The GSA team welcomes Vincent Price, PhD, as the new Early Career Leadership Program Editor! Vincent is a talented editor with years of experience under his belt as a consultant and published author, alongside a number of years teaching English and French at secondary and post-secondary levels.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and your career trajectory? 

I was born and raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi—a city that people know because of its role in the American Civil War or because they drive through it on their way to a more exciting location. My two older sisters and I were raised by our mother in a literate environment. In just about every room you entered, there was a bookshelf spilling over with books or word games. From my mom’s attention to detail and presentation to the multiple educators in the family, we were raised to represent ourselves and our people well in whatever we do. I took to enjoying words and writing, eventually becoming an English teacher. With my BA in English, I spent five years teaching English and French in my hometown, and I even took a few students abroad to see the world beyond Mississippi. 

Representation was important to me, and my five years of teaching showed me that African American literary representation could be stronger in the English classroom. So, I entered graduate school determined to find a way of bringing more African American literature into the classroom. Through the pursuit of my master’s and doctoral degrees, I grew as a thinker, teacher, and writer. My perspectives on teaching and writing shifted, thereby evolving how I approached them. After graduate school, I was both a classroom teacher and a copy editor/writing consultant, encouraging others to read like writers and write with the reader in mind. I’m currently an assistant professor at the University of Central Arkansas where I train future educators to enter the classroom. My editing business, which started during my doctoral journey, has expanded to offer multiple avenues of quality writing support to graduate students and professionals. Now, between my role as a scholar and a writing consultant, I’m finding fantastic opportunities to sharpen my writing for publication and help others do the same.

What are you most looking forward to working on in your new role?

Writing makes me smile. Talking about writing makes me smile even more. It’s my zone. Therefore, when I’m in a position where I get to discuss writing with others, what could be better? The teacher in me is looking forward to showing others how to strengthen their writing and have fun while doing it. I’m looking forward to the smiles of burgeoning confidence and the moments of newfound clarity from the members I’ll be working with. (And yes, I ended the sentence with an infinitive!)

What about teaching writing and editing do you find most inspiring?

I entered into the editing/writing consulting business partly because I realized that some people lack confidence in their writing. Producing strong writing isn’t beyond them; they simply need support. Some folks even need the “okay” to break the limiting “rules” that they learned in school. I enjoy watching the confidence grow in writers. With each piece of writing, they become stronger not only in how they express themselves on paper but also in how proud they are of their growth and accomplishments.

What’s one piece of advice every early career scientist should hear?

Don’t be afraid to experiment in your writing. If you never try new things, your writing won’t grow. So as you read, read like a writer by paying attention to what other writers do. That way, you can then try it out for yourself.

What would surprise your undergraduate self about your career path so far?

“What?! You’re not still teaching in high school?! What?! You’re a published author?! WHAT?! And you have your own business where you get PAID to edit?!” My undergraduate self then faints.

How have your mentors played a role in your career journey?

Multiple people in my life have spoken me into where I am now. From family members and friends to teachers, professors, and colleagues, folks have encouraged me to keep going and to keep pushing the limit. I oftentimes did not see what they saw, but ended up right where they said I would be. I not only am grateful for what they saw and still see. I welcome it.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the longevity of my editing business, which I started out of financial need. Six years later, it’s still going strong, cruising on word-of-mouth advertising. It had humble beginnings for sure, but along the way, I’ve grown as an editor, writer, and business owner. I never would have imagined it.

What’s your idea of a perfect weekend?

My perfect weekend would be a weekend away on a Floridian coast with my wife and family. The sun is shining, the smiles are beaming, and the mood is full of joy. If this is a perfect weekend, money would not be a concern of course. So we would explore the food and activities of our surroundings to our hearts’ content.

You slave over writing your paper, trying to make sure that the introduction sets up a compelling story, that the results provide clear and convincing evidence for your conclusions, and that your discussion of what it all means makes sense. You and your co-authors edit relentlessly, passing the manuscript back and forth, improving it with each round of tweaks.  When you realize the returns are diminishing, you decide the paper is ready to submit for publication.

But wait: what’s the title? You quickly write down what the paper is about — “Studies on the chemical nature of the substance inducing transformation of pneumococcal types: Induction of transformation by a desoxyribonucleic acid fraction isolated from Pneumococcus type III” — head to the journal’s submission website, dash off a cover letter, upload data to Dryad and FigShare, and click the submit button.

The first thing the editor reads is the title. She scratches her head and moves on to the abstract and cover letter to learn what the paper is about. She sees that it looks interesting and potentially significant, so she invites an expert to review the manuscript. He sees the title, scratches his head, and moves on to the abstract and cover letter to learn what the paper is about. He realizes there might be something interesting there, so he agrees to review it. The paper receives good reviews and eventually gets published. A reader comes across the title in the journal’s table of contents. He scratches his head and moves on to the next title.

