Publishing your first paper: a milestone in a Ph.D. program
A fourth-year doctoral student at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Louise Vilain has just published her first scientific article as the lead author. Between plant chemistry, phytohormones, and basic research, she reflects on her journey, the process of writing a journal article, and what this first publication means in the context of her PhD.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Louise Vilain, and I’m a fourth-year PhD student at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech. I started my thesis in 2022, right after my master’s, thanks to a FRIA grant from the Belgian National Research Fund (FNRS).
I completed all my studies at Gembloux: a bachelor’s in bioengineering with a chemistry track, followed by a master’s in chemistry and bio-industries. My academic path gradually developed between chemistry and plant sciences, particularly during my Erasmusat Wageningen University in the Netherlands, where I took courses more focused on plants.
What made you want to pursue research?
I never imagined myself as a researcher when I was younger. I think I got into research thanks to the courses at the Faculty, especially the ones where we had to carry out projects.
One course in particular left a lasting impression on me: we had to work on the utilization of tropical tree bark and develop part of the protocol ourselves based on the literature. We started with a problem, thought of a solution, tested it, and then tried to understand why it worked or didn’t work.
This problem-solving approach really inspired me, and that’s when I realized I enjoyed working this way.
What is your thesis about?
My thesis topic focuses on what I often call“plant chemistry.” More specifically, I’m studying how a class of phytohormones, jasmonates, helps plants survive when they’re under stress, particularly during phosphorus deficiency.
Unlike us, plants cannot move to avoid stress: they must perceive what is happening in their environment, transmit the information, and implement appropriate responses.
In basic research, we seek to understand these mechanisms, but this can also lead to more applied applications to help cultivated plants better withstand certain stresses.
What is your publication about?
It is a review article. Unlike a traditional research paper, it does not present new experimental data, but rather compiles, analyzes, and organizes existing knowledge on a topic for which there is not yet a comprehensive synthesis.
Initially, I wanted to write a review on phytohormones in the context of phosphorus deficiency. But while searching the literature, I realized there was a lack of an article providing a comprehensive overview of phytohormones: their individual functions, their interaction mechanisms, as well as other aspects that are still relatively understudied.
The review article was therefore ultimately structured around these elements: explaining how phytohormones are produced, transported, and perceived by the plant; understanding how they interact; identifying what remains under-explored; and reflecting on the possible applications of this fundamental research.
How long does it take to prepare a journal article?
In my case, it took about two years to find the right topic, then a year and a half to write the article. But it depends a lot on the topic, the person, and the time one can devote to it.
For such a broad article, a year and a half isn’t necessarily a huge amount of time. But it requires a lot of energy, especially because you often have to juggle it with the rest of the thesis: lab work, literature review, writing, revisions, supervising interns…
If you don’t set aside specific times to work on the article, progress is very slow, and that can be tough because you don’t see yourself making headway in your work. To manage this issue, I set realistic deadlines and tried my best to stick to them.
Beyond the writing itself, there’s also the process of submitting and publishing the article, which can take time depending on the journal. Publishing an article also means choosing a journal and hoping the topic appeals to the editors; otherwise, you have to submit the article to another journal. In my case, eight months passed between the initial submission and the final publication.
Publishing an article is therefore a long-term process, but the end result is very satisfying.
What was the most difficult part of this process?
The hardest part was maintaining a clear focus. When you’re writing a journal article, you read a huge number of papers. Some are fascinating, and you quickly feel the urge to explore every angle.
But you have to accept that not everything will make it into the article. Otherwise, you end up writing a book. You have to learn to sort through the material, return to the main topic, and keep only what truly serves the purpose.
It’s also an exercise in organization. You have to manage a lot of references, remember which article demonstrates what, and find an effective work method. It’s not something you master perfectly from the start: it takes time to find your own method.
How did you find the supervision and feedback?
My advisors, Marie-Laure and Manon, played a real mentoring role. For the first sections, the article’s central theme was relatively clear. But for the last sections, it was much less straightforward, and at first I went off in all directions.
I came to our meetings with a lot of different ideas: some toobroad, others too specific. Little by little, we built the article’s angle together. And in moments of doubt, their support was invaluable—just like that of my loved ones, for that matter.
Their feedback is part of the process and is truly necessary. When you’ve spent months on a text, you inevitably lose perspective. Having outside perspectives helps you see what’s missing, what isn’t clear, or what could be strengthened.
Plus, once an article is submitted, it’s reviewed by other scientists, who may request changes—sometimes major, sometimes minor—before the journal accepts the article. In my case, there were major revisions. It was demanding, but the comments were constructive and really helped me improve the article.
What did this first publication change for you?
When the article was accepted, my first reaction was relief. After the revisions, I knew a lot of work had gone into it, but there was still some uncertainty.
It was also a great joy, because it was my first article as the lead author, published in a reputable journal. The moment I saw the article laid out in its final form made everything feel very real. I thought to myself,“Now it’s real.”
This publication also gave me a great deal of confidence. Seeing that other scientists considered this work useful reassured me. As a young researcher, you often doubt yourself: your ideas, your methods, your legitimacy. This publication gave me the feeling that I “officially” belonged to the world of research.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proudof seeing it through to the end. An article like this requires a lot of time, effort, and perseverance. In the end, you could always reread, edit, rephrase, or add elements… but you also have to learn to stop and submit.
I was also worried about writing an article that was too general. In the end, I’m glad I managed toaddress the aspects I wanted to cover and put together something coherent.
What advice would you give to a young PhD student who is about to write their first paper?
I would advise them to read a lot before writing. Read about their topic, but also read about related topics. And above all, set aside the articles they find truly excellent.
When you read an article and think to yourself, “I’d like to be able to do that well,” that’s invaluable. These articles can serve as benchmarks or models when constructing your own text, especially for a journal article, where formats can vary greatly depending on the journal.
Before writing, you also need to choose the topic of your journal article carefully, and that can sometimes be more complicated than you might think. In particular, it’s best to check thoroughly to make sure there isn’t already another recently published journal article on a very similar topic.
And above all, you have to believe in yourself. If you’ve made it this far, it’s no accident. There will be moments of doubt and self-, experiments that don’t work out, and periods when everything seems complicated. It’s all part of the journey—it’s normal. But you need to take a breath, step back, and persevere, because good things come to those who wait. You can do it!
