The formats of scientific articles NECOBELAC Module The formats of scientific articles How to write a scientific paper Paola De Castro Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

FIRST STEPS: basic questions WHY shall I write an article? (select target) WHICH information will I share? (select information) WHERE shall I publish it? (select journal) WHOM shall I write it with? (select co-authors) WHAT are my resources? (budget and time) HOW shall I write an article? P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

SELECTION Scientific content, authors, target… Publication types Track the latest results Publication types BE FAMILIAR WITH RULES Journals (national, international, high IF, online, high rejection rate…) Books or chapters therein Technical reports, conference proceedings Leaflets Posters Conference papers/communications, PPTs Web “documents” (blogs, wikis, answers, etc.) Basic editorial rules and best practices applying to all publications Specific rules per publication type or discipline Editorial style of the journal P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Contributions within a journal Editorials Comments Correspondence Viewpoints Original, research articles Review articles Case histories Book reviews REFER TO THE JOURNAL Instructions to authors Table of contents Published articles P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Materiale didattico delle Lezioni di Paola De Castro "Il lavoro dell'editor" 28/03/2017 NECOBELAC Topic maps P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012 Corso "Creare e gestire con successo una rivista online". CILEA, Roma 15-16 giugno 2009.

WRITING A JOURNAL ARTICLE… Materiale didattico delle Lezioni di Paola De Castro "Il lavoro dell'editor" WRITING A JOURNAL ARTICLE… 28/03/2017 TECHNICAL ISSUES Title Abstract Key words Structure Illustrations References ETHICAL ISSUES Authorship Conflicts of interest Copyright Privacy ROLES Be aware of the responsibilities of editors, authors, referees, editorial staff P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012 Corso "Creare e gestire con successo una rivista online". CILEA, Roma 15-16 giugno 2009.

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS Instructions to authors for over 6,000 journals in the health and life sciences INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS First and last step for article writing. Submit to the right journal!

Authors’ guides within the journal What can I deposit in a repository? Materiale didattico delle Lezioni di Paola De Castro "Il lavoro dell'editor" 28/03/2017 Authors’ guides within the journal What can I deposit in a repository? P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012 Corso "Creare e gestire con successo una rivista online". CILEA, Roma 15-16 giugno 2009.

BASIC SOURCES NECOBELAC pre-course reading “Vancouver style” EASE guidelines for Authors WHY? Concise Complete Easy Last up-dating April 2010 in 19 languages P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

“ICMJE and Vancouver style” In Vancouver a SMALL GRUOP OF EDITORS (NEJM, BMJ, Ann Int Med, Lancet, etc.) met in 1978 INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF MEDICAL JOURNAL EDITORS (ICMJE) Non è una associazione cui possono aderire liberamente i membri Caso mai su invito Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Medical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication “Vancouver style” P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

What is the “Vancouver style”? INITIALLY… Guidelines on standard formats of manuscripts and, in particular, bibliographic references TODAY “de facto” standard shared by the most prestigious medical journals (700)… It includes both manuscript preparation, and ethical issues P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Instructions for authors refer to the Uniform requirements (ICMJE) or “Vancouver style” P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Contents of “Vancouver style” Statement of Purpose Ethical Considerations in the Conduct and Reporting of Research Publishing and Editorial Issues related to Publication in Biomedical Journals IV. Manuscript preparation and submission FINALITÀ E OBIETTIVI CONSIDERAZIONI ETICHE su come riferire i risultati di una ricerca (authorship, conflitti d’interesse, privacy, protezione di animali, ecc.) PROBLEMATICHE EDITORIALI (obbligo di pubblicare risultati negativi, correzioni, copyright, editoria elettronica, pubblicità, rapporto con i media, ecc.) PREPARAZIONE E PRESENTAZIONE DEL MANOSCRITTO (struttura, tabelle, figure, illustrazioni, riferimenti bibliografici, modalità di trasmissione del manoscritto, ecc.) P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

II. Ethical considerations A. Authorship B. Editorship C. Peer-review D. Conflict of interest E. Privacy F. Protection of Human Subjects and Animals in Research P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

