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Corso di clinical writing Slide 2 What to expect today? Core modules IntroductionIntroduction General principlesGeneral principles Specific techniquesSpecific techniques Title/Abstract draftingTitle/Abstract drafting Finding out relevant literature, and Introduction draftingFinding out relevant literature, and Introduction drafting Nuts & bolts of statistics and Methods draftingNuts & bolts of statistics and Methods drafting Practical session 1 Appraisal of a published articlePractical session 1 Appraisal of a published article Slide 3 Choice of English Slide 4 Why is this presentation in English? Slide 5 Choice of English Why is this presentation in English? Questa presentazione stata preparata in lingua inglese per permettervi di familiarizzarvi con la terminologia e gli approcci alla scrittura in lingua inglese, e anche perch cos il relatore ha potuto risparmiare tempo e parole, ed essere pi chiaro. (single sentence, 39 words) This presentation was prepared in English to enable you to familiarize with English terms and approaches. Moreover, the speaker could thus save time and words, being also clearer. (two sentences, 28 words) Slide 6 Clinical research writing Is writing a clinical research paper easy? Slide 7 Remember Grossmans words I have not foundwriting one bit easier today than it was 30 years ago. I still have to work at it very hard and make many revisions, with a rare exception because the saying of Francis Bacon has always been deeply impressed in my mind..Writing [maketh an] exact man. Morton Grossman (>400 scientific papers, 134 editorials, and 71 books or book chapters) Slide 8 Paraphrasing Groucho Marx The more you write, the better writer you will become and if I can write in ENGLISH, most of you can! Slide 9 But life is too short Is the paper worth writing? Have similar findings been reported? Is there a need for another report? Are your findings more convincing? Is the paper important? Apply the so-what test Slide 10 Reasons for writing a paper A clinician can write a paper for several reasons: -divertissement -build up the CV -self-advertising -increase collective knowledge Slide 11 Other reasons No publication, no project Make information available for others No publication, no promotion Yardstick of productivity No publication, no funding What have you done for me lately? Slide 12 Other reasons I would urge you to write, not because it is a good thing, not because it is nice to see your name in print, but rather because you will really get to know a field only if you contribute to it Mahoney MJ, Psychology of the Scientist 1979 Slide 13 Disclaimer This talk will not help you if you have nothing to write about: 1.Ability to ask a good question 2.Commitment to career development 3.Willingness to or experience in research 4.Ability to protect your time Slide 14 Who gets the credit Who gets the credit? In science, the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs. Sir Francis Darwin Slide 15 Advice: keep enjoying writing Slide 16 Advice: bring the draft wherever it suits you Slide 17 Advice: maintain a global view as well as a Slide 18 focused, structured and analytic approach Which color for her eyes? Is she a she or a he? What landscape should I paint? Who cares about this painting? In a few years nobody will see it! Am I in love with her? Slide 19 Gestational period for a clinical paper START STUDIES/ EXPERIMENTS WRITE AND SUBMIT REWRITE AND RESUBMIT WAIT PUBLISHED! 4-24 months 2-4 months 14-44 Months! PROTOCOL/IRB 2-4 months BEST GUESS Slide 20 Time to publication More realistic time from submission to publication projections in the WWW era: Letters to the Editor4-12 weeks Editorials3-6 months Reviews6-12 months Case reports6-12 months Non-RCT clinical studies6-18 months RCTs6-18 months Ground-breaking RCTs