Reporting your Findings- What does it take to clear the “peer-reviewed” hurdle?

DIE 4564 Research Methods Week 3 Day 3 Reporting your Findings- What does it take to clear the “peer-reviewed” hurdle?

General Guidelines • Use proper grammar and spelling • Use a style guide (such as APA)

Writing Research • General Guidelines • Understand functions of scientific reporting • A report should communicate a body of specific data and ideas. • A report should contribute to the general body of scientific knowledge. • A report should stimulate and direct further inquiry.

Avoid Plagerism Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s words or thoughts as though they were your own, constituting intellectual theft. • Ground rules for avoiding plagiarism: 1. Do not use another writer’s exact words without using quotation marks and giving a complete citation. 2. Do not edit or paraphrase another’s words and present the revised version as your own. 3. Do not present another’s ideas as your own, even if you use totally different words to express those ideas.

Writing Research • Some Basic Considerations • Audience • Form and Length of Report • Aim of Report • “Advice to Authors” – guidelines for journal publication

Choosing a Target Journal Researchers who want to publish their findings must identify one or more journals that could reasonably be expected to disseminate their reports. Selecting a target journal early in the writing process makes it easier to hone the paper’s message for the journal’s audience.

Aim, Scope, Audience The most important considerations when considering potential target journals are the fit of the research topic with the aims, scope, and audience of the journal. Some general journals are very broad in focus, while some specialty journals publish in only one geographic or subspecialty area.

Impact Factors The target journal should not be selected primarily because of its impact factor, ranking, or reputation, but these are all factors to consider. The impact factor is based on the number of times a typical article in a journal is cited in its first year or two after publication.

Journal Characteristics After identifying potential journals, look at the journal requirements, such as word limits turnaround time (the average time from submission to first decision) acceptance rates the method of submission

Publication Costs Although many journals are able to cover costs through subscriptions, advertising, and/or the support of a professional society, an increasing number of them are resorting to a variety of mechanisms that compel authors to cover some of the costs of publishing.

Publication Costs Examples of these publication costs are: submission fees processing charges / fees page charges / fees membership fees for sponsoring organizations open access fees Publication fees are usually disclosed in a journal’s author guidelines and/or on the journal’s website.

Online Journals The vast majority of print publications also offer online access to subscribers. Some recently-founded journals are available only online. Some open-access online journals are well respected, but be cautious about publishing in new, unproven journals. Before submitting to an online-only journal, be sure that the journal is legitimate.

From Paper to Publication A manuscript has a high likelihood of eventually being published if it is written in decent English, if the methods were reasonably rigorous and valid, and if the findings have a clear application or message. Publication is a priority for many health researchers because, from the perspective of the broader scientific community, a project that has not been published is a project that never happened.

The Paper’s “Plot” Every paper should tell a “story” that has: • A beginning—the introduction sets the stage • A middle—the methods and results say what happened • An end—the discussion provides a conclusion that ties all the parts of the story together The first step in editing is to make sure that the big picture is being clearly communicated.

Does the Paper Tell a Compelling “Story”?

Organization of the Report • Purpose and Overview • Provide a brief statement of the purpose of the study and the main findings (in a journal article, this is the abstract) • Review of the Literature • Fit your research into the context of existing scientific knowledge

Organization of the Report • Study Design and Execution • Include the population, the sampling frame, the sampling method, the sample size, the data collection method, the completion rate, and the methods of data processing and analysis.

Organization of the Report • Analysis and Interpretation • The presentation, manipulation and interpretation of data should be integrated together • Summary and Conclusions • Review significant findings in the context of the larger project and existing scientific research, review shortcomings and make suggesting for future research

Guidelines for Reporting Analyses • Provide maximum data without being cluttered • For quantitative data, presenting data such that the reader can re-compute them • Describe all aspects of quantitative analysis • Provide details • Integrate supporting materials • Draw explicit conclusions • Point out qualifications • Write clearly

Tables & Figures Many health journals limit the number of tables and figures allowed for each article, often to a maximum total of four (tables and figures combined). This limit means that the content for tables and figures must be carefully selected to highlight the most important aspects of the study.

Tables & Figures Tables should be used to organize and present statistical results that cannot easily be listed in the text in a sentence or two. Graphs and other figures should be used when a visual presentation of the material is more effective than words at conveying a result. Any images used should be meaningful, not merely decorative. There is no need to repeat information in the text that is provided in a table or figure.

Tables A table should provide enough information so that it can be independently interpreted and understood even in the absence of the text. The rows and columns should each have a descriptive label. For each statistic, provide a confidence interval, p-value, and/or other measure of uncertainty. Consistent fonts, spacing, and number of decimal points should be used for all tables in the manuscript.