II. Ethical considerations A. Authorship Who can be defined as author in the by-line? Authorship credit should be based on Substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data 2) Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content Final approval of the version to be published. Nei Ringraziamenti possono essere citati tutti coloro che hanno dato un aiuto puramente tecnico, assistenza editoriale, capo dipartimento che ha dato supporto generale Authors should meet conditions 1, 2, and 3. Funding , data collection or supervision does not allow authorship P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

WHICH ORDER for authors? II. Ethical considerations A. Authorship WHICH ORDER for authors? There must be agreement among authors Alphabetic order First, the project leader or person in charge of the Dpt Last , the person in charge Other order Gli autori dovrebbero saper spiegare le ragioni della propria scelta (ordine degli autori nella byline) Guest, ghost, gift authors P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

PubMED - Advanced search allows search for last author

ALL names of the group members in the Footnote or Appendix II. Considerazioni etiche. A. Authorship Examples of “Group Authorship” Name, surname, on behalf of the HPV Pathogen-ISS Study Group* Indicate ALL names of the group members in the Footnote or Appendix On behalf of the... Study group CN Collective name in Pubmed XXXX Study group P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Domino effect in error duplication II. Ethical considerations. A. Authorship Domino effect in error duplication If group author is not clearly defined wrong publication wrong indexing wrong citation CREATE AWARENESS AMONG authors editors indexers Nella byline solo gli autori che soddisfano i criteri P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

II. Ethical considerations. A II. Ethical considerations. A. Authorship Searching Group authors in PubMed Insert CN (collective name) In your query for group author P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

II. Ethical considerations B. Editorship Editor (editor in chief) Person responsible for its entire content Editorial Freedom– The editor in chief has full authority of the editorial content Editorial Board – Advisory Board Collaborate with editors to establish and maintain the journal editorial policy Referees P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

II. Ethical considerations C. Peer Review DEFINITION Unbiased and independent assessment of manuscripts submitted to journals by experts (peers) who are not part of the editorial staff TYPES Blinded double blinded open VARIABLES No. of referees Times Procedures (online) “Extention” of the scientific proces It applies to both traditional and OA journals Peer review is widely debated topic, BUT there is no doubt that it helps - editors deciding which manuscripts are suitable for the journals improving the quality of reporting Prolungamento del processo scientifico P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Pre-publication history of an article in BMC Public Health Submission Review report Re-submissions Note on PRIVACY Reviewers’ comments should not be published without authors’, reviewers’ and editor’s consent P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

REVISION: different levels of responsibility 3. PEER REVIEW after submission 1. AUTHORS’ REVISION before submission read instructions to authors read again after some time (one-two days) use check lists Minor revisions Major revisions Authors! Take it seriously! Be prepared to answer all points raised by reviewers 2. INITIAL EDITORIAL REVIEW after submission (before peer review) A paper may be rejected if it is not compliant with journal scope and formats it has poor English 4. TECHNICAL EDITING after acceptance Journal editorial staff Revision improves quality and guarantees a learning opportunity P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

II. Ethical considerations D. Conflicts of interest Conflicts of interests exist when an author his/her institution an editor a reviewer members of the editorial staff have financial or personal relations that inappropriately influence their actions and decisions (bias) EXAMPLE of “Disclosure of Conflicts” These can have a negative influence on scientific judgement P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Ethical considerations E. Privacy and confidentiality It not only applies to PATIENTS and study participants Written informed consent but also to AUTHORS, EDITORS and REVIEWERS Dati personali non rilevanti dovrebbero essere omessi Il consenso informato va previsto nelle istruzioni agli autori e se viene utilizzato va indicato all’articolo This picture would not be suitable for publication P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

III. Publishing and Editorial issues Obligation to publish negative studies provided that they are statistically significant Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern Editors-authors and scientific fraud (COPE) La Cochrane Library potrebbe essere interessata a pubblicarle dati inconclusive The number of Retractions is dramatically increasing (PubMed) P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

