Scientific Writing Lecture 1 PDF

Lecture 1  Key Elements of Publishing Ethical Issues Style and language Structure of paper Components of paper Article submission/journal selection Publisher’s process/peer review  Ethical Issues Disclosure of Conflict of Interest Acknowledgment of...

Lecture 1  Key Elements of Publishing Ethical Issues Style and language Structure of paper Components of paper Article submission/journal selection Publisher’s process/peer review  Ethical Issues Disclosure of Conflict of Interest Acknowledgment of funding sources Image manipulation guidelines Online submission - supplemental information (datasets, videos) For Health Sciences: Submission of a Clinical Trials to a Central Registry. Institutional Review Board approval. See: Blackwell Science - Best Practice Guidelines on Publishing Ethics http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/Publicationethics/  Style and Language Refer to the journal’s author guide for notes on style – Some authors write their paper with a specific journal in mind – Others write the paper and then adapt it to fit the style of a journal they subsequently choose. Objective is to report your findings and conclusions clearly and concisely as possible  Style and Language If English is not your first language, find a native english speaker (if possible) to review the content and language of the paper before submitting it. Regardless of primary language, find a colleague/editor to review the content and language of the paper See: Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication http://www.icmje.org/  Structure of a Paper Scientific writing follows a rigid structure – a format developed over hundreds of years Consequently, a paper can be read at several levels: – Some people just will refer to the title – Others may read only the title and abstract – Others will read the paper for a deeper understanding  Scientific papers Scientific papers are for sharing your own original research work with other scientists or for reviewing the research conducted by others. They are usually published in a periodical called a journal. COMPONENTS OF A PAPER Section Purpose Title Clearly describes contents Authors Ensures recognition for the writer(s) Abstract Describes what was done Ensures the article is correctly identified Key Words (some journals) in abstracting and indexing services Introduction Explains the problem Methods Explains how the data were collected Results Describes what was discovered Discussion Discusses the implications of the findings Ensures those who helped in the research Acknowledgements are recognised Ensures previously published work is References recognised Provides supplemental data for the Appendices (some journals) expert reader TITLE Describes the paper’s content clearly and precisely including keywords Is the advertisement for the article Do not use abbreviations Search engines/indexing databases depend on the accuracy of the title Centered at the top. AUTHORS LISTING ONLY include those who have made an intellectual contribution to the research OR those who will publicly defend the data and conclusions, and who have approved the final version Order of the names of the authors can vary from discipline to discipline – In some fields, the corresponding author’s name appears first ABSTRACT Briefly summarize (often 150 words) - the problem, the method, the results, and the conclusions so that the reader can decide whether or not to read the whole article. INTRODUCTION Clearly state the: Problem being investigated Background that explains the problem Reasons for conducting the research Summarize relevant research to provide context. State how your work differs from published work. Identify the questions you are answering. Explain what other findings, if any, you are challenging or extending. METHOD Provide the reader enough details so they can understand and replicate your research Explain how you studied the problem and identify the procedures you followed. Explain new methodology in detail; otherwise name the method and cite the previously published work Include the frequency of observations, what types of data were recorded, etc. RESULT Objectively present your findings, and explain what was found. Show that your new results are contributing to the body of scientific knowledge. Follow a logical sequence based on the tables and figures presenting the findings to answer the question or hypothesis. Figures should have a brief description (a legend), providing the reader sufficient information to know how the data were produced. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION Describe what your results mean in context of what was already known about the subject. Indicate how the results relate to expectations and to the literature previously cited. Explain how the research has moved the body of scientific knowledge forward. Do not extend your conclusions beyond what is directly supported by your results - avoid undue speculation. Outline the next steps for further study. REFERENCES Whenever you draw upon previously published work, you must acknowledge the source. Any information not from your experiment and not ‘common knowledge’ should be recognized by a citation. How references are presented varies considerably - refer to notes for authors for the specific journal. Avoid references that are difficult to find. Avoid listing related references that were not important to the study.  Reference Style 1- HARVARD REFERENCE STYLE Uses the author's name and date of publication in the body of the text, and the bibliography is given alphabetically by author Adams, A.B. (1983a) Article title: subtitle. Journal Title 46 (Suppl. 2), 617-619 Adams, A.B. (1983b) Book Title. Publisher, New York. Bennett, W.P., Hoskins, M.A., Brady, F.P. et al. (1993) Article title. Journal Title 334 , 31-35.  HARVARD REFERENCE STYLE  Reference Style 2- VANCOUVER REFERENCE STYLE Uses a number series to indicate references; bibliographies list these in numerical order as they appear in the text 1. Adams, A.B. (1983) Article title: subtitle. Journal Title 46 (Suppl. 2), 617-619. 2. Lessells, D.E. (1989) Chapter title. In: Arnold, J.R. & Davies, G.H.B. (eds.) Book Title , 3rd edn. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp. 32-68. 3. Bennett, W.P., Hoskins, M.A., Brady, F.P. et al. (1993) Article title. Journal Title 334 , 31-35. VANCOUVER REFERENCE STYLE Attention Researcher should avoid using too many self citations…