How to produce an effective manuscript: further perspectives from the Editors-in-Chief of Soil Biology and Biochemistry

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Preface

Soil Biology and Biochemistry is a specialist primary research journal. As such, it can be assumed that the majority of the readership will have an intermediate to expert level of knowledge of the discipline in broad terms, and almost certainly have deep knowledge and expertise in specific areas. The storyline of papers should allow for this.We repeat the aims and scope of the journal here verbatim because they are so fundamental to the development of an effective paper:

Soil Biology and

Follow the Guide for Authors to the letter

These instructions¹ must be followed, for a reason. Manuscripts which are structured and formatted consistently ease the assessment and publishing process. Prescribed styles that are coherent within journals make it easier for editors and reviewers to locate, assimilate and interpret the different aspects of a submission. Anomalies and obfuscations are then easier to detect. The assessors can then be

Conclusions

Many of the manuscripts we see – and hence reject on preliminary assessment – are more akin to basic reports than insightful scientific research papers. That is, they involve a general and rather superficial introduction; set bland pseudo-hypotheses; laboriously present the results of the study; but then fail to use those results to answer a deeper or more fundamental question. They are typically limited to the specific context of the particular time, place or experimental treatment. Soil