Authors' Submission Toolkit: A practical guide to getting your research published

Biomedical journals and the pharmaceutical industry share the goals of enhancing transparency and expanding access to peer-reviewed research; both industries have recently instituted new policies and guidelines to effect this change. However, while increasing transparency may elevate standards and bring benefits to readers, it will drive a significant increase in manuscript volume, posing challenges to both the journals and industry sponsors. As a result, there is a need to: (1) increase efficiency in the submission process to accommodate the rising manuscript volume and reduce the resource demands on journals, peer reviewers, and authors; and (2) identify suitable venues to publish this research. These shared goals can only be accomplished through close collaboration among stakeholders in the process. In an effort to foster mutual collaboration, members of the pharmaceutical industry and the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals founded a unique collaborative venture in 2008 - the Medical Publishing Insights and Practices initiative (MPIP). At an MPIP roundtable meeting in September 2009, journal editors, publishers and industry representatives identified and prioritized opportunities to streamline the submission process and requirements, and to support prompt publication and dissemination of clinical trial results in the face of increasing manuscript volume. Journal and sponsor participants agreed that more author education on manuscript preparation and submission was needed to increase efficiency and enhance quality and transparency in the publication of industry-sponsored research. They suggested an authors' guide to help bridge the gap between author practices and editor expectations. To address this unmet educational need, MPIP supported development of an Authors' Submission Toolkit to compile best practices in the preparation and submission of manuscripts describing sponsored research. The Toolkit represents a unique collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry and biomedical journals, and reflects both groups' perspectives on how authors can help raise standards and increase efficiency in publishing industry-sponsored studies. The information provided in the toolkit can be useful to help authors navigate the manuscript preparation and submission process, and should improve the quality and timeliness of publications.