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How to Write a Journal

Article
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Acknowledgment

 I have prepared this presentation with the

help of many books, presentations and
Websites.
 I pay my sincere gratitude to all authors,
professors and experts for their efforts and
contributions.
 Particular thanks to Professor Barbara Gastel
of Texas A&M University for allowing me to use
her presentations shared on
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Today’s presentation

 Journal – a channel for research communication

 Preparing to write
 Sources to identify a topic
 Characteristics of a good topic
 Doing the writing
 Types of a journal article
 Structure of a journal article
 Order of reading and writing an article
 How to write:
 Title, authors, abstract, keywords, introduction, literature review,
methods, results, discussion, references, acknowledgement
 Guidelines for research writing
 Ethics in writing
 Revising your work
 Checklist for review of an article
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Journal – a channel for
research communication

 Writing up the findings of research into

an article to be published in a scholarly
journal is considered as “the most
common method of scholarly
communication”
 34,000+ peer-reviewed journals in late
2014 (6450 non-English-language
journals)
 Publishing 2.5 million articles per year
 Growth at 3 percent per year
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Preparing to write

 Remember that you are writing to communicate, not to

impress
 Realize that journal editors and peer reviewers reading
your work want you to do well. The purpose of their
constructive criticism is to help you succeed
 Select a journal for publication
 Use published items as models
 Read journal’s instructions to authors
 Consult a style manual — for example, manuals made by:
 American Medical Association
 American Psychological Association
 Modern Language Association
 University of Chicago
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Sources to identify a topic

 From advisors, students, collaborators

 Brainstorming with colleagues
 Review papers, listen to research talks
 Teach a course/Give a talk: forced to
understand the details and think hard
to prepare for tough questions
 Hot emerging fields that could lead
to many publications or easier
funding
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Characteristics of a good topic

 Interestingto you
 Enhancement of previous research
 Areas of weakness in current
research
 Current trends
 Not too broad or too narrow
 Workable
 Acceptable to the journal editor
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Doing the writing

 Make an outline for your paper

 Break down the writing process into
steps
 Schedule specific times to write
 Assign a due date for each step
 Make weekly and daily priority lists
 Start with whatever part you find easiest
 Use word processing to write more
efficiently

Types of a journal article
American Medical
Association
 Reports of original data
 Review articles
 Descriptive articles
 Clinical practice
guidelines and consensus
statements
 Articles of opinion
 Other – Correspondence,
book reviews, news
articles, conference
reports, etc.
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American
Psychological
Association
 Empirical studies
 Literature reviews
 Theoretical articles
 Methodological articles
 Case studies
 Other – Brief reports,
comments, book reviews,
etc.
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Structure of a journal article

IMRaD Format
 Introduction: What was the question?
 Methods: How did you try to answer it?

 Results: What did you find?

and
 Discussion: What does it mean?
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Structure of a journal article

Complete Format
 Title  Results
 Authors  Discussion
 Abstract  Conclusion
 Keywords  References
 Introduction  Acknowledgements
 Literature review  Biographical sketch
 Methods  Appendices
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Order of reading and writing
an article

 People read the sections of research

articles in various orders
 You can write the sections in any order
 A convenient order to write:
 Methods

 Results

 Discussion

 Introduction
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Title

 First thing which everybody reads

 Important in literature searching
 The fewest possible words that adequately
indicate the contents of the paper
 Should not include extra words, such as “A
Study of” or “Observations on”
 Should be specific enough
 Generally should not include abbreviations
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Title

Examples of Four Forms

 Nominal
 Relationship of interns’ working hours to medical errors
 Compound
 Treatment effect of dietary fiber on serum phosphorus and quality
of life in hemodialysis patients with constipation: A randomized
controlled trial
 Full sentence
 Full-face helmets provide greater protection in motorcycle
accidents than other helmet designs
 Question
 Do full-face helmets provide greater protection in motorcycle
accidents than other helmet designs?
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Authors

Criteria for Authorship

 Substantial contributions to the conception or design of
the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of
data for the work; AND
 Drafting the work or revising it critically for important
intellectual content; AND
 Final approval of the version to be published; AND
 Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work
in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or
integrity of any part of the work are appropriately
investigated and resolved.

