Scientific Writing (NP 201 - NPC 201) - Lecture Notes PDF

SCIENTIFIC WRITING (NP 201 – NPC 201) BY DR. AMR MOHAMED EMAM LECTURER OF PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY PHD. CAIRO UNIVERSITY Choosing a title The title of your paper will probably be read more than any other part. Titles take up only a few words but are of inestimable importance in...

SCIENTIFIC WRITING (NP 201 – NPC 201) BY DR. AMR MOHAMED EMAM LECTURER OF PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY PHD. CAIRO UNIVERSITY Choosing a title The title of your paper will probably be read more than any other part. Titles take up only a few words but are of inestimable importance in persuading clinicians and researchers to read your paper. If your title has an impact that attracts readers, then so much the better. The basic function of a title is to describe the content of your paper in a succinct way. Also, in these days of database searching, keywords in the title make your paper immediately accessible to workers in your field. However, titles can also be used as a key tool to give your paper a distinct personality. To this end, your title must be accurate, specific, concise, and informative, must not contain abbreviations, and must never be dull. ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE TITLE ARE:  identify the main issue of your paper  attract readers  contains as few words as possible  describes the contents of the paper accurately   describes the subject as specifically as possible within the limits of space  avoids abbreviations, formulas and jargon  usually omits verb and is only a label  contains key words, for the benefit of information retrieval systems  create a title that match the most commonly searched keywords for your topic  Short titles are usually best and, in recognition of this, some journals set a limit on the length. For example, some journals ask that the title does not exceed 10– 15 words.  Different ways of writing titles  Titles that give independent variable, dependent variable, and population: Effect of asthma on linear growth in children Asthma and linear growth in children Final height attainment of asthmatic children  Titles that pose a question: Does asthma reduce linear growth? Are asthmatic children shorter than non-asthmatic children?  Titles that give the answer to the question: Asthma is negatively associated with growth in height during adolescence Linear growth deficit in asthmatic children There is an increasing tendency to use questions in titles. Questions that reiterate the aim of the paper may attract readers who want to know the answer. IN HANDLING THE TITLE OF YOUR PAPER MAKE SURE IF YOU:  reduce unnecessary words, especially like "Some notes on..." or "Observations on..." ; make your title come to the point  write a title that is accurate and specific  do not promise more than is in your paper; usually a title reports the subject of the research rather than the results include as many key words as possible, as they will be used for indexing and computer searching  make the most important words stand out, usually by putting them first  follow the style preference of the journal for which you are writing In summary, be concise but descriptive, although you do not want to be vague or incorrect. This is your first chance to grab the reader‘s attention.  Once the authors and title are decided, it is exciting to create a title page for your paper to give it a formal look. Most journals specify the requirements for the title page in their Instructions to Authors and these will vary according to journal requirements. The title page usually has the title at the top and the authors clearly listed below. THE NAMES OF AUTHORS SHOULD:  Be complete enough to ensure proper identification; if there is any chance of confusion, use full names instead of initials  Include only people who are truly authors  Be listed in a logical order, for instance, alphabetically or in order of importance to the work being reported  Each be followed by an address, presented according to the style of the journal THE FOLLOWING ARE KEY POINTS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION  Only people who have made important contribution to planning and carrying out the research should be listed as authors  Anyone listed as an author should also have helped to draft the paper or have revised important parts of it  As collecting data is not enough to make a person an author, technicians and other helpers are usually mentioned in the acknowledgements   Each coauthor should give final approval to the version that is to be published  Unless names appear alphabetically, the first person listed is considered the senior author; others may be listed according to the importance of contribution to the experiment. Sometimes the program or project leader or the center manager wants to be considered an author of all papers coming from the organization; a proper place is as the last author, recognized as a position of importance