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This overview provides tips on writing a decent scientific paper and avoiding common mistakes, such as poor reasoning and boring questions. It emphasizes the importance of sweat, thinking, organizing, and practicing in order to achieve success in publishing.
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Scientific papers - getting published (or How to avoid getting kicked )
Overview and Goals • How to avoid kicks –writing a decent paper
Perfect grammar cannot compensate for poor reasoning. • Excellent reasoning cannot compensate for a boring question.
Magic happens Writing a paper
Sweat Think Organize Practice
The magic of the pen lies in the concentration of your thoughts upon one object.Lewes, George Henry1817-1878 British Writer
TITLE • Title - 3 routes Describe the Battle • The effect of X on Y Declare Victory • X increases Y Declare you Won the War • X cures cancer
AUTHORSHIP Authors ? • Substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, analysis or interpretation. • Draft paper or revise it for important intellectual content. • Read and approved final version.
AUTHORS - Make friends or enemies? Authors ? • Does everyone qualify? • Have you left anyone out? • Order? • Seen it? • Never forge a signature • No ghosts or gifts
Abstract • Only thing most people read • Structured abstract • Data
Introduction • Introduction • Why did the study? Not a literature review • Have to sell the idea (why should I care?) • If haven’t hooked the reader you are lost
METHODS Methods • IRB and informed consent • How you did the study • How you analyzed the data
RESULTS Results • What you found. Tell a story • Emphasize the positive • Don’t repeat data • Link to Tables and Figures
Discussion • So What ? • Tell a story, avoid bias - you’ve seen the same movie (the data) • Not a literature review (but think) • Avoid Industry style • The function of statistics is to tell you if findings are statistically significant
CONCLUSION Conclusion • Based on your data • Brief • How much speculation can you get away with ?
References • Primary source often but not always • Reasonable number, avoid narcissism, Refman • Do you cite the journal submitting to? Style? • Tables • Self Standing. Careful with Abbreviations • Data in Tables and text must match • Reasonable number • Figures • Reasonable number • Abbreviations • Quality • Measures of spread
Details • Which Journal ? • Aim high or low? • Appropriate? • Instructions • Cover Letter • responsibilities of the author • Not a book • Don’t bug the Editortoo much Success = 1. new 2. interesting, 3. important and 4. valid
Trivial question (Interesting) “We thus confirmed …” (New) No story (Interesting) Story and data do not match Kisses of Death
Kisses of Death • Reader can’t understand what you did (New, Interesting) • Fails the “So what test” (can’t understand why you did it) (Important) • Invalid – Design, Analysis (Valid) • Salami publication
Make your paper as dense and intelligent (but unintelligible) as possible. Use lots of abbreviations “In vivo high-resolution CEMRI is capable of quantitatively measuring the dimensions of the intact FC and LR-NC. These new parameters may be useful to evaluate plaque vulnerability and provide continuous variables for characterizing the intact FC and LR-NC in progression and regression studies.” Circulation 2005:112: 3437 -3444 Kisses of Death
Bad Form Sloppy Missing pages Illegible pages Wrong version Typos Comments visible Poor English etc
Very Bad Form • Submitting to 2 journals at once • Blindsided authors • Salami publication
GOING TO JAIL FORM • Duplicate publication • Making up data
In the beginning …… So what? One sentence telegraphs the next One paragraph telegraphs the next Imaginary Headings Revise, revise , revise Proffread “..… I hope to hear from you soon shorty.” Telling a story
Resources • Essential of Writing Biomedical Research Papers 2nd ed Mimi Zeiger • Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals : Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication. www.icmje.org
STOP How to avoid kicks SWEAT, THINK, ORGANIZE, PRACTICE It is all in the details