Keeping the wheels of peer review turning

Each year, as Co-Editors, we are asked to speak to groups, usually comprising early career scientists, about what makes a good scientific paper. This year we were pleased to be able to speak on the topic at the Royal Australian Chemical Industry Centenary Celebrations in Melbourne. This was an ideal opportunity to remind prospective authors of the pitfalls that can occur when preparing a paper for submission to the Journal, based on our experiences here at JSFA.[1] There are also many helpful resources out there, not only on the mechanics of writing a paper,[2] but also pieces on common reasons for acceptance or rejection.[3, 4]