Writing Materials and Methods Prof. Bünyamin ŞAHİN Ondokuz Mayis University, Faculty of Medicine Department of Anatomy, TURKİYE

Objectives General information Writing style Materials – Animal groups, Patients-volunteers, Imaging, Gadgets, Solutions, Drugs Methods Statistics Final comments

The Sections of the Scientific Paper Content Section of Paper Summary in a nutshellAbstract Description of the problemIntroduction Solution way of the problemMaterials and Methods Findings to solve the problemResults Interpretation of the findingsDiscussion Mentioning the contributorsAcknowledgments (optional) Used referencesLiterature Cited Extra InformationAppendices (optional)

General Information The method has already mentioned The reasons has already mentioned It’s time for detail All the details are given like receipts They must be sufficient to repeat the experiment

Style Report methods in past tense (we measured) But use present tense to describe how data are presented in the paper Don’t say I, say we Passive form

Style Appropriate terminology-Jargons! Short and clear sentences Punctuation marks, abbreviations and units must be correct Subheadings Parallel to the results

A square grid test system with d= 0.5 cm between teste points was used to estimate the sectioned surface area of the slices( Fig. 1A). To estimate liver volume, the modified formula used for volume estimations of radiological images was applied.

Style Be clear and concise avoid from unnecessary words or phrases. Write briefly. Follow the general rules. Do NOT use colloquial speech or slang. Do NOT use contractions; spell everything out.

Materials and Methods Explain clearly how you carried out your study in the following general structure and organization: permissions time and duration the organism(s) studied a description of the study site the experimental or sampling design the protocol for collecting data how the data were analyzed

Permissions Studies on patients or volunteers need approval from an ethics committee and informed consent from participants Appropriate written consents, permissions, and releases Ethical approval of the animal studies should be documented in your paper.

Materials and Methods

Materials Animal groups Patients-volunteers Imaging Gadgets Solutions Drugs

Animal Groups Describing the groups – Grup1, 2 or a, b ? – Pure control, sham control, short term or long term exposure groups Number, weight, age, sex and species of animals Sampling protocol Taxonomic writing (Felis domesticus) Source

Patients-Volunteers Groups Ethical permissions and informed consents Selecting the groups, subjects and matching Numbers of the participants Weight, age, length, BMI and gender Socio-demographic structure

Imaging Source of the images Imaging center The name, produces, brand name, model and producing country's name Inclusion or exclusion criteria Institutional permissions

Gadgets Names The name, produces, brand name, model and producing country's name, if it is required Technical details Processing details

Solutions and Drugs Ingredients Brand name, if it is necessary Source Preparation method Administration, dose and periods Instead of 1 st solution 0.9% NaCl solution

Method Experiment, observation, measurement, application and design Chronological presentation Receipts in cookbook Exact, clear and easy to follow In case of new methods detailed description

If any of your methods is fully described in a previous publication, you can cite that instead of describing the procedure again. Example: The chromosomes were counted at meiosis in the anthers with the standard acetocarmine technique of Snow (1955). Notice the format of mathematical expressions. Equations are spaced apart from the text.

Method Explain the reason for the method What variables were measured Pictures and flowcharts Tables related to the method Do not mention any of your result

Method Methodological limitations should be given Reviewers will notice if you hide Explaining basic data must be mentioned in the discussion Assistance of a collogue for intelligibility

Statistics In the last paragraph Significance level should be mentioned (p≤0.05) Quantitative data (mean± standard error) Two digits decimals ( cm 3 )

Statistics Type of data and used statistic Standard statistics-without explaining Details-inexperienced author? Reference may be given for advanced or rare statistics Software

Statistics A Paired t-test was used to compare mean flight duration before and after applying stablizers to the glider's wings. One way ANOVA was used to compare mean weight gain in weight-matched calves fed the three different rations. Comparisons among the three pH treatment groups for each variable were done using one way ANOVA (with Tukey's post hoc test) or a Kruskal-Wallis Test (with Dunn's post hoc test).

Problem: The Methods section is prone to being wordy or overly detailed. The petri dish was placed on the turntable. The lid was then raised slightly. An inoculating loop was used to transfer culture to the agar surface. The turntable was rotated 90 degrees by hand. The loop was moved lightly back and forth over the agar to spread the culture. The bacteria were then incubated at 37 C for 24 hr.

Improved Examples Each plate was placed on a turntable and streaked at opposing angles with fresh overnight E. coli culture using an inoculating loop. The bacteria were then incubated at 37 C for 24 hr. Each plate was streaked with fresh overnight E. coli culture and incubated at 37 C for 24 hr.

Final comment Write the paper as clear as possible Avoid redundancy Do not lose the main axis of the study Follow the standard rules Carefully follow the instructions for authors Prepare a good arrangement for paper

Final comment cont.. Take professional assistance of a statistician Keep yourself away from the manuscript for a few weeks before submitting it Request a revision from your colleague

Summary of M and M Materials and techniques Group features Details of the techniques Statistics Clear writing Reproducible Showing the experience

References Babor TF, Stenius K, Savva S, O'reilly J. A Eds. Guide for the Perplexed, Second edition. Phil Lange Chapter 5: How to Write a Scientific Paper for a Peer-Reviewed Journal, 2008, Day RA, How to Write and Publish A Scientific Paper, Fathalla MF. A practical guide for health researchers. WHO Regional Publications Eastern Mediterranean Series, Guidelines for writing scientific papers, honors organismal biology laboratory. Bates College writings, Woodford FP. Scientific writing for graduate students. Council of Biology Editors, 1989.

PROF. BÜNYAMIN ŞAHIN ONDOKUZ MAYIS UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF ANATOMY, TURKİYE THANK YOU VERY MUCH….