HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER Full Unequivocal Data Set Focus Careful Planning Organization Attention to Detail Communication with Colleagues

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER FALLACY:It’s only the number of papers that count FACT:One good detailed paper in a prestigious journal is worth far more than smaller component papers in lesser journals!

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER AUTHORSHIP Before Starting to Write, Define the Following: A)Who will be coauthors B)Who only will be acknowledged C)Order of authors POTENTIAL PROBLEMS A)Senior Authorship/Independence B)Co-contributing 1 st and 2 nd Authors

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER Choose the journal before you start writing Carefully review several recent issues Study the “Instructions to Authors” Identify publication costs

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER COMMON GRAMMAR/STYLE ISSUES -Spelling: British vs American -Spell-check: false security -Active vs passive voice -Multiple adjectives -Incorrect use of “due to” -Ambiguous use of “this” -Hyphenation -Abbreviations -Run-on, sentences, use of semicolons

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER TITLE PAGE ●Choice of Title Short Description of major conclusion ●Running Title Not longer than SPECS Include words from title No unusual abbreviations ●Authors’ Names Check instructions ●Footnotes/Symbols ●Author for correspondence ●Key words

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER ABBREVIATIONS ●Check instructions ●Standard abbreviations ●Frequent cumbersome phrases/words ●Abbreviation list vs in text ●Generally don’t begin a sentence with an abbreviation

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER ABSTRACT/SUMMARY ●“Is the entire paper worth reading?” ●A brief account of paper’s relevant points ●Length and format specified for each journal (i.e. continuous vs. specific sections) ●It must stand alone without reference to text body

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PPAER INTRODUCTION ●Long enough to place paper in context ●Reasons for doing study ●Methods used ●Indication of conclusions ●DON’T MAKE INTRO TOO LONG!! ●Don’t provide a complete history of field ● Basically: What you did, why you did it, what you found!

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER MATERIALS AND METHODS ●Provide sufficient detail for others to repeat and/or understand differences from past/future studies ●Use subtitles ●Patient populations: Tables, Inclusion/exclusion criteria ●Use generic vs. trade names ●If unusual complexities, consider appendix ●Make sure statistics are appropriate

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER RESULTS ●Logical sequence of presentation ●Minimize “unpublished results” ●Use subheadings ●Use appropriate tables/illustrations ●Don’t repeat data in text and tables/ills ●Number of significant places after decimal ●Patent issues

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER DISCUSSION “Reviewers rarely complain a discussion is too brief” ●Provide summary of results and how results led to conclusion ●Place results in context of current knowledge ●Impact of data (present and future) ●Unanswered questions ●Limitations of study ●Use subheadings ●Don’t overemphasize your own work

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ●Those not listed as authors who helped with study -Intellectual input -Encouragement -Special measurements/reagents -Techs in lab -Secretarial assistance ●Research support ●CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER REFERENCES ●CHECK WITH “INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS” ●Numerous variations ●Full names vs. initials ●Number of names before et al ●Page inclusitivity ●Punctuation ●Order in text vs. alphabetical ●No unpublished data or personal communications in this section ●Limit “historical” references ●Keep number of references as short as feasible

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER FIGURES/LEGENDS ●Focus on key points ●Don’t clutter Illustrations ●Define symbols/abbreviations in legends ●Label axes ●Use same units as in text ●Photo authenticity (in view of recent scandal) ●Obtain permission for use of previously published material

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER SUBMISSION ●Address letter to Editor ●Describe paper in 3-4 sentences ●Why it is appropriate to this journal ●If allowable, suggest reviewers ●Define any competitors who you feel would give unfair review ●Signatures of all coauthors on statement of authenticity/responsibility

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER RESPONSE LETTER WITH REVISION ●Segregate responses to Editor and each reviewer ●Repeat responses to each reviewer even if already responded to another ●Respond to each comment (consider numbering) ●Start with polite intro to each reviewer: “We are grateful to reviewer A for useful comments....” ●Consider placing Reviewer’s comment in letter immediately above your response ●Make sure pagination of initial and revision are synchronous and differences stated ●Don’t try to “muscle” the Reviewer!

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER COMMON MISTAKES ●Failure to follow instructions ●Too many fonts on the title page ●Inconsistent formatting in the body of the manuscript ●Errors in the punctuation of references in the List of References ●Failure to indicate the variability and/or reproducibility of results ●Results that are given to a degree of accuracy that far exceeds the accuracy of measurements ●Graphs and histograms without indications of standard deviations From Korner, AM. Guide to Publishing a Scientific Paper

HOW TO WRITE A GOOD PAPER ●Outline Key Aspects of Paper! ●Introduction ●Method ●Results ●Conclusion ●Review with Senior Author and Key Collaborators ●Write First Draft ●Review with Senior Author/Key Authors ●Review Subsequent Drafts ●Penultimate Draft Sent to all Co-Authors