Nature Masterclasses Brochure

Training in Scientific Writing and Publishing
With Nature Masterclasses, researchers learn from Nature journal editors

how to turn great science into great papers
CONTENTS
Introduction
Online Training
3&4
Webinar Training
Face-To-Face Training
6&7
Contact Us
masterclasses.nature.com
INTRODUCTION
THE NEED FOR TRAINING

The importance of publication
Informal training is not enough
A solution
Publication is important for developing

the careers and academic reputations
of researchers, for raising an institutions
profile, and for ensuring that scientific
ideas reach the people they need to
reach.
To ensure that researchers papers are

read by the most appropriate people
and have impact, its important that
researchers understand how to write
effectively and how the publishing
process works.
Nature Masterclasses was developed in

response to the need for more professional
training. It started in 2011 as face-to-face
training sessions held at institutions,
followed by online training in 2015.
But getting published in a top tier

journal can be competitive. The number
of researchers has been growing
steadily by 4-5% per year, yet the
average acceptance rate at scientific
journals is only around 50%.1
However, in a recent Current Science

survey2:
59% of post-doctoral researchers
said they do not have well-developed
writing skills
54% said they receive only informal
training from thesis mentors
12% said they receive no training at all
Informal training can be of variable
quality and result in a large workload
for senior staff.
59%
of post-doctoral researchers
feel they do not have welldeveloped writing skills
54%
receive only informal training

from thesis mentor
12%
receive no training at all.
INTRODUCING NATURE MASTERCLASSES
Nature Masterclasses online and

face-to-face training is aimed at
researchers of all levels, in the natural
sciences. The training is delivered
by editors from the Nature series of
journals, giving researchers a firsthand insight into publishing at top
tier journals.
Key skills and career development

for researchers
Refine writing skills and build
confidence in writing for a top
tier journal
Gain clarity on the editorial
processes at top journals, often
seen as a black box
Find out the best ways of working
with editors when submitting a paper
or completing a review
Outcomes for institutions

Support the professional
development of your researchers
Help improve the quality of your
scientific publication output
Show your commitment to high
quality research
Save staff time on mentoring and
reviewing researchers papers
Learn about issues such as the

reproducibility of research and
using research metrics responsibly
Ware M, Mabe M. (2015). The STM report. An overview of scientific

and scholarly journal publishing
Glew R, Challa A, Gopalan V. (2014). Training in scientific

manuscript writing. Current Science, 107(9), 1386-1392
ONLINE TRAINING
ONLINE TRAINING
Our online course takes researchers through the entire publishing process, from writing a paper to publication.
15 MODULES, ~24 HOURS LEARNING TIME

PLANNING/WRITING
SUBMITTING
PUBLISHING
Data Management
Module time: 1 hour
Data Presentation
Module time: 3 hours
Writing a Review
Module time: 1 hour
How to collect and manage your data, and what to

look for when storing and publishing it
How to design clear and informative figures and

tables
Tips on writing an objective and balanced review

paper
What Makes a Great Paper

Module time: 2.5 hours
Selecting a Journal for Publication

Module time: 1 hour
Understanding Peer Review

What top tier journal editors look for in a paper
Which criteria to consider when choosing a journal

to submit to
An overview of peer review, writing rebuttal letters

and how to be a good reviewer yourself
Elements of Writing Style

Module time: 1 hour
Submitting Your Paper

Module time: 1 hour
Authorship and Authors Responsibilities

The golden rules of writing and structuring the

text in your paper
Submission procedures, making a case to editors,

and cover letter tips
The contributing criteria for authorship and the

responsibilities of an author
Titles and Abstracts

The Editorial Process

Module time: 1 hour
Plagiarism and Other Ethical Issues

How to coax your target audience from the title

to the paper itself
An overview of editorial processes at top tier

journals
Why misconduct happens, what it looks like and

what to do about it
From Introduction to Conclusions

Journal Decisions
Measuring Impact
A section-by-section guide to making the most of

the main text
Guidelines to follow after a paper is accepted or

requires revision, and dealing with rejection
An overview of research metrics for research and

researchers
EDITORS FROM THE NATURE JOURNALS

The course is delivered by over
30 editors from over 20 of the
Nature journals.
Researchers can watch over 170 videos

with the editors, giving them a first-hand
insight into publishing at top-tier journals.
Plus, all the course content has been

peer-reviewed by Nature journal editors.
It is particularly useful to get some insight from

the editors themselves about their favorite papers
and why.
For me the whole experience made Nature more
approachable and broke the taboo of Ill never
publish in Nature.
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
Tanguy Chouard, Senior Editor at Nature,

introducing An exemplary paper from Nature
ONLINE TRAINING
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
Designed for busy researchers
Interactive
Networking
The course is made up of bitesize videos and activities, enabling

researchers to choose their own path
thorough the training and learn at their
own pace.
Activities, such as multiple-choice

questions and pairing games,
encourage engagement and
critical thinking.
Researchers become part of an online

