Thread by @ButlerKaycie

It sucks when your science is rejected from top journals

It sucks more when your results are high impact but the editor couldnt see it

Helping publish >250 papers in 5yrs, I found that the addition of 1 sentence reduces desk rejects at top journals

Learn how🧵
#AcademicChatter

1/ If the editor isn’t in your field, they likely don’t know the “so what” behind your work.

Meaning they likely don’t know why it is being done and why they should care.

But how do we fix that?

For this we need to add ONE sentence in two key places: the INTRO and ABSTRACT

2/ In your INTRODUCTION:

1. Notice the movement of the scope of this INTRO (darkest color = broadest scope)

-> the scope is broadest at the beginning and narrows as you go down.

EXCEPT for the last sentence, which is back to the broadest scope.

Why?

3/This last sentence plays a key role in your intro!

It tells the reader “so what” and “why” this work deserves to be published!

This one sentence brings the intro full circle and shows the reader how the work fits into the GAPS or issues mentioned at the beginning of the intro

4/ In this final sentence of the introduction, you show:

HOW your work affected the field you introduced.

When stated directly and clearly, this is a DIRECT statement of the IMPORTANCE of this work.

i.e., WHY it should be PUBLISHED / FUNDED

5/ Save this infographic showing exactly how to do this in your own introduction:

6/ Now in your abstract:

Notice when colored:

1. The abstract ends in one sentence that is purple – representing similarity to the conclusion of the paper.

2. How similar this sentence is to the last one of the introduction

→ Very similar (often almost the same!)

7/Diagnose it in your paper/grant

Did you include sufficient importance in ABSTRACT and INTRODUCTION?

Based on my color technique,
let’s check out an abstract to see what it looks like when we don't have sufficient impact/importance.

8/ Insufficient important in the ABSTRACT:

This abstract has no final sentence –

read this compared to the previous to see how it changes without a final statement

Because here’s where you want to tell the reader exactly why your work is important!

Same for introduction!

9/ Understand the power of impact statements:

If you’re missing this final sentence, the reader is missing

→ The story related full circle – HOW does your work affect the field?

→ The consequent reminder of WHY this work is important and deserves to be published/funded

10/ Save this infographic for a quick reference guide for adding the importance to your abstract.

11/If you need more information:

I spelled this all out in this super detailed blog post with lots of images and examples to show you just what I mean:

butlerscicomm.com/what-to-do-whe…

12/ Or better yet, check out my YouTube video, showing why this is such a huge issue:



Subscribe to my channel to make sure you get the new video about EXACTLY how to include this one-sentence impact statement in your papers and grants.

-> coming Friday!