How to write a scientific paperSorin Barac, MD PhDDivision of MicrosurgeryVictor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara

Scientific papers = important though poorly understood method of publication. important: you cannot get money from the govt/univ poorly understood: they are not written very well1. Introduction

Example: the introduction is supposed to introduce the reader to the subject, so that the paper will be comprehensible even if the reader has not done any work in the field.1. Introduction

The real purpose of introductions, of course, is to cite - your own work - the work of your advisor - the work of your spouse - the work of a friend from college- the work of someone you've never met, IF your name is on the paperNote! citations should not be limited to refereed journal articles, but should also include conference proceedings, and other published or unpublished work.1. Introduction

At the end of the introduction: you must summarize the paper by reciting the section headings.

1. IntroductionIn this paper, we discuss: scientific research (R) (section 2), scientific writing (section 3), scientific publication (section 4), and draw some conclusions (section 5).

The purpose of science = to get paid for doing fun* stuff2. Scientific research*young and bright people are curios as how things work, they are attracted to exploration

science = discovering something new about the Universe2. Scientific researchbut this isn't really necessarywhat is really necessary is a grant

Rules for obtaining a grant- your R will discover something incredibly fundamental- you are the best person to do this particular Rso you should cite yourself both early and often cite other papers as well, if you are on the author list2. Scientific research

Once you get the grant, your university, company, or government agency will immediately take 30 to 70% of it so that they can: - heat the building- pay for Internet connections, and - purchase large yachts2. Scientific research

Now it's time for the actual R. You will quickly find out that (a) your project is not as simple as you thought it would be and (b) you can't actually solve the problem. 2. Scientific researchHowever -- and this is very important you must publish anyway!!!

You've spent years on a project and have finally discovered you can't solve the problem you set out to solve. Nonetheless, you have a responsibility to present your R to the scientific community. Be aware! - () results can be just as important as (+) results- if you don't publish enough you'll never be able to stay in science.3. Scientific writing

Prepare to write a publishable paper1. Organize your materialCover letterCopyright transfer pageTitle pageAbstract and key wordsText - IntroductionMaterials and methodsResultsDiscussion, with conclusionsAcknowledgementReferencesTables Figure legendsCopy of each figure

Writing1. TitleGive a snappy title: - interesting, easy to understand, simple, concise - short- indicate study design- begin with a key wordProvide the species of animals used in the study

Writing2. AbstractTake time to polish the abstract - make a good impression with a well written abstract- most people read only your abstract! - structure it: background; methods, results, conlusions- clearly describe the problem in the first sentence, begin with a key word- indicate study design- avoid using the same sentences in abstract/body of the paper Keep it shortProvide the species of animals used in the study

Writing3. IntroductionBegin with thunder - write an introductory reader grabber: a provocative question, a new perspective, a good quotation- explain why your study is necessary Provide adequate background information- start with a general, yet concise description of the problem - reference previous work that supports your ideas - define all potentially questionable terms

Writing3. IntroductionArticulate the purpose of your study- the aim and hypothesis should b easy to find and understand- provide a map showing the direction of your studyRemember! A good paper has one main problem to solve, not 2 or 3

Writing4. MethodsReplicability of results is the heart of science- present clear, but detailed description of research design Organize the methods- study design - describe it carefully- eligibility- randomisation, blinding- intervention and compliance- statistical analysisDescribe your data collection method- who, what, when, where, how, why

Writing4. MethodsEligibility- describe the - source of the study subjects - inclusion/exclusion criteria- provide the beginning / ending dates of the study- describe the informed consent process

Writing4. MethodsIntervention and compliance- describe medical devices, dosage, route of administration, - include the trade, name, and the manufacturers name, location in parentheses- provide evaluation of the tests- diagnostic tests - determine the presence of disease- screening tests - detect individuals that need more testing- prognostic tests - predict the outcome of disease

Writing4. MethodsSample size- description of the sample size calculations is CRUCIAL Statistical analysis- describe the statistical analysis carefully- provide reproducible details of your statistical methods- explain why did you choose specific tests

Writing5. ResultsOrganize the results- present your results enthusiastically - remember Archimedes reaction- summarize the similar types of numbers in tables, refer the reader to them and shorten the text the ResultsPresent the results in a natural orderStart your Results section with the major positive findings, report negative associations at the end

Writing5. Results: Use statistical terms skillfully Significant = probably caused by something other that mere chance - statistically significant - probability of the finding to occur by chance is less than 5% (P < 0.05).Random = each element in a set has an equal probability of occurrence (not unplanned, incidental) A sample = a finite part of a statistical population whose properties are studied to gain information about the wholeA random sample = a chance selection in which all members of the base population presumably have the same chance of being selected

