next-generation Features journals Publishing career development Partners

Advance Your Career & Publishing Skills with these Resources from Top Tier Journals

Over the course of the eSymposia season this year we hosted dozens of Meet-the-Editor panel discussions with representatives from leading journals including Cell Press, Nature Portfolio, Frontiers Journals, Rockefeller Press, EMBO, PLOS and more! 

In the dynamic discussions between editors and attendees, audiences learned insider tips on how to approach editors about publishing their work, how to write a good cover letter and abstract, how to deal with a negative review, and even how to become an editor themselves.  Amongst these insights, a number of online resources came up in conversation that provide trainees and early career scientists with guidance on publishing, career development and more.  This wealth of knowledge is freely accessible to the scientific community at large to help them achieve their career goals, and as such, we’d like to share these invaluable resources with broader audiences here.   

Outlining everything from how to interview for a PI position and starting a new lab, to how to review a paper and even starting off on a new career trajectory in science writing, explore the links below to forge your own journey of skills development and career advancement.

Launching a career in science is hard enough during normal circumstances, but in the midst of a pandemic can be fraught with many additional challenges.  JEM and JCB provide a number of advice columns on how to navigate and succeed in this new world.

PLOS provides an entire writing center resource on their website with articles on everything from how to write a good abstract to how to pick the right journal for your paper.  In addition, their resource for reviewers provides teaching tools and tips for those new to the reviewing process.

Check out EMBO's one-stop resource for an overview of courses taught by editors, including scientific skills training, laboratory leadership, scientific writing and presentation, and more.

https://youtu.be/4CDdxdLUCsw

Cell press provides a free Cell Mentor resource, designed to equip researchers at every level with the skills they need to perform successful experiments and further their careers. The resource page features various blogs on topics like improving gender diversity, launching a start-up and other mentorship advice. In addition, Cell Mentor handbooks focus on particular topics of interest from becoming a peer reviewer to how to approach a scientific conference.

Nature provides a a variety of resources including blogs, webinars, podcasts and courses to help you point your career in the right direction, through their Nature Careers initiative. Explore the links below to discover a wide range of career development advice, from how to give a compelling research talk, to how to secure funding and more! You might also want to investigate their master classes, if you can get your PI or institution to pay for it

See below for Frontiers efforts to champion open science platforms, and tips for preparing your manuscript for submission, how to peer review and becoming an editor for Frontiers.

    Shannon Weiman
    Shannon Weiman earned her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, San Diego, specializing in microbiology and immunology. Prior to joining the Keystone Symposia team, she worked as a freelance writer for leaders in academic, industry and government research, including Stanford University’s Biomedical Innovation Initiative, the University of Colorado’s Biofrontiers Program, UCSF, the FDA and the American Society for Microbiology.