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HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

Full Unequivocal Data Set


Focus
Careful Planning
Organization
Attention to Detail
Communication with Colleagues

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER


FALLACY:

Its only the number of


papers that count

FACT:

One good detailed paper in


a prestigious journal is
worth far more than
smaller component papers
in lesser journals!

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

A)
B)
C)
A)
B)

AUTHORSHIP
Before Starting to Write, Define the
Following:
Who will be coauthors
Who only will be acknowledged
Order of authors
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS
Senior Authorship/Independence
Co-contributing 1st and 2nd Authors

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER


Choose the journal before you start
writing
Carefully review several recent issues
Study the Instructions to Authors
Identify publication costs

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER


COMMON GRAMMAR/STYLE ISSUES
- Spelling: British vs American
- Spell-check: false security
- Active vs passive voice
- Multiple adjectives
- Incorrect use of due to
- Ambiguous use of this
- Hyphenation
- Abbreviations
- Run-on, sentences, use of semicolons

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

TITLE PAGE
Choice of Title
Short
Description of major conclusion
Running Title
Not longer than SPECS
Include words from title
No unusual abbreviations
Authors Names
Check instructions
Footnotes/Symbols
Author for correspondence
Key words

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER


ABBREVIATIONS
Check instructions
Standard abbreviations
Frequent cumbersome phrases/words
Abbreviation list vs in text
Generally dont begin a sentence with
an abbreviation

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER


ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
Is the entire paper worth reading?
A brief account of papers relevant
points
Length and format specified for each
journal (i.e. continuous vs. specific
sections)
It must stand alone without reference
to text body

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PPAER


INTRODUCTION
Long enough to place paper in context
Reasons for doing study
Methods used
Indication of conclusions
DONT MAKE INTRO TOO LONG!!
Dont provide a complete history of field
Basically: What you did, why you did it, what
you found!

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

MATERIALS AND METHODS


Provide sufficient detail for others to repeat
and/or understand differences from
past/future studies
Use subtitles
Patient populations: Tables,
Inclusion/exclusion criteria
Use generic vs. trade names
If unusual complexities, consider appendix
Make sure statistics are appropriate

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

RESULTS
Logical sequence of presentation
Minimize unpublished results
Use subheadings
Use appropriate tables/illustrations
Dont repeat data in text and tables/ills
Number of significant places after decimal
Patent issues

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER


DISCUSSION
Reviewers rarely complain a discussion is too brief
Provide summary of results and how results led to
conclusion
Place results in context of current knowledge
Impact of data (present and future)
Unanswered questions
Limitations of study
Use subheadings
Dont overemphasize your own work

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Those not listed as authors who helped with
study
-Intellectual input
-Encouragement
-Special measurements/reagents
-Techs in lab
-Secretarial assistance
Research support
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

REFERENCES
CHECK WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
Numerous variations
Full names vs. initials
Number of names before et al
Page inclusitivity
Punctuation
Order in text vs. alphabetical
No unpublished data or personal communications in
this section
Limit historical references
Keep number of references as short as feasible

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

FIGURES/LEGENDS
Focus on key points
Dont clutter Illustrations
Define symbols/abbreviations in legends
Label axes
Use same units as in text
Photo authenticity (in view of recent scandal)
Obtain permission for use of previously
published material

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

SUBMISSION
Address letter to Editor
Describe paper in 3-4 sentences
Why it is appropriate to this journal
If allowable, suggest reviewers
Define any competitors who you feel would
give unfair review
Signatures of all coauthors on statement of
authenticity/responsibility

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

RESPONSE LETTER WITH REVISION


Segregate responses to Editor and each reviewer
Repeat responses to each reviewer even if already
responded to another
Respond to each comment (consider numbering)
Start with polite intro to each reviewer:
We are grateful to reviewer A for useful
comments ....
Consider placing Reviewers comment in letter
immediately above your response
Make sure pagination of initial and revision are
synchronous and differences stated
Dont try to muscle the Reviewer!

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER

COMMON MISTAKES
Failure to follow instructions
Too many fonts on the title page
Inconsistent formatting in the body of the manuscript
Errors in the punctuation of references in the List of
References
Failure to indicate the variability and/or reproducibility of
results
Results that are given to a degree of accuracy that far exceeds
the accuracy of measurements
Graphs and histograms without indications of standard
deviations

From Korner, AM. Guide to Publishing a Scientific Paper

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER


Outline Key Aspects of Paper!
Introduction
Method
Results
Conclusion
Review with Senior Author and Key Collaborators
Write First Draft
Review with Senior Author/Key Authors
Review Subsequent Drafts
Penultimate Draft Sent to all Co-Authors

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