Scientific Writing (NP 201 – NPC 201) PDF

SCIENTIFIC WRITING (NP 201 – NPC 201) BY DR. AMR MOHAMED EMAM LECTURER OF PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY PHD. CAIRO UNIVERSITY  THE MAJOR OBJECTIVE OF THIS COURSE THIS COURSE is aimed at enhancing scientific paper writing and communication skills of the researchers, educa...

SCIENTIFIC WRITING (NP 201 – NPC 201) BY DR. AMR MOHAMED EMAM LECTURER OF PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY PHD. CAIRO UNIVERSITY  THE MAJOR OBJECTIVE OF THIS COURSE THIS COURSE is aimed at enhancing scientific paper writing and communication skills of the researchers, educators, and students. Scientific papers and technical documents are essential means of communication between scientists; therefore, the efficacy of the content depends on the quality of texts.  THE CHARACTERS OF A GOOD OR SUCCESSFUL PAPER COULD BE LISTED AS FOLLOWS: Presents an accurate account of the investigation Has logical flow Is clearly written and easily understood  Follows a particular style of discipline Is free from jargon and local slang Has appropriate and adequate illustrations Does not contain plagiarized information Contains original results  IMPACT FACTORS An impact factor is calculated as the total number of citations from a journal in one year divided by the average number of journal articles published in the previous two years and, as such, is a mean citation rate. Impact factors include a range of 0 to 50.  Whereas papers are commonly rated by their citation rates, journals are commonly rated by their impact factors. Impact factors are useful for assessing the citation rates of journals when evaluating quality or choosing a journal in which to publish.  The impact factor of a journal depends on the quality of the work that scientists submit to the journal and thus on the ability of a journal to attract the best papers available. Impact factors are influenced by the quality of the reviewers who help to maintain a high scientific standard.  The speed of the review and publication processes, the content of papers and the size of the readership of the journal also have a significant influence on impact factors. Rules for reporting numbers in Scientific writing There are some very good guidelines for reporting numbers. These guidelines have the same rules of grammar and must be similarly respected. These rules are summarized in the following slide.  Numbers less than 10 are words. E.g. in the study group, eight participants underwent the intervention. Numbers 10 or more are numbers. E.g. there were 120 participants in the study. Remember that there are exceptions to this rule. Use Numerals to Express Values under 10 that are compared to or used in the same sentence with numbers over 10 Incorrect:There were 23 spider mites and five fruit flies. Correct:There were 23 spider mites and 5 fruit flies.  Be consistent in lists of numbers. E.g. in the sample, 15 boys and 4 girls had diabetes. Numbers less than 1 begin with a zero. E.g.The P value was 0·013. Values representing percentages, ratios, fractions, and decimals, Incorrect: two percent, three to four, five-sixths, seven hundredths Correct: 2%, 3:4, 5/6,.07. Words not numbers begin a sentence. E.g.Twenty per cent of participants had diabetes..  Do not use a space between a number and it’s percent sign. E.g. in total, 35% of participants had diabetes. Values preceding a unit of measurement, Incorrect: seven cm, eight grams, Correct: 7 cm, 8 g