To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Henan University of Technology (HAUT) and to promote academic paper writing and publication among faculty and students, the College of Environmental Engineering of Henan University of Technology and Henan International Joint Laboratory of Environmental Pollution, Remediation and Grain Quality Safety invited Dr. Rafal Marszalek, Editor-in-Chief of Scientific Reports, and Dr. Wang Junxia, Senior Editor of Scientific Reports, to give an academic report titled "How to get published at Nature Portfolio - An editorial view from Scientific Reports" in Meeting Room 9237, Weixin Building, on the afternoon of October 19. The report introduced the journal's submission and peer-review procedures as well as paper-writing standards. The seminar was chaired by Professor Li Liping of the College of Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Zhang Liangbo, Vice Dean of the College, delivered a welcome address. The seminar lasted for about two hours, about 50 faculty members and graduate students from the College of Environmental Engineering and other colleges attended the seminar.

During their talks, Drs. Marszalek and Wang provided a systematic overview of the manuscript editorial review system at Scientific Reports, explaining the initial review process and core evaluation criteria. From topic positioning and article framework development to compliant chart and figure preparation and cover letter writing techniques, they meticulously broke down the key points of the entire high-quality manuscript submission process. Drawing on research paper writing practices, they elaborated one by one on the key writing points for sections including the title, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, and results and discussion. The presentation also explored the reasonable application of AI tools in paper writing, clarified the boundaries between such use and academic ethics, and explained Nature Portfolio's policy requirements and editorial review standards regarding academic ethics, raw data sharing, and authorship norms.

After the talk, the two editors answered questions from the audience, and the attending faculty and students responded enthusiastically. The seminar provided useful guidance for faculty and students of the College to gain a deeper understanding of international journal submission standards and to improve their academic paper writing.

(Written by: Li Liping; Photos by: Zhang Yuying and Dong Hao; Reviewed by: Zhang Liangbo; Approved by: Wan Dongjin)

At the seminar

A group photo after the event