COPYRIGHT III. Editorial issues Most scientific journals still ask for copyright transfer OA journals follow a different policy Authors should be able to negotiate their rights Creative Commons Licenses E importante che gli autori capiscano pienamente in cosa consiste questo trasferimento anche per eventuali riproduzioni di tabelle o figure da essi stessi già pubblicate ma che non possono ripubblicare senza avere il consenso della rivista. Annali frase “nel firmare il visto si stampi si intende che gli autori cedono all’ISS I diritti d’autore del lavoro in pubblicazione” Copyright agreements strongly affects deposit in OA repositories P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

USEFUL TOOLS to manage copyright SHERPA/ROMEO publishers’ copyright policies & selfarchiving SPARC Author Addendum to secure your rights Politiche editoriali di tutte le riviste. Institutional Repositorial P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

STRUCTURE of a scientific article IV. Manuscript preparation STRUCTURE of a scientific article abstract title ATTENTION! Do not exceed the required number of words introduction materials and methods results discussion conclusions Citare C7: requirements and preferences for the first pages of journal articles IMRaD ??????????????????????????????????????? plus acknowledgements, if any references appendices, if any P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Discussion and conclusions Material and methods Materiale didattico delle Lezioni di Paola De Castro "Il lavoro dell'editor" 28/03/2017 THE IMRAD STRUCTURE Introduction Background information State specific purpose of the study Limit references Do not include data or conclusions Results Show results in logical order Point out only relevant data And Discussion and conclusions Stress only new aspects Do not repeat what was written in the methods Avoid conclusions which are not associated to reliable data Material and methods Describe (patients, animals, etc.) Define material and equipment Illustrate procedures Compare with other methods P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012 Corso "Creare e gestire con successo una rivista online". CILEA, Roma 15-16 giugno 2009.

Guidelines for the transparent reporting of health research IV. Manuscript preparation Guidelines for the transparent reporting of health research It includes the major reporting guidelines for scientific research and guides for authors Recentemente aggiornate Randomized Clinical Trials Contengono checklist The Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association aderiscono a questo Consort P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

IV. MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION Abstract and key words ALWAYS FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS ABSTRACT Be carefully that it reflects the content of the article Report background, basic procedures , main findings in logical way TYPES: Descriptive, informative, structured, graphical Gli abstracts vengono ripresi dalle basi di dati KEY WORDS Use MESH terms (MEdical Subject Headings) P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

MESH terms from the NLM MESH terms MEdical Subject Headings (NLM) P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

IV. Manuscript preparation Bibliographic references GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS Include only essential references, “in press “papers may be accepted, but avoid “personal communications REFERENCE STYLE AND FORMAT Authors should consult NLM Citing in medicine References should be numbered consecutively in the text Per come citare una “retracted publication” si rimanda al Pubmed. Dà esempi “Retraction in” Only some Journals check accuracy of the references Authors are responsible for their correctness P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

NLM – Citing in Medicine EXAMPLES for Articles in journals Books Other published material Unpublished material Electronic material Quali sono gli elementi identificativi Quale ordine? Autore, titolo, ecc Unpublished material = in press Electronic material; unpublished material P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Basic elements of citation Author (personal or group) Title of the cited document Container (journal, book, etc.) Year of publication Other data publisher, city for books vol. and pages for journals Elementi essenziali che vanno diversamente organizzati a seconda della tipologia dei documenti P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Tables and figures WHEN AND HOW TO USE THEM? Tables  details Graphs  trends Include only necessary data A figure is worth 1000 words FOR ALL IMAGES Comply with instructions to authors Verify that they are mentioned in the text Check consistency of data with text Include them in separate files Number them consecutively Make captions self sufficient Check copyright …. Doppio spazio per le tabelle Verificare la quALITà delle fotografie, soggetti umani, ecc Units of measurement (IS) Abbreviations and Symbols P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

The cover letter your chance to speak to the editor Last, but not least… The cover letter your chance to speak to the editor BASIC INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED Editor name(s) Originality of submission No competing financial interests Desired reviewers Corresponding author Do not summarize the paper, but say why it is special for the journal P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

Any Question? Thank you Paola De Castro Paola.decastro@iss.it P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012