Scientific papers - getting published (or How to avoid getting kicked )

1. Scientific papers - getting published (or How to avoid getting kicked )

3. Overview and Goals • How to avoid kicks –writing a decent paper

4. Perfect grammar cannot compensate for poor reasoning. • Excellent reasoning cannot compensate for a boring question.

5. Magic happens Writing a paper

7. Sweat Think Organize Practice

8. The magic of the pen lies in the concentration of your thoughts upon one object.Lewes, George Henry1817-1878 British Writer

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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

12. Abstract • Only thing most people read • Structured abstract • Data

13. 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

14. METHODS Methods • IRB and informed consent • How you did the study • How you analyzed the data

15. RESULTS Results • What you found. Tell a story • Emphasize the positive • Don’t repeat data • Link to Tables and Figures

16. 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

17. CONCLUSION Conclusion • Based on your data • Brief • How much speculation can you get away with ?

18. 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

19. 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

20. Trivial question (Interesting) “We thus confirmed …” (New) No story (Interesting) Story and data do not match Kisses of Death

21. 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

22. 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

23. Bad Form Sloppy Missing pages Illegible pages Wrong version Typos Comments visible Poor English etc

24. Very Bad Form • Submitting to 2 journals at once • Blindsided authors • Salami publication

25. GOING TO JAIL FORM • Duplicate publication • Making up data

26. 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

27. 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

28. STOP How to avoid kicks SWEAT, THINK, ORGANIZE, PRACTICE It is all in the details