SLIDE 1 Introduction to Scientific Writing Aya Goto

Ethics in writing  Duplicate publication Do not submit the same work (journal article, presentation, etc.) more than once! However, secondary publication in another language in other countries can be justifiable and beneficial, provided that permission is obtained from the first journal and it is clearly stated that the paper has been published elsewhere. SLIDE 2

 Plagiarism Do not COPY sentences from previous articles or borrow ideas without citation! However, you can learn writing style from previous articles. Paraphrase when you want to use commonly used phrases.  Authorship All persons should have participated sufficiently in the “work”. “Work” = Study designing, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, manuscript writing, providing critical comments, or supervision. SLIDE 3

Order: First author did the most of work. Second author directly helped the work. Last author supervised the work. Note. “Corresponding author” is responsible for communicating with the journal editorial office. Acknowledgement: List all persons who contributed to the study, but do not meet the criteria for authorship. SLIDE 4 Peh WC, Ng KH. Publication ethics and scientific misconduct. Singapore Med J. 2010;51(12): Peh WC, Ng KH. Publication ethics and scientific misconduct. Singapore Med J. 2010;51(12):

Writing style  Concise and well structured. DO NOT REPEAT!  Four sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion  Double space, do not align the right margin.  words  Times New Roman, Font 12  Check journal’s author instructions SLIDE 5

Title and four sections  Title should reflect the major point(s) of the paper.  Introduction = Background + aim(s) Background explains why the topic is important and what is already known.  Methods = Subject selection + study methods Subject selection: Inclusion and exclusion criteria, study site, etc. Study methods: Study design, survey items, statistical analysis, ethical consideration, etc. SLIDE 6

 Results = Tables & graphs + explanations in text List the main specific findings. No need to explain all numbers in tables and graphs.  Discussion = Summary of main findings + interpretation of each finding + clinical implications + study limitations + conclusion SLIDE 7 Many people have difficulty distinguishing results and discussion. State only the specific findings in numbers the results. Interpret the findings in the discussion.

Be prepared for many revisions. # 1 # 2 # 3 # 4

Abstract  Write when you are finished with other parts.  Structured abstract is a short summary of your paper with four sections: Purpose: One or two sentences Methods: Study design, site, subjects, main survey items, (and analysis) Results: Main results Conclusion: One or two sentences that are coherent with the purpose.  About 250 words  Check the journal style. SLIDE 9