PROs and Cons of Writing an IJSEM Paper

While writing my paper it has certainly been a unique experience unlike any papers I have wrote in past semesters. Prior scientific papers I have completed were certainly more open in format and materials covered. Taking Biology 3116 Advanced Microbiology Lab with Dr. Sullivan provided a good background to fall back on to, but the amount of information covered in those papers pales in comparison to the information an IJSEM paper covers.
The CONs of an IJSEM paper are hard to say with such limited experience in authoring one. The format of the paper was certainly a difficult task to grasp. The information provided on the IJSEM website helped some, but it is difficult to deviate from prior experience and habits gained from writing other papers in previous biology lectures. The placement and alignment of figures, graphs, and other various aspects of the paper was difficult to accomplish. Another CON is the way to annotate the cited literature; this has been a common problem in other classes because there are multiple forms of citation. From the first semester at LSU on, I have encountered multiple ways to cite literature used in my essays and after awhile it becomes confusing on what and which information goes where when citing. My lack of experience in writing an IJSEM paper made it difficult to understand what needs to be in a paper pertaining to characterization of a new species. It was pretty difficult to decide what data goes where and what data I needed to include. Another con would be the chemotaxonomy section, since we preformed none of these tests; I found it very difficult to pick and choose what should go in it. It shear task of “going out on a limb” on deciding what to write about also made this a difficult paper to author.
The PROs of an IJSEM paper are also hard to say with minor experience in authoring one. After observing the IJSEM literature provided by Dr. Rainey it becomes clear that the data is presented in a format that is easy to read through. The format of the papers makes it easy to flip through and makes the data easy to understand. Another PRO would be that this paper is giving me experience in what it takes to write an article for a journal submission. If I was to pursue a research career, experience in journal acquisition/ submission would be a necessary requirement. I also gained a better insight into the amount of time and effort that each author puts into his/her work to be published.
Overall, this paper has made me a better researcher in my opinion. The experience gained by this task is invaluable to the process of seeking out my future profession.