Community, allowing them to network
with peers internationally.
Researchers can complete the training

systematically, completing each module
in order, or they can watch individual
videos and complete individual activities
of their choosing whether thats using
a spare 5 minutes in the lab, or for
writing a specific section of a paper.
Researchers can put questions directly

to the editors in the Ask Our Editors
section.
Researchers can ask editors questions directly
The bite-size videos, activities and posts have been designed for time-poor researchers
Researchers can create their own profile
WEBINAR TRAINING
WEBINAR TRAINING
Our scientific writing and publishing
webinars enable peer learning
and provide an opportunity for
interaction with Nature journal
editors in real time. They can also
increase researcher engagement
with the online course (when the
webinars and course are combined
in a training package).
The webinars are available to
institutions, for up to 100 of their
researchers at a time. Each webinar
lasts approximately 90 minutes and is
led by two experienced science editors,
including at least one editor from a
Nature journal.
Interactive
Tailored
Participants will work through

examples, and have the opportunity
to interact with editors throughout
the webinar. They will also share
their experience with their peers by
participating in polls and Q&A sessions.
The webinars are tailored to the

disciplines and publishing experience of
the researchers taking part.
The presenters are matched as closely
as possible to the research interests
of the attendees and the editors use
discipline-specific examples such as
exemplary papers, guidelines for figures
and writing tips.
From a webinar Think like an Editor!, where researchers learn to see their paper from the perspective of editors, readers and reviewers
FACE-TO-FACE TRAINING
Our face-to-face masterclasses in
scientific writing and publishing
have been running since 2011. They
are available to public and private
institutions globally to host on-site.
Host institutions are encouraged to
invite 25 of their researchers1 and can
request a one-, two-, or three-day
masterclass.
The one-on-one tuition

for my abstract was a
great opportunity.
SHANGHAI TUMOR HOSPITAL
Nature journal editors
Interactive
Each masterclass is presented by two

experienced science editors, with
at least one of the editors from a
Nature journal.
The masterclasses are conducted as

interactive workshops based around
real examples. Short lectures are
interspersed with activities, group
discussions and Q&A with the editors.
Every researcher receives one-onone interaction with the editors. They

are also able to discuss their own draft
abstract with an editor in detail, to help
them understand its strengths and
weaknesses. This helps reinforce the
themes that are developed in the rest of
the masterclass.
Everyone that takes

this workshop will walk
away having learned
something new.
THE UNIVERSITY OF
NEW SOUTH WALES
A really worthwhile
investment in time for
anyone planning to
publish, irrespective of
discipline or previous
authoring experience.
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY, UK
Seminar-style masterclasses are available for groups of up to 100

researchers on request.
As well as these sponsored masterclasses, we offer open

masterclasses: hosted at one institution and open to individuals
from different institutions.
TAILORED
Each masterclass is customized to the sponsor institution.
Discipline
Publishing experience
The editors who lead the masterclass

are matched as much as possible
to the discipline of the researchers
taking part. The editors also use
relevant exemplary papers and tips for
manuscript writing and structure.
Participants at a similar career level

typically have similar interests and
questions, which means that they
enjoy the masterclass more.
Participants tend to benefit more from

the masterclass if they all work within
the same broad area of research.
For researchers with minimal writing and

publishing experience, the masterclass
can be tailored to focus on the basics of
preparing and writing a paper.
For researchers with more experience

- for example, post-doctorate
researchers and faculty staff the
masterclass can focus on the finer
details of publishing.
However, a mixture of experience can
work well if the participants all work within
the same discipline, as attendees are
encouraged to share their writing and
publishing experiences with the group.
SAMPLE ONE-DAY MASTERCLASS

