Research articles in English: what should be considered before submitting a manuscript

The author of this compact essay and also of a book on the same topic [1] has always realized that the successful submission of manuscripts to English–language journals invariably requires not only good English but also a high level of research and—in my compatriots’ view—a very special style in which the results should be presented. These prerequisites for successful submission are indispensable, because an editorial board will flatly reject as unreliable even the most interesting results if they are vague, poorly substantiated, and/or the manuscript is incomprehensible. In this study, these three pre-requisites—the level of the results, style of content presentation, and language—will be considered in relation to research articles (RA) intended for submission to English–language journals. Special attention will be paid to the clear differences—despite globalization—in mentalities between Russian scientists and those originating from English-speaking environments, which will both facilitate success and alleviate the sense of bitterness amongst Russian scientists in the case of refusal by encouraging the researcher to adopt the appropriate method in subsequent efforts. Regardless of nationality, the potential contributor to a given journal should clearly understand that when submitting an RA manuscript, the author must either adhere to the journal’s standards or not waste his/her efforts. As the Russian proverb states: “Nobody goes to another monastery with one's own charter.” For convenience, the term author will be used hereafter to denote either a single person, tandem authors, or a team of researchers united by the aim of submitting an RA manuscript—this one included—to an English–language journal.