Following several conversations with students and post-docs this past year, it is clear that students and post-docs today are under a lot of pressure to publish in high impact journals. It is, however, important to recognise that this is not always possible. But, how can you make the best of your data and get your research seen? Associate Professor Heidi de Wet writes:
One of my papers The release of GLP-1 from gut L cells is inhibited by low extracellular pH is a great example of a small MSc by Research project that was turned into a lovely piece of novel data published as a brief report in a reputable, subject specific journal where it will be visible and referenced in the future. This project was an extension of a concluded DPhil project, and answered the very specific question of how the extracellular pH in the gut affects the release of the incretin gut hormone GLP-1. We teamed up with Professor Swietach’s group, who is an expert on measuring pH inside cells, and used methods already established in his laboratory to produce a solid body of data within the very limited time available for an MSc research project. The first author of the paper, Philippa Garbutt, competed successfully for a 4-year funded BHF PhD position at UCL. My advice would be if you are doing an MSc, make sure to get involved with a research project which has a clear question and is running within already established laboratory infrastructure.
A second recent paper I would like to highlight is The murine ATP-binding cassette transporter C5 (Abcc5/MRP5/cMOAT) plays a role in memory consolidation, circadian rhythm regulation and glutamatergic signalling, which was published in Translational Psychiatry. This was a highly novel piece of research, but mostly descriptive, and we knew we lacked the mechanistic data to justify publishing in a higher impact journal. At this point, we had to make a decision on working on this project for another year or two, or to publish what we have. The first author of this paper just started his first independent laboratory as a new PI, and with REF looming, it was in his best interest to publish this paper. This also allowed him to submit a grant application using this paper as a springboard. As a senior post-doc it is essential to have these difficult conversations with your PI so that you both can agree which part of your post-doctoral work you may take with you when you strike out on your own. I am not a neuroscientist, and was happy remain focussed on metabolism, and we will now be looking into the underlying molecular mechanisms of why Abcc5 ko mice are skinny (and Abcc4 ko mice are fat) in collaboration with the Klemm group, who has the techniques to address the mechanistic questions we are now asking. .
We cannot always publish where we would like to, and it is important to consider our career stage as well as the visibility of the paper (and ultimately if the paper will be referenced) when we put our data out there. Always involve your PIs in your career planning and professional development, and acknowledge the fact that you will sometimes have different pressures which will dictate where and when to publish your research.
