1. Writing for “Innovations in Family Medicine Education”
Joshua Freeman MD, Section Editor
Alison Dobbie MD, Assoc. Section Editor
STFM ANNUAL MEETING 2007

2. Session Overview Introduction, Needs Assessment Goals and Objectives
Mini lecture (Writing for Innovations)
Group writing exercise
Large group discussion
Summary and Wrap-up

3. Needs Assessment – Who has..
Educational projects?
Considered writing up their projects?
Written up at least one project?
Submitted a paper, to Innovations or elsewhere?
Had a paper accepted for publication?

4. Session Goals: Encourage participants to submit to ‘Innovations’
Provide structured guidelines for writing and submitting articles that will increase chances of publication
Have participants
apply these guidelines to existing projects
write a structural draft suitable for ‘Innovations”

5. Mini-Lecture – Writing for Innovations
The idea or project should be:
Innovative
Relevant to Family Medicine education
Interesting to Family Medicine readers
Generalizable to other programs or settings

6. Formatting and Presentation
Authors should write in plain English, using the active voice
1000 words, 1 table or figure
Submissions should be:
double spaced
left justified
comply with format instructions for ‘Family Medicine’: Instructions for Authors

7. Submissions should be scholarly
Glassick’s scholarly criteria
Clear goals
Adequate preparation
Appropriate methods
Significant results
Effective presentation
Reflective critique
Glassick C, Huber MT, Maeroff GI. Scholarship Assessed: evaluation of the professoriate 1997

8. Glassick’s Criterion Applied to Discovery Applied to Teaching
Clear Goals
Clear hypothesis; important question
Clear, achievable, measurable objectives
Adequate preparation
Appropriate knowledge and resources
Up-to-date knowledge; identifies and organizes quantity & level of material specific to objectives
Appropriate methods
Appropriate study design and statistical analysis
Appropriate teaching methods
Assessment methods appropriate to outcomes
Significant results
Hypothesis tested and proved or disproved
Measures quality/effectiveness
Demonstrates learners met objectives
Effective presentation
Peer-reviewed dissemination
Process/outcomes available to colleagues
Reflective critique
Results guide new research
Analysis of teaching activity leads to improvements

9. Submissions should include evaluation
Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Evaluation, as applied to Medical Education
Level 1
Learners’ satisfaction
Level 2A
Change in Knowledge
Level 2B
Change in Attitudes
Level 3
Transfer - Change in behavior
Level 4
Outcomes- Change in practice or
Patient Outcomes

10. Suggested Format - Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions
NOTE: We do NOT wish to be rigid or discourage innovative submission formats
We DO wish to encourage submissions
We DO wish to offer ONE structural template that authors may use
This template is NOT compulsory
We hope you find it practical and useful

11. Introduction State the important educational issue
Explain why it is important
Provide a brief literature review
Identify gaps in the literature
Explain how this project addresses one or more of these gaps
State the project’s educational goals and objectives / research questions

12. Methods Setting and subjects
Research methodology (e.g. randomized controlled trial, pre and post test etc.)
Describe the intervention in detail including validation of tools
Describe the project’s evaluation
Description of statistical methods used
Include an IRB statement (e.g. exempt, expedited)

13. Results Summarize in one table or figure
Every research question or objective should have a result
Report results in the same order as objectives or research questions

14. Discussion Brief and limited for “Innovations”
Provides context for project’s contribution
Might discuss project’s
Generalizability
Reproducability
Practicality and usefulness
Describe project’s limitations

15. Conclusions Every result should have a conclusion
Conclusions come ONLY from the results
May identify remaining gaps
May state future directions

16. Group Exercise – Producing a Structural Draft
Who has a project they could draft?
Join one or more colleagues, or work alone
Complete as much of the draft sheet as possible
Write something under each heading
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR WRITER’S BLOCK
PUT SOMETHING ON THE PAGE!

17. Large group discussion
Who has produced a useful first draft?
What have you learned from the session?
How will you change your scholarly behavior?
Who thinks they could submit over the next few weeks?

18. Summary and Wrap Up Thank you for attending Submit your projects!
We can offer some editorial help
Approach us later, or at any time s:
Please fill out the evaluations!