The agenda is put together based on the institutions needs. For a 1-day masterclass we recommend 6-8 modules,
which will be covered in short lectures, and 2-4 activities.
Editors include real examples

from Nature journals
09:00
09.15
10:00
10:30
11.15
11:45
12:00
12:45
13.00
14.00
Researchers discuss their own

abstracts with editors
The breaks provide a good
opportunity for researchers to
network with the edtiors and
other scientists at the institution
14:45
15:15
15.30
16.00
16:45
Welcome
What Makes a Great Paper
What top-tier journal editors look for in a manuscript, with examples
from Nature publications
Activity 1: Youre the editor!
Data Presentation
Choosing an appropriate format for your data and best practices
Activity 2: Displaying data
Break
Elements of Writing Style
Golden rules of writing and structuring the text in your paper
Q&A with the editors
Lunch
Titles and Abstracts
Creating an engaging title, what to avoid, plus abstract templates you
can apply to your own writing
Activity 3: A review of participants abstracts and titles
(provided in advance)
Break
From Introduction to Conclusion
What to include in (and exclude from) each section, common pitfalls,
and how to create a narrative flow
The Editorial Process and Peer Review
What happens to papers once theyve been submitted, and a crash
course in peer review
Recap and Q&A with the editors
CONTACT US
REQUEST TRAINING
Request training for your department or institution. Choose one training option or combine options.
Online training
Webinar training
Face-to-face training
Annual Subscriptions
Format
Format
Lab subscriptions for 5+ researchers
Up to 100 researchers
Approximately 25 researchers
Institution-wide subscriptions by IP range
Approximately 1.5 hours
One-, two- or three-day, on-site

at your institution
Support
Subscription support
Usage reports
Promotional resources to drive usage
Dedicated account support
Resources to drive and capture

researcher registration
Support
A post-webinar engagement and

enjoyment report
Workbooks and certificates of

achievement for all participants
A comprehensive report after

the masterclass, including
participant feedback
The online and webinar training is currently available in Europe and North America only
CONTACT US
AMERICAS
EMEA
ASIA/PACIFIC RIM
New York
Nicole Brand
+1 (212) 726 9267
[email protected]
Dubai
Jon Giuliani
+971 558 593 255
[email protected]
Shanghai
Janet Cen
+86 21 2422 5025
[email protected]
Tokyo
Ikuko Oba
+81 (0)3 4577 9842
[email protected]
Neil Macmillan
+1 (212) 726 9689
[email protected]
London
Rory Mulkerrins
+44 (0) 20 7418 5951
[email protected]
Stella Yan
+86 21 2422 5018
[email protected]
Tommy Yim
+81 (0)3 4577 9843
[email protected]
Beijing
Ruby Han
+86 138 1079 2730
[email protected]
Sydney
Helen Hill
+61 427 858 567
[email protected]
Joffrey Planchard
+44 (0) 207 843 4937
[email protected]
Alternatively, email [email protected]

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Training in Scientific Writing and Publishing

With Nature Masterclasses, researchers learn from Nature journal editors

THE NEED FOR TRAINING

Informal training is not enough

Publication is important for developing

To ensure that researchers papers are

Nature Masterclasses was developed in

But getting published in a top tier

However, in a recent Current Science

receive only informal training

receive no training at all.

INTRODUCING NATURE MASTERCLASSES

Nature Masterclasses online and

Key skills and career development

Outcomes for institutions

Learn about issues such as the

Ware M, Mabe M. (2015). The STM report. An overview of scientific

Glew R, Challa A, Gopalan V. (2014). Training in scientific

15 MODULES, ~24 HOURS LEARNING TIME

How to collect and manage your data, and what to

How to design clear and informative figures and

Tips on writing an objective and balanced review

What Makes a Great Paper

Selecting a Journal for Publication

Understanding Peer Review

What top tier journal editors look for in a paper

Which criteria to consider when choosing a journal

An overview of peer review, writing rebuttal letters

Elements of Writing Style

Submitting Your Paper

Authorship and Authors Responsibilities

The golden rules of writing and structuring the

Submission procedures, making a case to editors,

The contributing criteria for authorship and the

Titles and Abstracts

The Editorial Process

Plagiarism and Other Ethical Issues

How to coax your target audience from the title

An overview of editorial processes at top tier

Why misconduct happens, what it looks like and

From Introduction to Conclusions

A section-by-section guide to making the most of

Guidelines to follow after a paper is accepted or

An overview of research metrics for research and

EDITORS FROM THE NATURE JOURNALS

Researchers can watch over 170 videos

Plus, all the course content has been

It is particularly useful to get some insight from

Tanguy Chouard, Senior Editor at Nature,

Designed for busy researchers

The course is made up of bitesize videos and activities, enabling

Activities, such as multiple-choice

Researchers become part of an online

Researchers can complete the training

Researchers can put questions directly

Researchers can ask editors questions directly

Researchers can create their own profile

Participants will work through

The webinars are tailored to the