(International Committee of Medical Journal Editors – ICMJE)

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Authors

 Often listed from greatest contributions to least, irrespective of

academic status
 Order of the author should be a joint decision of the authors
 A supervisor should be co-author, with the student as first author, in a
paper based on thesis
 Mere possession of an institutional position on its own, such as Head of
the Research team, does not justify authorship
 Field workers, language editors and statisticians are not co-authors
 Important to list one’s name the same way on every paper
 Also mention institutional affiliation of each author
 Some journals also mention designation and academic degrees
 Give contact detail of the corresponding author
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Abstract

 An important part of the paper

 Relatively widely read
 Used to decide whether to read the rest of the paper
 Gives editors, reviewers, others a first impression
 Briefly summarizes the paper
 Usually a single paragraph
 Should be organized like the paper (for example, in sort of a
mini-IMRaD format)
 Some journals use structured abstracts (with standardized
headings)
 Word limit varies from journal to journal (usually 150 – 200 words
for unstructured and 250 words for structured abstracts)
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Keywords

 3 to 10 keywords
 Selected from the title and
abstract
 Can be selected from a
standard list (e.g., Medical
Subject Headings – MeSH)
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introduction

Purposes
 To provide background of the study
 In order to help readers understand the
paper
 In order to help readers appreciate the
importance of the research
 To identify the question(s) the research
addressed
 Sometimes stated as a thesis or hypothesis
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Introduction

Contents
 Information on importance of topic
 Highlights of relevant previous
research
 Identification of what is lacking in
the current knowledge
 Approach you used to fill the gap
in knowledge
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Introduction

 First paragraph Topic of paper

Literature
 Middle paragraphs Review

 Final paragraph Justification

& Road map
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Literature review

 Usually a part of ‘Introduction’ but sometimes, a

separate section
 Not a comprehensive review of literature; Only a
few major papers
 Try to use primary sources
 Mostly use past tense
 Arrange mostly in chronological order
 Make logical connections between studies
 Sometime, summary table is useful for comparing
studies
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Methods

Purposes
 To allow others to replicate what you did
 In order to test it
 In order to do further research

 To allow others to evaluate what you did

 To determine whether the conclusions seem
valid
 Todetermine whether the findings seem
applicable to other situations
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Methods

Contents
 Describe the context and setting of the study
 Specify the study design
 Describe the ‘population’ (patients, doctors, hospitals,
etc.)
 Describe the sampling strategy
 Describe the intervention, if applicable
 Identify the main study variables
 Describe data collection instruments and procedures
 Outline data analysis methods
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Methods

Amount of Detail to Use

 For well-known methods
 Name of method, citation of reference
 For methods previously described but not
well known
 Briefdescription of method, citation of
reference
 For methods that you yourself devise
 Relatively detailed description
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Methods

Guidelines
 Should be written in past tense
 Some journals use subheads
 May include tables and figures — for
example:
 Flowcharts
 Diagrams of apparatus
 Tables of experimental conditions
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Results

 The core of the paper

 Report on data collection and recruitment (response rate,
etc.)
 Describe participants (demographic, clinical condition, etc.)
 Present key findings with respect to the central research
question
 Present secondary findings (secondary outcomes, subgroup
analyses, etc.)
 Often include tables and figures
 Should present results but not comment on them
 Some journals, however, combine the Results and the
Discussion
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Results

Verb Tense: Past

Examples:
 A total of 417 samples were analyzed.
 _____ increased, but _____ decreased.
 The median salary of these surgeons
was _____.
 Three of the mixtures exploded.
 This difference was not statistically
significant.
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Results

Tables and Figures

 How much should the information in the text overlap
that in the tables and figures?
 Not extensive overlap
 In general, text should present only the main points from the
tables and figures
 Also include a few of the most important data
 Detail should be clear from the table or figure
 Remember to mention every table and figure in the
text.
 Example: Researchers who attended the workshop
published twice as many papers per year (Table 3).
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Results

Common Mistakes
 Illogical sequence of data presentation
 Inaccurate data
 Repetition of data
 Misplaced information between the methods
and results sections
 Inappropriate presentation of data – overuse
and abuse of tables and figures
 Attempts to draw conclusions – this should be
covered in the discussion section
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Discussion

 One of the most difficult parts to

write, because have more choice
of what to say
 Often should begin with a brief
summary of the main findings
 Should answer the question(s)
stated in the introduction (or
address the hypotheses stated in
the introduction
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Discussion

Possible Contents
 Strengths of the study
 For example, superior methods, extensive data
 Limitations of the study
 Small sample size, short follow-up,
incomplete data, possible sources of bias,
problems with experimental procedures
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Discussion

Possible Contents (cont…)

 Relationship to findings of other
research — for example:
 Similarities
to previous findings (your
own and others’)
 Differences from previous findings
 Possible reasons for similarities and
differences
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Discussion

Possible Contents (cont…)

 Applications and implications — for
example:
 Possible uses of the findings in policy and
practice
 Relationship of the findings to theories or
models:
 Do the findings support them?
 Do they refute them?
 Do they suggest modifications?
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Discussion

Possible Contents (cont…)

 Other research needed — for
example:
 To address questions still unanswered
 To address new questions raised by the
findings
 Sometimes, summary of findings and
recommendations form a separate
section as ‘Conclusion’
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Discussion

