In this Q&A interview, get to know Prashant Kamat, the John A. Zahm Professor of Science in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Radiation Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame and one of the Co-Editors of the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication.
What is your area of research?
For more than three decades, our research has helped to build bridges between physical chemistry and materials science by developing nanomaterials and light-harvesting assemblies that promise cleaner and more efficient light energy conversion. Our research aims to provide a fundamental understanding of light-induced processes in hybrid assemblies and identify strategies to improve the efficiency of solar cells and optoelectronic devices.
What was your reason for working on the new ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication?
I have been working with ACS Publications Journals as an Editor/Editor-in-Chief since 2003. I have seen tens of thousands of submissions, many of which were rejected because of poor composition, flawed graphics, or failure to meet the journal scope. Along with other editors, I have written several editorials highlighting the important aspects of scientific publications and making the article scientifically effective. To work on the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication is an excellent opportunity to communicate these points to the broader scientific community.
What are you most excited about with the new ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication?
It is important to communicate with authors about composing a scientific article effectively and thus train the next generation of scientists. The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication is a great opportunity to work with other experts in completing a project that will be useful to our scientific community.
Why is the new ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication so important to their industry?
Being in academia, we educate undergraduate and graduates by providing them a platform to conduct research. Many of them will write their first scientific paper during this period. The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication will offer a good reference to composing a manuscript with minimum flaws.
What one piece of advice would you give for young chemists?
Please pay attention to each element of a scientific article while you are writing. Refer to the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication for the useful tips while composing your next manuscript with an attractive title, good graphics, and a well-rounded discussion of the results.
Why would someone in your academic research benefit from access to the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication?
The way we communicate scientific results has changed over the years. New features such as open access, preprints, TOC graphics, etc. have been introduced in the publication domain in recent years. This guide will provide you all the necessary information to prepare a research article and stay ahead of the competition.