Structuring Your Paper

1. Structuring Your Paper

2. How do I put it all together?

3. Information Flow • One idea per paragraph • Ideas should follow each other in a logical sequence. • Two ways to order results: 1. Chronological “First we did x, then y, then z.” 2. Thematic Whatever order makes most sense

4. W. Li G. Doczi Outline ≈ Skeleton Ref: J. Dorman

5. Creating an Outline • Summarizes the major points • Can help you write the paper: - Each point -> the first or last sentence of paragraph • Use your figures to make an outline - add key words to your figures W. Li Ref: Penrose & Katz & J. Dorman

6. Figure Outline Kuna indians: no hypertension of cardiovascular diseases Migration from Ailigandi to Vera Cruz results in higher BP Ailigandi Kuna diet: 10 x more cocoa-beverage, 4x more fish, 2x more fruit than Vera Cruz Kuna; no difference in salt

7. Figure Outline Table 1. Description of subjects in the study Figure 2. Results from the study - Intake of Fruit - Intake of Meat/Fish - Intake of Salt, Sweets, Fat - Intake of Beverages

8. Writing From the Figures

9. Writing From the Outline Demographic and health characteristics of participants from Ailigandi and Vera Cruz are shown in Table 1. Individuals studied in Ailigandi were slightly older than those interviewed in Vera Cruz. Both study samples were comprised of approximately two-thirds women (more women were available to study because they were at home during the day). Blood pressure levels were lower on Ailigandi, although hypertension was uncommon in both groups. The Kuna residing in Vera Cruz weighed more than those in Ailgandi, but the difference in body mass index did not achieve statistical significance.

10. Writing From the Outline Demographic and health characteristics of participants from Ailigandi and Vera Cruz are shown in Table 1. Individuals studied in Ailigandi were slightly older than those interviewed in Vera Cruz. Both study samples were comprised of approximately two-thirds women (more women were available to study because they were at home during the day). Blood pressure levels were lower on Ailigandi, although hypertension was uncommon in both groups. The Kuna residing in Vera Cruz weighed more than those in Ailgandi, but the difference in body mass index did not achieve statistical significance.

11. Writing From the Outline Demographic and health characteristics of participants from Ailigandi and Vera Cruz are shown in Table 1. Individuals studied in Ailigandi were slightly older than those interviewed in Vera Cruz. Both study samples were comprised of approximately two-thirds women (more women were available to study because they were at home during the day). Blood pressure levels were lower on Ailigandi, although hypertension was uncommon in both groups. The Kuna residing in Vera Cruz weighed more than those in Ailgandi, but the difference in body mass index did not achieve statistical significance.

12. Writing From the Outline Demographic and health characteristics of participants from Ailigandi and Vera Cruz are shown in Table 1. Individuals studied in Ailigandi were slightly older than those interviewed in Vera Cruz. Both study samples were comprised of approximately two-thirds women (more women were available to study because they were at home during the day). Blood pressure levels were lower on Ailigandi, although hypertension was uncommon in both groups. The Kuna residing in Vera Cruz weighed more than those in Ailgandi, but the difference in body mass index did not achieve statistical significance.

13. Writing From the Outline Demographic and health characteristics of participants from Ailigandi and Vera Cruz are shown in Table 1. Individuals studied in Ailigandi were slightly older than those interviewed in Vera Cruz. Both study samples were comprised of approximately two-thirds women (more women were available to study because they were at home during the day). Blood pressure levels were lower on Ailigandi, although hypertension was uncommon in both groups. The Kuna residing in Vera Cruz weighed more than those in Ailgandi, but the difference in body mass index did not achieve statistical significance.

14. Title

15. Function of a Title • Catch reader’s interest- Title will be read by 1,000’s- Few will read your entire paper • Identifies paper’s main topic or message • Indexing tool Ref: R. Day and M. Zeiger

16. How to Write an Effective Title • Design it so your colleagues will find it • Summarize your main point • Be concise • Be specific • Running title

17. Writing the Title • Should briefly answer the question you addressed with your experiments • State your major finding • Create a “working title” before you write • You can change it later if you discover newinterpretations of your data as you write Ref: V. McMillan

18. Data vs. title Different kind of data = different title - What kind of paper are you presenting? Methods Descriptive Hypothesis

19. Titles of Methods Papers State: • The method you developed, improved, or characterized • What the method is used for Example: Rapid Subtyping of Dengue Viruses by Restriction Site-Specific (RSS)-PCR Ref: M. Zeiger

20. Titles of Descriptive Papers State: • What is being described and where • If relevant, its significance or function Example: Clinical, Epidemiologic, and Virologic Featuresof Dengue in the 1998 Epidemic in Nicaragua Hip1, a Novel Co-chaperone Involved in the Eukaryotic Heat Shock Response Ref: M. Zeiger

21. Titles of Hypothesis Papers State: • The variable that was manipulated or modified • The dependent variable that you measured or observed • The study organism or location Example: Growth Inhibitory Effect of Triclosan on Equine and Bovine Babesia Parasites Ref: M. Zeiger

22. X Better:“The requirement of maternal factor Oct-3 for the first mouse embryonic division.” Good Titles: Be Concise • Title ≠ sentence; remove filler words • Remove verbs that are too definitive, too assertive: Example: “Oct-3 is a maternal factor required for the first mouse embryonic division” Ref: R. Day and M. Zeiger

23. A Good Title • What is a good title? “The fewest possible words that adequately describe the contents of the paper.” • Be specific and concise! Ref: R. Day

24. Good Titles: Be Concise Wordy: A Preliminary Study of thePrevalence of Viruses in Three Storm Drains During Wet and Dry Weather in Southern California as Assessed by RT-PCR Detection of Viral RNA Concise: RT-PCR Detection of Viral RNA in Three Southern Californian Storm Drains During Wet and Dry Weather Ref: V. McMillan

25. Use Few Abbreviations • Confusing to reader! • Consider how a researcher would search for the word in PubMed: • By the abbreviation or by spelling it out? • You want people to find your paper! • Use only very common abbreviations • RNA, DNA, etc. • See Journal’s “Instructions to Authors” Ref: R. Day and V. McMillan

26. Title: Be Specific Vague: Detection of Viruses in Storm Drains Specific: Detection of Enteroviral and Hepatitis AViral RNA by RT-PCR in Three Storm Drains in Southern California Ref: V. McMillan

27. Title: Be Specific Vague: Detection of malarial DNA in mosquitoes by PCR Specific: Detection of Plasmodium falciparum DNA in Anopheles gambiae by PCR (i.e., taxonomic information) Ref: V. McMillan

28. Title: Be Specific • For a methods paper: • No need to say “New” method for….. • If it is an improved method, say what the improvement is: Rapid Phenol-Free Method for DNAExtraction from Anopheles gambia Larvae Ref: M. Zeiger

29. Running Title • Shorter version of title • Appears as a short phrase- At bottom or top of every page of paper • Includes key words Ref: M. Zeiger

30. Running Title: Example Title: Widespread Atypical Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Caused by Leishmania chagasi in Nicaragua Running Title: Atypical Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Nicaragua