapters, reference books, research protocols, grant proposals, and research reports. It also includes the intricacies of medical writing and publishing such as: open access, pay to publish and predatory journals, peer review fraud, publication bias, parachute studies, public domain images, and phantom authors.
Scientific Writing and Communication by ISBN: 0197613799Publication Date: 2022-10-18Scientific Writing and Communication: Papers, Proposals, and Presentations is an "all-in-one" handbook that covers the areas of scientific communication that a student, researcher, or scientist needs to know and to master in order to successfully promote his or her research and career. Written in an accessible and easy-to-understand manner, the book begins with several chapters on the basics of the scientific writing style. It then builds on these by applying the presented principles to all types of scientific documents. The book also covers academic presentations and posters in detail. Applicable in the fields of life sciences, medicine, psychology, chemistry, physics, and engineering, it is ideal as a stand-alone textbook or as a reference guide.
Researcher Profiles & Research Impact
Establishing a Researcher Profile (e.g. ORCiD) will ensure that you get credit for your published work, making it easy to track the impact your research is having on the world.
- Getting Started with ORCiDSet up your ORCiD Researcher Profile at McMaster
- Making an Impact: Tracking Your Research MetricsLearn strategies for assessing the impact of your research with this step-by-step guide to research metrics
- Overton This link opens in a new windowOverton is the world’s largest searchable index of policy documents, guidelines, think tank publications and working papers. It collects data from 188 countries and over a thousand sources worldwide and is continually updating. The company parses each document, finding references, people and key concepts, and then links them to the relevant news stories, academic research, think tank output and other policy, allowing authors to search these documents and see where their ideas, papers, reports and staff are being cited or mentioned. Overton can help authors discover where their work may be influencing or changing practice in the real world.
Author Rights
Retain your author rights by including an addendum to your publisher agreements. The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy provide guidance on writing an addendum:
- SPARC Canadian Author's Addendum to Publisher Agreement
- Tri-Agency Open Access Policy FAQ #23 sample wording:
[Journal] acknowledges that the researcher will be entitled to archive an electronic copy of the final, peer-reviewed manuscript for inclusion in (name of repository). Manuscripts archived with (name of repository) may be made freely available to the public, via the internet, within twelve months of the official date of final publication in the journal.
Open Access Publishing
The world of publishing is evolving in many ways. Learn more about open access journals, your rights as an author, trends in open access publishing and how the library can assist you to meet Tri-Agency publishing requirements.
- Tri-Agency Open Access Policy Handout PDF
- Open Access Explained! - this video provides an overview of the issues and drivers of open access
Author Fee Agreements
Most open access journals charge authors a publishing fee. The Tri-Agency Open Access Policy identifies the cost of publishing as an eligible expense under the Use of Grant Funds.
Use Sherpa Juliet to find more info about research funders’ open access policies.
McMaster University does not offer grants for Article/Author Processing Charges (APCs). However, researchers at McMaster are currently eligible for the following open access publishing discounts as a benefit of subscriptions paid for by McMaster University Libraries.
Open Access Publishing Discounts and Waivers
NEW - Use our Open Access Publishing Journal Search Tool to identify journal titles with APC waivers and discounts at McMaster.
Also visit the McMaster Library support for open access publishing for additional information.
Funding Sources
Some granting agencies allow author costs as an eligible expense. Grant opportunities and their related policies can be accessed through the following websites:
Journal Selection & Evaluation
Tools for Journal Selection
- UlrichsWeb: Global Serials DirectoryLook up potential publication sources based on field of study, country of publication, peer-reviewed status, and much more.
- JANE - Journal / Author Name EstimatorSuggests potential journals based on the keywords in your article's title and abstract.
- Journal Citation Reports (JCR) This link opens in a new windowCompare the citation rates of different journals to choose the publication source with the highest impact.
Tips on Journal Selection and Evaluation
- Avoid predatory publishers - learn more and find tips
- Consider journal impact factors
- Be savvy about Open Access
- Discounts of article processing fees
Using Copyrighted Materials
Use of copyrighted materials in your teaching, learning and research activities (including theses, presentations, and manuscripts) are governed by a combination of the Copyright Act and licensing agreements with publishers.
Licenses signed by the library with various publishers supersede the Copyright Act allowances. Please contact the Health Sciences Library for guidance and clearance to use materials from our electronic collection.
For more information on the Canadian Copyright Act please visit Copyright - McMaster University.
