1. Submissions need to be relevant i.e. the subject matter and style of the article needs to be suitable for the journal/magazine/website and it’s readership.
2. When you’re thinking about publishing, know your motivations and know the market.
3. When picking your journal, consider the target audience (dentists, specific group of dentists, non-dentists), subject matter (research, clinical, practical, political) and other factors (speed, coverage and scope, ease of submission).
4. Once you’ve chosen where you’d like to be published, you need to adapt your style and write specifically for that publication. To find out what’s required, always check the instructions to authors document and look at recent issues.
5. To get published, you need to pass through the gates of the editor and then the reader. They are your customers. To pass through these stages, you need to consider the presentation, form, content and language of your piece.
6. Write a story – we all love reading stories! By creating a story and adding to it at each stage you’ll keep your reader engaged and interested.
7. The headline/title should tell you what you need to know about the story. The length of the title is important and it should be catchy or intriguing if possible. Form your title after writing your article.
8. Write your story with plain language and keep it succinct – there is no need to use flowery language, superlatives and lots of technical words.
9. Always publish ethically – do not plagiarise, never double submit the same paper, declare conflicts of interests and obtain permission to reproduce another person’s figures/tables.
10. Once you’re manuscript has been reviewed, don’t feel insulted by the reviewer’s comments. See this as an opportunity to improve and provide point-by-point responses. If you do not agree with any of the comments, just explain why.

General Dental,Young Dentists