# Can anyone with a valid and interesting experiment publish in a scientific journal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2011, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802 "2011-06-08T23:44:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/21 "2011-06-10T15:58:36Z")
Well there are journals out there that don’t require much in the way of “interesting”. Sub-Sub-Sub Topic Letters might want your paper to be interesting to the only two guys that work on a vaguely similar topic (in fact those guys will probably do the peer review). And now there’s PLoS One, which is specifically intended catch the non-interesting or negative results that can’t be published in the higher-tiered journals. As long as your research and analysis is sound enough, you can publish in PLoS one. And while “valid” is certainly arguable, well, part of the process is essentially an argument of validity between the authors and the reviewers. So it has to be “valid” enough to withstand at least some basic scrutiny. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/22 "2011-06-10T16:36:53Z")
> [@](#): > > The biggest problem with them was usually that they were solving a problem which had been solved ages ago. And even that can be publishable, if the new solution is simpler, or easier, or more elegant than the old one. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/23 "2011-06-10T18:57:26Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > It could happen in theory but there are practical reasons why it wouldn’t happen often in real-life. Even if you had a group of outstanding Ph.D. holders reincarnated as 8 year olds, they would have a hard time meeting the requirements of most types of studies including data collection methods, **ethics committee clearances** , having access to the accepted statistical analysis tools, and holding procedures for data. There is a lot of overhead and cost associated with the most mundane studies which the general public is usually shocked by when total costs are given for a study that seems pointless or obvious on the surface. It would be almost impossible for individuals to do human or other mammal experimental (not just free observational) studies and have it accepted into a well-respected journal just because of the red tape involved for example. Presumably, said layman trying to get published is not affiliated with any university, so he wouldn’t need ethics clearance as such. That having been said, obviously if he was unscrupulous with his research subjects, it may call his/her data into question, and without that university ethics clearance procedure, I suspect you’re opening yourself up to a lawsuit as an individual. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/24 "2011-06-10T19:16:31Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > [This group of eight-year-olds](http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/12/kids-study-bees/) in the UK published a peer-reviewed study on bees in the journal _Biology Letters_. And 9yo Emily Rosa [published one in JAMA.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Rosa) You can’t get more prestigious than [JAMA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_the_American_Medical_Association) in medicine. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/25 "2011-06-10T21:57:18Z")
It’s pretty easy in computer science. The overwhelming majority of papers submitted are authored by professional computer scientists, but pretty much any conference will have at least one paper submitted by an amateur, or somebody working in industry. In fact, it’s easy to name at least one “amateur” who is more famous in a subfield of CS than most professionals: [Oleg Kiselyov](http://okmij.org/ftp/). There’s a couple of reasons why this is so: computer science doesn’t really require any more equipment than a computer, pen and paper, the field’s so young that there’s open problems that are accessible to the interested amateur, and crucially, every computer scientist puts their publications on their website to be read for free (journals and proceedings publishers accommodate this). ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/26 "2011-06-10T23:04:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And even that can be publishable, if the new solution is simpler, or easier, or more elegant than the old one. [Or if it’s a standard method that would occur in a moment to someone in another field because it’s taught in any competent undergrad program.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=587659) (And then there are the journals which are actually incompetent rags, full of plagiarized or otherwise worthless research and sections of old phone books for all anyone else cares. Getting published in one of them shouldn’t be too difficult.) ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/27 "2011-06-11T00:33:55Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Were these for profit journals, or ad sponsored publications? No IEEE Computer Society Magazine or transactions pays (transactions want page charges) though Spectrum might. I have solicited papers for special issues I’ve edited, and the job of the program committee for many conferences is to solicit as well as review. They were industry publications, not professional society publications. I assume they probably did get ad revenue, but then doesn’t the IEEE magazine have adverts all through it? I know the ASME one does. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/28 "2011-06-11T00:45:44Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > They were industry publications, not professional society publications. I assume they probably did get ad revenue, but then doesn’t the IEEE magazine have adverts all through it? I know the ASME one does. Correct. It in fact determined most everything. When the ME and Spectrum magazines started losing perfect binding, you knew it was raining feces. Freelancers, stringers, sales reps got fired. Staff trips had to be actually taught for. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/29 "2011-06-12T00:08:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And even that can be publishable, if the new solution is simpler, or easier, or more elegant than the old one. These authors are usually not aware there has been a solution. Most papers have a previous work section, where previous solutions are described - not these. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802/30 "2011-06-12T00:10:59Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > They were industry publications, not professional society publications. I assume they probably did get ad revenue, but then doesn’t the IEEE magazine have adverts all through it? I know the ASME one does. I can assure you, the smaller ones run ads but not enough to pay the bills. Spectrum maybe. I’m not sure about the budget for Computer, which all Computer Society members get, like it or not. I used to be on the Ed Board, but it was a long time ago and I don’t remember money discussions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-with-a-valid-and-interesting-experiment-publish-in-a-scientific-journal/584802.md?page=1)