Page 107 - How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 8th Edition 8th Edition

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to remind you to save or to save automatically. If the computer crashes, you will lose only a little of your work. At the
end of a writing session, make sure you back up your work. Save it on a floppy disk or on a Syquest or Zip cartridge.
Be sure to save your file by a name and in a folder or directory that is unique so you can find it again easily. This
procedure is particularly important if you are sharing a computer with others. If you are new to computers, check out
the manual that came with the machine for document-naming conventions.

Occasionally, you may want to keep two different drafts of your paper because you like both versions and are still not
sure which one you want to follow. You can save two or more separate versions, as long as the file name for each is
different. Remember, file names are for your benefit and ease of use. For instance, if I name the first version of my
manuscript DAY1, the second version can simply be named DAY2. The main thing is to name your files so that you
can remember what they refer to. When looking for your file, another helpful feature with both Macintosh and
Windows is the ability to see the creation date and time of your file. If you are looking for the most recent version and
don't remember the name you gave it, refer to the creation date and time.

When you are ready to edit a hard-copy version of your paper, print it out. These printouts can be made at lower
resolution, if you do not have immediate access to a high-resolution printer. When you submit your paper to a journal,
it should be done on at least a 300-dpi printer. Smeary copy or low-resolution inkjet or dot-matrix quality is not
acceptable. As mentioned above, most journals prefer that artwork, including charts and tables, be laser quality,
printed at 600 dpi or better.

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Storing Frequently Used Text for Repeated Use

A great time saver when writing your electronic document is the ability to store frequently used text as boilerplate. In
Word, expressions are stored in the Word Glossary and associated with a short reference name to call up the complete
word or phrase. In WordPerfect, a stored expression is accessed by a macro keyboard command with a similar short
reference name.

Abbreviations and acronyms can also be stored for repeated use. If you wish to catalog abbreviations with their full
name, use the Glossary in Word. When you choose the term from the Glossary menu, or press the keyboard character
access, the full expression will be placed in your file automatically, wherever you have placed the cursor. If you have
stored the expression as a macro in WordPerfect, use the macro keyboard command. Refer to your user manual for
more complete instructions on how to use this facility.
Electronic Transmittal of a Document

Most journals will accept your document (tabular material may be excluded) on a floppy disk or other disk media,
such as Syquest or Zip cartridges. Journals also require three to five hardcopies of the manuscript to accompany the
electronic version. All correspondence with a journal, including the disk and all hard-copy sheets, should be labeled
with the corresponding author's initials and last name. You should also state whether the disk is for Macintosh or
Windows, what software you have used, and the version. In addition, supply a hardcopy printout of the files stored on
your disk or cartridge, with a description of what each file contains.

Submitting an Electronic Abstract

Associations these days often ask for abstracts of papers before the paper itself is submitted for a conference. Many
organizations will accept the abstract as simple hardcopy or in an electronic disk version. Other associations may
require that the author insert typesetting codes to speed up the process. The American Society for Microbiology
<http://www.asmusa.org>, when asking members for abstracts for a recent

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