Some say the abstract is the most important section of a paper because it’s the part that most people read and is widely available. But an even greater number of people will lay eyes on the title. A carefully crafted title can attract readers to your paper; a difficult or dull one is likely to turn them away.

It seems obvious that titles should be clear, concise, and compelling, but I admit to sometimes not having taken them seriously enough with my own papers. After all, titles should be easy to write:  they’re just a handful of words. But I became hyperaware of the importance of interesting, inviting titles once I started helping put together the Table of Contents for GENETICS each month.  I now frequently give authors suggestions for improving their titles to increase the impact and readership of their papers. Here are a few suggestions for composing titles that I’ve come up with along the way:

1. Don’t bury the lede. Start with the topic of the paper, not with the name of the gene or organism you studied. A title such as
   

   “Fibulin-1 interacts with type IV collagen and antagonizes GON-1/ADAMTS in shaping the C. elegans gonad”

   is unlikely to attract potential readers who don’t know what Fibulin-1 and GON-1/ADAMTS are (which is almost everybody), and “type IV collagen” will generate interest in only the most special of specialists.  Something like

   “Shaping of tissue architecture in the C. elegans gonad by interactions among fibulin-1, type IV collagen, and the ADAMTS extracellular protease”

   is more likely to snare a reader because the first thing she sees is “tissue architecture”, which sounds like an interesting topic. A title that begins with

   “The C. elegans transcriptional regulators LIN-15A and LIN-56 interact and function redundantly……….”

   will attract readers interested only in C. elegans, and even among them the only ones likely to look at the abstract are those who know something about LIN-15A and LIN-56. Put the specific stuff as far into the title as possible, after you’ve hooked the reader with terms of more general interest. Better yet, leave the specific stuff out if you can.

2.    Entice the reader. Make what you learned seem exciting (I assume you, the author, think it is exciting).
   

   “Transcriptome and Genetic Analyses Reveal that Abc1 and Def2 are Required for Glucagon Secretion”

   could become

   “Glucagon secretion requirements revealed by transcriptome and genetic analysis of glucagon-producing cells.”

   Readers are more likely to look at your paper if the first thing they see makes them think it will offer some insight into an interesting topic, rather than just some analysis of a bunch of data.

   “A novel method of genetic selection in yeast identifies the DNA binding site of NGFIB”

   entices the reader with the prospect of learning about a new, possibly innovative method.  By contrast, the real title of the paper—

   “Identification of the DNA binding site of NGFIB using genetic selection in yeast”

   —seems to offer (yawn) just another binding site.

3. Avoid jargon. Jargon is hard to avoid in technical publications, but you should do your best to purge it from the title.
   

   “FLP-21/NPR-1 Signaling and the TRPV Channels OSM-9 and OCR-2 Independently Control Heat Avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans”

   is better as something like

   “Regulation of Heat Avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans by Peptide Signaling and Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels.”

   Jargon turns off the majority of readers, who may not be familiar with the specialized terms. Avoid unnecessary abbreviations and acronyms too.

4.    Be concise. Readers have a limited attention span. Instead of
   

   “The Maize Zea mays stunter1 Mutation Causes a Reduction in Gametophyte Size, Has Maternal Effects on Seed Development, and Reveals that Endosperm Development is not Essential for Early Embryo Development”

   try something like

   “Effects on gametophyte development in maize of a maternal effect mutation in stunter1.”

   Thirteen words are more digestible than 30. In fact, most readers are unlikely to read past about a dozen words before their eyes wander away from your title.

5.    Don’t give away the ending. Some authors treat the title as a one-sentence abstract, but I think that’s a mistake. The purpose of the title is to entice readers with the question under investigation so they’ll want to read more, not to tell the whole story. Don’t give the conclusion of your story in the title. So,
   

   “MCM-related precondition gene mei-218 inhibits lig4-dependent repair and promotes checkpoint activation during Drosophila meiosis”

   might be better as

   “Multiple barriers to non-homologous DNA end joining during meiosis in Drosophila.”

   That makes me want to read on to learn what the multiple barriers are. And the declarative verbs that came into vogue among molecular biologists in the 1970s should be avoided, in my opinion.  Titles such as

   “The Type VI Secretion TssEFGK-VgrG Phage-Like Baseplate Is Recruited to the TssJLM Membrane Complex via Multiple Contacts and Serves As Assembly Platform for Tail Tube/Sheath Polymerization”

   gives me the impression that I’ve just learned all I want to know about the paper. Leave the reader in some suspense, wanting to read on to see how the story ends.