Writing5. Results: Describe people sensitively and diplomatically Subject, individual, caseMan, woman, patient (pt), participant45 males45 male patients, 45 men67 females67 female patients, 67 womenHad surgeryUnderwent surgeryPatients with complicationsPt who experience complicationsEpileptics People with epilepsyMental disorderImpaired cognitive functionIn 43 pt used as controlsFor 43 pt who served as controlsMan and wife Husband and wife, man and womanOrientalsAsian people

Writing5. Results: Tables Checklist for creating a high quality tableSimple and self-explanatoryNot a repetition of the textDouble spacedUnits provided for each variable values are either SD or SE of the meanExact P values included No vertical lines

Writing5. Results: Figures 1. Use graphs to illustrate only the major points, particularly those that cannot be easily expressed in the text or tables2. Obtain written permission for any figures or tables that you borrow from published work

Writing5. Results: Figures Checklist for creating a high quality figureThick linesLarge textExact P values included Clear, detailed legendInformation that is not included in the textSelf explanatory

Writing5. Discussion Start the discussion with your most important pointYou should start with one sentence that clearly shows that your paper contains new information: We found that Then describe your findings and explain their importance The Discussion is the place to discuss the implications of your findings - not simply repeat them Do not discuss any data that you did not present in the Results (that your study did not generated)

Writing5. Discussion Describe the NEW INFORMATION your paper providesCompare your study with previous studies Discuss how your results compare with landmark papersWhen your conclusions differ - explain whySay what you mean, mean what you say, but dont say it mean.

Writing5. Discussion Be skeptical of published workDo not fail to consider the null hypothesisMost people - especially younger doctors and students - assume that any published report is true and unconsciously add their name to the author list It is safer to assume that the author was wrong and see if he or she can overcome your skepticismEx: are conclusions based on recent data?, a large sample size?, are data drawn from a population appropriate for your needs?

Writing5. ConclusionsConclude with a Bolt of lightningWhat do you recommend?Provide conclusions that are fully supported by your dataAre the conclusions correctly derived from the data presented?Are the recommendations too general?

Writing5. ConclusionsAnswer the question: Who cares? What are the clinical applications of your findings?Describe precisely what further research is neededIf you recommend additional research explain whyEx: a larger sample is needed to permit more statistically significant conclusions - explain why you paper makes a contribution despite this problem

Writing5. ReferencesUse full length articles from peer reviewed journals Abstracts are not allowed Paper submitted but not accepted are not allowed Limit references to key citations (20-40)Place reference citations properly- Previous reports have shown an incidence of 50%12,24,29

Writing5. Referencing systemsCitation-Order, Citation-by-Reference, or Vancouver SystemAuthor-Date, Name-and-Year, or Harvard SystemAlphabet Number SystemFormat references correctly (see abbreviations)

While writing a scientific paper, the most important thing to remember is that the word "which" should almost never be used. Be sure to spend at least 50% of your time (i.e., 12 hours a day) typesetting the paper so that all the tables look nice. 3. Scientific writing

You've written the paper, and now it's time to submit it to a scientific journal. The journal editor will pick the referee most likely to be offended by your paper at least the referee will read it and get a report back within the lifetime of the editor. Referees who don't care about a paper have a tendency to leave manuscripts under a growing pile of paper until the floor collapses, killing the 27 students who share the office below.4. Scientific publishing

Be aware! every scientific paper contains serious errors. If your errors are not caught before publication, you'll eventually have to write an erratum to the paper explaining (a) how and why you messed up and (b) that even though your experimental results are now totally different, your conclusions need not be changed. 4. Scientific publishing

Errata can be good for your career. They are easy to write, and the convention is to reference them as if they were real papers, leading the casual reader--and perhaps also the Science Citation Index--to think that you've published more papers than you really have . 4. Scientific publishing

The conclusion section is very easy to write: - take your abstract and change the tense from present to past. - mention at least one relevant theory only in the abstract and conclusion. By doing this, you don't have to say why your experiment does (or does not) agree with the theory, you merely have to state that it does (or does not).5. Conclusions

We (meaning I) presented observations on the scientific publishing process which (meaning that) are important and timely in that unless I have more published papers soon, I will never get another job. These observations are consistent with the theory that 1. it is difficult to do good science2. write good scientific papers, and 3. have enough publications to get future jobs.5. Conclusions

Thank you

*******The grant agency must also believe that*The grant agency must also believe that*The grant agency must also believe that*The grant agency must also believe that*The body of a good paper is a thunderbolt in reverse*Otherwise the reviewer might agree with you, send the manuscript back and encourage you to enlarge your sample *Otherwise the reviewer might agree with you, send the manuscript back and encourage you to enlarge your sample *Otherwise the reviewer might agree with you, send the manuscript back and encourage you to enlarge your sample *The grant agency must also believe that*The grant agency must also believe that*The grant agency must also believe that*The grant agency must also believe that*all you have to do is toIt's considered good form to*The grant agency must also believe that