Common Mistakes
 Repetition of data presented in the results section
 Incorrect interpretation of the findings
 Importance of results inadequately discussed or
omitted
 Conclusions not supported by findings
 Irrelevant and faulty discussion points
 Omission of key and relevant references
 Explanations are too long or verbose
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References

Purposes
 To give credit to others for their work
 To add credibility to your work by showing
that you used valid information sources
 To help show how your work is related to
previous work
 To help readers find further information
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References

Formats
 Various formats exist for citation in text — for
example:
 Accuracy of references is important (Day & Gastel,
2011).
 Accuracy of references is important.3
 Various formats exist for items in reference lists
— for example:
 Pineda D. 2003. Communication of science in
Colombia. Sci. Ed. 26:91-92.
 Pineda D. Communication of science in Colombia.
Sci Ed 2003;26:91-2.
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References

Citation Management Software

 Examples: EndNote, Reference Manager,
RefWorks, Zotero
 Allows you to keep a database of
references
 In many cases, provides the citations and
references in the proper format for your
target journal
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Acknowledgments

 A place to thank people who helped

with the work but did not make
contributions deserving authorship
 Sometimes the place where sources of
financial support are stated
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Guidelines for research writing

“The preparation of a
scientific paper has less to
do with literary skill than
with organization”
Robert Day
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Guidelines for research writing

 Write simply, clearly and  Avoid very long sentences

concisely  Define terms that might be
 Use common words unfamiliar to readers
 Follow instructions (and  Remember to define acronyms
conventions) regarding structure  Avoid the use of passive voice
 Use subheadings to guide
readers
 Organize information carefully at
all levels
 Provide overviews before details
 Avoid very long paragraphs
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Ethics in writing

 Authenticity (not fabrication)

 Accuracy
 Providing complete data (not only those supporting your
hypothesis)
 Using appropriate statistical procedures
 Originality (Not republishing the same findings)
 Credit
 Citing sources of information and ideas
 Avoiding excessive use of others’ words
 Observing copyright and obtaining needed permissions
 Good treatment of humans and animals
 Disclosure of conflicts of interest
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Revising your work

 Good writing is largely a matter of

good revising
 First revise your writing yourself. Then
get feedback from others and revise
more
 Consider having a mentor or
volunteer/commercial editor for help
 Avoid the temptation to keep revising
your writing forever
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Checklist for review of an
article

1. Does the title reflect accurately the content of the

paper?
2. Are the significant words in the title near the
beginning to catch a reader’s attention?
3. Does the Introduction begin with the big issue of
topical/scientific interest and then narrow down to
the specific topic of the paper?
4. Does the Introduction locate the study effectively
within the recent international literature in the field?
5. Does the Introduction highlight a gap that the
research fills, or present a need to extend
knowledge in a particular area? (Does it say why the
work was done?)
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Checklist for review of an
article
6. Does the Introduction end with a clear statement of the
aim/hypothesis of the research or summarize the main activity
of the paper (depending on the field and relevant journal
conventions)?
7. Are the methods, including statistical analysis, appropriate for
the questions addressed and the study conducted?
8. Are the methods given in enough detail to convince a reader
of the credibility of the results?
9. Do the results provide answers to the questions raised in the
Introduction, or fulfill the objectives given?
10. Are the results presented in a logical order (either similar to the
order of presenting the aims or methods, or similar to the order
in which the Discussion is presented)?
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Checklist for review of an
article

11. Are all the tables and figures needed to tell the story of the paper? Could
any be combined or deleted?
12. Do all the tables and figures stand alone? (i.e., can readers understand
them without going back to read the text of the paper?)
13. Does the Discussion begin with a reference to the original aim/
hypothesis/ question?
14. Are the results compared with other relevant findings from the literature?
Are you aware of any other comparisons that could be made? Are
appropriate explanations/ speculations included about reasons for
observed similarities, differences, and other outcomes?
15. Are appropriate statements made about the wider significance of the
results, their limitations, and/or their implications for practice and/or future
research directions?
16. Does the paper end with an appropriate concluding paragraph or
section that emphasizes the key message(s) and their significance to the
field?
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Checklist for review of an
article

17. Is the list of references complete (all the works in the list are
referred to in the paper, and all the works referred to in the paper
are in the list)?
18. Are the reference list and in-text references formatted accurately
and in the right style for the target journal?
19. Does the Abstract include all the information required by the
journal, and does it highlight appropriately the key results and their
significance?
20. Does the Abstract adhere to the word limit and follow the
prescribed format of the target journal?
21. Are the selected keywords those that will best allow the article to
be located by the full range of its prospective readers?
22. What additional comments do you have for strengthening the
paper?
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GOOD
LUCK FOR
YOUR
WRITING
CAREER!