Copyright Alcohol Medical Scholars Program1 Organizing a Paper or Lecture 1

2 Overview  Searching the literature  Taking notes  Creating an outline  Summary

3 Searching the Literature  Find an on line database of periodicals –PubMed for medical topics –PsycInfo for psychological topics –Or, go to library and get help from reference librarian  Select recent review articles in good journals  Find recent articles from reference lists of the review articles

4 Taking Notes – 1  Begin with comprehensive recent paper  Read and make tentative list of major subtopics for your paper/lecture  Create a series of blank pages with each subtopic as a heading

5 Taking Notes – 2  Select a paper to read and note info relevant to each topic on each relevant page –Begin each note by listing a shorthand for paper it came from (“O’Brien, JSA,1994”)  Each page of notes will now have all information from all articles on each topic –E.g., epidemiology, pharmacological treatments, etc.  Of course, use additional pages for a topic if the first page fills up

6 When Reviewing Papers  Know goal  Begin with abstract  If needed, study –Tables –Methods –Conclusions –Etc.  See if Introduction or Discussion give useful references

7 Revising Notes  Review topic headings on each page  See which additional topics are needed for the paper/lecture  Continue reviewing and revising

8 Preparing to Write  For each topic, write a brief summary of major points made  Place topics in the order relevant to your lecture/paper  Begin the outline

9 Guidelines for Consistency  “Abuse” and “Dependence” refer to DSM-IV diagnoses only  Create a skeleton others can modify  Show where slides go  Outline: ~5-10 pages  Visuals: ~15-30 slides

10 Creating an Outline  Requires brief phrases or short sentences –Goal is to guide writing/lecture structure and logical flow –Allows you to speak and write in own words –Helps you find your place  KISS (Keep It Simple) –Don’t write a paper –Keep to a skeleton of ideas and their support

11 Complex Outline IV. Writing can be easy. All you need are a few basic skills and a lot of practice. A.Keep your logical prior step in mind, and always remember to create a segue for your next step. B.Keep the level of vocabulary appropriate for the audience. C.Be sure to emphasize each major point several times.

12 Simple Outline IV. Writing - easy A.Be logical B.Be appropriate for audience C.Emphasize major points

13 Organizing the Outline I.Epidemiol A.Prev B.Incidence  For each major topic, select the points needed to make the major point –These are listed under each Roman number as capital letters I.Epi A.Prev 1.Youth 2.Adults  Any points required for support of A, B, etc. are listed under that capital as Arabic numerals I. II. III. IV. I. II. III. IV.  Choose a limited number of major points to make –These become Roman numerals

14 An Example Outline I. Introduction A.Epidemiology 1.Use 2.Disorders a.Abuse b.Dependence I. Introduction A.Epidemiology 1.Use 2.Disorders a.Abuse b.Dependence

15 References  Recent papers & reviews  for AMSP lectures  Use numbers in text  Example in References: 8.Kendler KS, Thornton LM, Garner CO: Stressful life events. Am J Psychiatry 2000; 157:

16 Summary  Good organization is key  Always start with an overview/outline of major points  Consistency, accuracy, clarity and flow of ideas are essential