Publishing science research - where, why and how?

In 2004, the editors of the seven science journals published by the Society took an opinion survey of current authors to find out where authors choose to publish the results of their research and the reasons why. As well, opinions were sought on the current use of electronic publishing. Approximately 100 responses were received. The responses, as listed below, indicate the majority of opinions in rough order of importance. Our thanks to all respondents.

Three general questions were asked:

1. What factors do you consider when deciding where to submit your work?

Are the NZ journals necessary, or do NZ scientists submit their work successfully to journals anywhere overseas? Are overseas journals preferred to local ones, or vice versa? How do the NZ journals compare with overseas ones in terms of quality and content?

Responses :

• Journals are chosen on basis of subject matter and audience

• Journals must have prestige and enhance the reputation of the author

• Journals must be peer-reviewed

• Readership and distribution are important

• Journals must have good times to publicaton

• Cost is important: authors avoid journals with high page charges

• Authors avoid poor quality journals - the reputation of the journal and its impact factor are important considerations

• Journals must have good layout and print quality

Comment

Most authors agree that the Society's journals are important for their relevance to NZ or regional work and are considered indispensible for the publication of local science. They are of good quality, have rigourous international refereeing, perform well, are generalist in content, and do not have high page charges. Conversely, some favoured overseas journals have more prestige and enhance authors' reputation to a greater degree because of their wider audience. They may publish more specialised papers but quality and performance are considered by a number of authors to be poorer than those of the Society's journals.

2. Is there institutional pressure to publish overseas?

To what extent do peers, research institutions, or funding bodies affect the choice of where to publish? The common perception is that promotions rely heavily on one's international publishing record: does this influence one's choice? Do overseas journals publish better science?

Responses :

• Usually there is no overt pressure on authors to publish overseas but it does improve one's status and chances of promotion. This is true both here and in Australia.

• There is an increasing trend to use impact factors to assess the quality of a journal.

• Some institutions will not support publication in journals that have high page charges.

• Some overseas journals are regarded as "local journals" for their region (e.g., Europe); these journals may refuse NZ papers because they are not relevant - thus, rejection is not based on the quality of the work.

Comment :

Nearly all would agree that publishing overseas, especially in internationally respected journals such as Nature or Science , does carry greater "mana" for both individuals and institutions. However, some authors admit to a certain "snob" factor here. Although there is a general perception that "overseas" = "quality", many authors admit that some good papers are rejected from overseas journals usually because they are considered to be too regional in focus or not the "flavour of the month". Thus, the rejection is not based on the quality of the work. NZ journals are considered by most authors who commented to publish work of as good or better quality as any other overseas journal. Funding bodies can rely too heavily on impact factors alone, without being sufficiently aware of the true implications of these as they relate to the various types of journal (e.g., small regional journals versus large international ones) and to the type of material that they publish (e.g., hot generic topics versus local taxonomy): the impact factor of local journals will never be able to match that of the biggest international journals because of their relative size and audience. Cost of publication will also influence where an author submits, as some universities will not pay page charges.

3. Preference for print or electronic journals?

The international trend is for journals to publish online. Is this the way of the future? Should the Society journals publish online, and if so, to what extent? Do scientists want online publishing? Do they favour it over traditional print journals, or is there a place for both?

Responses :

• Overwhelmingly, authors prefer to use printed journals because they are more convenient and pleasurable to use, have better quality, are aesthetically more pleasing, are indexed, and are a requirement for publication of botanical and zoological nomenclature.

• Authors see value in e-journals for search and archival use. CDs are a good archival tool.

• E-journals are seen as a useful complement to printed journals.

• Libraries prefer subscribing to e-journals.

• Cost for both authors and libraries is one determinant for choice

• E-journals can be frustrating to use, expensive to print out, and articles are difficult to catalogue, reference, and store.

Comments :

Most authors prefer printed journals as a permanent record and for ease of use. However, they also acknowledge the advantages that e-journals can provide and they would generally be happy to subscribe to both forms if the cost of subscription was acceptable. Electronic-only journals are not considered to be an option for the Society journals. A dual system will have the advantages of better international access and citation to NZ journals, decreased publication time of individual papers, and a new, potentially increased subscriber base. Electronic access is a significant "add on" to printed journals.

Conclusions

Two points came out of the survey that will be of use to the Society in developing its future publishing business:

1. There is no substitute for the NZ journals for publishing the results of NZ research.
2. Electronic journals alone can not replace publication of the Society's printed journals.