FIGURE 29- 1 Example Frequency Table for a Case Series

Figures A graph should provide enough information in the title, figure, and/or legend or key for a reader to be able to interpret the graph even without reading the related portion of the text. High-resolution photographs, maps, flowcharts, and other images made by the authors can also be figures. Photographs of study participants are usually not allowed without the written permission of the subjects.

FIGURE 29- 2 Examples of Correct and Problematic Graphs

Key Content for Articles Reporting on Analysis of Individual-Level Data

Common Reporting Guidelines

Style & Clarity In a final check, look at each word, sentence, paragraph, and section, examining style and clarity. • Words must be used carefully. • Sentences must be concise and clear. • The voice must be consistent. • The grammar and spelling must be proper throughout.

From Paper to Publication Submitting to a journal as soon as a revised and polished manuscript has been crafted is critical. Submission is not the end of the writing process. Additional revisions will likely be required, even if the first journal to which a manuscript is submitted accepts the paper.

Journal Selection Once all coauthors are satisfied that the manuscript is ready to be submitted for peer review, one journal must be selected as the first journal for submission. Submitting to two or more journals at the same time is not permitted in the health sciences. See the website of the Committee on Publication Ethics about appropriate conduct for authors.

Manuscript Formatting Each journal provides author guidelines that state how manuscripts should be formatted. The guidelines must be carefully followed.

Manuscript Formatting Requirements Addressed by Journals’ Author Guidelines

Cover Letter Even though most submissions are made online, a cover letter must usually still be uploaded. The letter should summarize the manuscript and seek to convince the editor that the work is important, valid, original, and a good fit with the aims of the journal. The editorial staff’s decision about whether to consider the article for publication may be made solely on the basis of the abstract and cover letter, so these documents should be compelling.

Sample Cover Letter Content

Online Submission Most journals require online submission. Only the corresponding author—the coauthor who will communicate with the journal and answer questions from readers after the paper is published—needs to register. In addition to facilitating submission of the manuscript, the online account enables the corresponding author to track the manuscript’s progress through the review process.

Initial Review Once a manuscript is submitted, the journal’s editorial staff does a preliminary review and decides whether to send the manuscript to external peer reviewers or to reject it without review. Some journals send nearly all manuscripts out to reviewers; others select only a small fraction of them for peer review.

The Journal Review Process

Rejection Without Review Rejection without review is often not a commentary on the quality of the manuscript. It is rather a decision based on the perceived fit of the paper with the journal’s current interests. If an article is rejected without review, the authors should identify a different journal that might be a better fit, make any edits deemed necessary, reformat the manuscript for the new journal, and submit there.

External Review Results Decision letters sent after peer review are almost always accompanied by comments provided by one to four reviewers. An external peer review can lead to three possible results: Rejection An opportunity to revise and resubmit Acceptance

Rejection Rejection from one (or even several) journals does not mean that a paper will never be published. Most papers can be made suitable for publication if the researchers are willing to learn from each set of reviewer comments. Never submit to a second journal without taking advantage of the input provided by the first set of reviewers.

Revision & Resubmission Authors invited to revise and resubmit (R&R) to the same journal need to edit the manuscript and prepare a response to each reviewer comment. Every response needs to be carefully constructed and respectful. Authors who disagree with the suggestion of a reviewer are not obligated to change their paper to suit the reviewer, but they do need to write a thoughtful explanation of their point of view.

Sample Responses to Reviewer Comments

After Acceptance Once a paper is formally accepted, it is usually sent to a copyeditor, who checks the paper carefully for grammar, spelling, and adherence to the journal’s style. The paper is then sent to a layout specialist who formats the document to look like all the other articles published in the journal. The page proofs (or galley proofs) are then sent to the corresponding author for review, usually as a pdf file.

After Acceptance After the authors return the page proofs, the time to publication of the article depends on the journal. Soon after the article is published, the abstract will be added to the databases that index the journal. The published article may be cited for the first time in another article about a year or so after publication. At this point, the research cycle is complete!

Chapter 17 Quiz In most journals, each article beings with a/n _____. A. table of contents B. index C. summary D. abstract

Chapter 17 Quiz Answer: D. In most journals, each article beings with an abstract.

Chapter 17 Quiz 2. Most original research is seen as a/n _____ of what has previously been learned. A. cause B. replacement C. extension

Chapter 17 Quiz Answer: C. Most original research is seen as an extension of what has previously been learned.

Reporting your Findings- What does it take to clear the “peer-reviewed” hurdle?