NTU-CEE Distinguished Seminar Series: Professor Miroslaw J. Skibniewski
Learn how editors and reviewers evaluate manuscripts—and what it takes to publish in leading international journals.
About the Seminar
Topic: How to Become a Successful Author for High Impact Research Journals: An Editor's Perspective
Publishing in high impact journals has become increasingly competitive, yet many researchers submit strong technical work that is nonetheless rejected due to avoidable weaknesses in framing, structure, and positioning.
This seminar addresses that gap from the vantage point of a long-serving journal editor who has overseen the editorial process for a leading international research journal for over three decades. The seminar first outlines how editors and reviewers actually evaluate a manuscript, from the initial desk-review screening for novelty and fit, through the assignment of reviewers and the peer review process itself, to the final editorial decision, and explains why technically sound papers are often rejected for failing to clearly establish their contribution rather than for any flaw in the underlying research. The seminar then shares practical guidance on constructing a compelling title and abstract that capture an editor's attention within seconds, framing the research gap and novelty claim so that its significance is unmistakable, structuring the literature review and methodology to withstand reviewer scrutiny, and presenting results and discussion in a way that connects findings back to the stated contribution.
The seminar finally discusses common pitfalls that lead to desk rejection or repeated review cycles and offers strategies for building a sustained, credible publication record in high impact venues over the course of an academic career.
About the Speaker
Professor Miroslaw J. Skibniewski, University of Maryland
Miroslaw Skibniewski is a Chair Professor of Construction Engineering and Project Management in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park. A pioneering expert in construction automation, robotics, and information technology, he has served for 30 years as Editor-in-Chief of Automation in Construction (Elsevier). He is also Co-Editor-in-Chief of Engineering Management (Springer) and a member of editorial boards of over 20 other scholarly journals. His research spans construction automation and robotics, e-commerce and AI applications in project management, 3D printing in construction, and digital transformation of the built environment. He has authored or co-authored over 400 technical publications. His memberships/affiliations include the U.S. National Academy of Construction, Russian Academy of Engineering, Academy of Engineering in Poland and UK Royal Academy of Engineering.
Professor Skibniewski holds an M.Eng. from Warsaw University of Technology and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, and is a graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education Management Development Program. His career spans over 40 years in academia and practice, including 20 years on the faculty of the School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University before joining the University of Maryland in 2005, preceded by industry experience as a structural, construction, and industrial safety investigation engineer at the oldest engineering consulting firm in the US. He was a founding member of the Board of Directors and is Past President of the International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction.
Venue
Lecture Theatre 4 (LT 4: NS4-02-34, North Spine, Level 2)