Keep these suggestions in mind when you’re composing titles of your papers and I expect you’ll increase the impact of your publications. If Oswald Avery had done so, his paper (whose title is in the 2nd paragraph above) might have been titled

“Desoxyribonucleic acid as the carrier of heredity”

which might have brought a wider readership, and—who knows?—maybe the Nobel Prize he deserved.

Footnote:  I thank various GENETICS authors for donating their titles in progress (TIPs) to this post.

At Millsaps College, a private, liberal arts school in Jackson, Mississippi, GSA member Sarah Lea Anglin united with her colleagues Debora Mann, Kristina Stensaas, and Timothy J. Ward to write a proposal for a curriculum development grant. This inter-departmental proposal was successfully funded in 2012.

Finding funding for curricular reforms can be a daunting and frustrating task, but you can significantly enhance the likelihood of success by targeting your efforts and beginning work far ahead of proposal submission time. Until a proposal is funded, it is just that: a proposal. Once funded, it is a grant. To write proposals that become funded grants, we at Millsaps College have found success with the following steps. These are based on the process we used to obtain our most recent Howard Hughes Medical Institute Curriculum Development Grant.

1. Developing relationships: Approximately 2 years prior to the proposal due date, the team leader should introduce himself/herself to appropriate officials at the funding agency and begin discussions to determine the goals of that agency for the grant cycle. If those goals fit (or possibly fit) with College goals, proceed; if not, find another funding agency.
2. Formation of planning and development team: A working group should be formed that includes representation from all parties that will be involved in the implementation of curricular reforms . This team will work together for the next 1.5 years to plan curricular revisions and write the proposal (and then they’ll work together afterward if the proposal is funded!) It is critical for later buy-in and implementation that all parties be involved in the process; forcing change on individuals or departments without their input is a recipe for disaster!
3. Assessment of institutional and funding agency goals: The team should determine which goals of the funding agency will fit with the goals of the team/institution. This is an evolving process that includes identifying the team’s general goals for curricular reform (i.e. identification of strengths and weaknesses in the current curriculum and what types of general reforms are desired) and whether the agency goals can or will fit with these. Again, if the goals don’t fit, find another funding agency.
4. Brainstorming a variety of models aimed at improving the curriculum: Team members brainstorm, in large and small groups, various ideas for curricular reform. It is important here to be bold, imaginative, and supportive—do not be constrained by fear of change, and listen to all ideas that are brought to the table.
5. Selection of the best curricular reform model: The committee should select the best model that is both desired by the committee and that fits the goals of the funding agency. A brilliant model that only marginally fits the funding agency goals is not the best choice for this agency; neither is a model that fits the agency goals but is not embraced by the committee.
6. Plan the curricular reforms: Identify new and existing courses (or revised courses) and experiences (such as undergraduate research), and how they will complement each other to accomplish curricular revision goals. Within this, begin to consider how progress toward those goals will be assessed.
7. Identify staffing, laboratory space, and equipment needs to implement the model: Small working groups should develop general ideas for courses (with some specifics, but it is not necessary to develop a syllabus at this time), along with space and equipment needs. This is the time to begin identifying budget items. For sustainability beyond the years of the grant cycle, it is imperative that College administration be consulted and an institutional commitment obtained to sustain supply budgets and maintain equipment.
8. Begin the writing process: Pair appropriate team members to write specific portions of the proposal, with instructions to focus on the team and funding agency goals that will be taught and reinforced. Assessment of progress toward goals should be considered at all times; if it cannot be assessed, it isn’t likely to be funded. Once individual parts are complete, work as a team to prepare a full proposal.
9. Secure and use an outside reviewer: It is important to identify one informed individual (preferably a scientist), either from another institution or someone from within your institution who was not involved in the writing, to review the proposal. This person should be charged with reading/critiquing/revising the overall proposal for clarity, fit to goals, and singleness of voice. It obviously helps if this person has successful proposal-writing experience. The goal here is to find an informed individual that is not so invested in the writing that he/she cannot see overarching issues with the proposal.
10. Submit the proposal in a timely manner: Many signatures will be involved; many persons will need to read the proposal (particularly if matching College funds are required…and if so, it is assumed you’ve already been in consultation with appropriate administrators regarding this!) Do not wait until the day, or even the week, of the proposal due date. Submit it early, verify the submission, and take a break!

The process is long, but the rewards are significant when great ideas become great proposals that become grants. The keys to success are allowing ample time for brainstorming and development of ideas for reform, gaining the support of key faculty at the beginning and involving them throughout the process, and generating a well-written proposal.

Sarah Lea Anglin, Millsaps College Biology Department
Debora Mann,  Millsaps College Biology Department
Kristina Stensaas, Millsaps College Chemistry and Biochemistry Department
Timothy J. Ward, Millsaps College Chemistry and Biochemistry Department and Associate Dean of Sciences