1. How editors like their papers Department of Emergency Medicine
Marcus Müllner
Associate editor BMJ
Department of Emergency Medicine
University of Vienna

2. Some simple points Have the right question
Have a suitable method to answer it
Interpret your findings adequately
Find the right journal
Consult the journal’s guidelines

3. Find the right journal Don’t select it because of its impact factor
Don’t select it because of its “reputation”
Select it because of the audience
Who will be interested in your paper?
Doctors - all or a particular group
Researcher
Policy makers
Public

4. Consult the journal’s guidelines
General points:
Journal categories
Length
Format
References
Specific points:
Conflict of Interest
CONSORT
QUOROM

5. The ideal paper - a personal view
Short
IMRAD
Clearly written and presented
Complete
Try to avoid “silly” errors

6. The ideal Title - a personal view
Informative
subject matter
study design
study population
Information clearly presented
NO unnecessary detail

7. The ideal Abstract - a personal view
Short
Structured
Matches content of paper
Conclusions only for results presented

8. The ideal Introduction - a personal view
Short
Catch the readers attention immediately
Tell “the story so far”
Are there controversies?
Aim of the study

9. The Method section Should be given in such detail to
enable the qualified reader to repeat
the experiment

10. The Method section - a personal view
Sufficiently long
Subheadings:
Population
Ethical considerations
Definitions
Technical description
Statistical methods
Clear presentation

11. The Result section - a personal view
Clear presentation
Short
Subheadings, if suitable
Careful data presentation
redundancy
spurious accuracy

12. The structured Discussion - a suggestion
Statement of principal findings
Strengths and weaknesses of this study
Strengths and weaknesses in relation to
other studies
Meaning of the study
Unanswered questions and future research
Doherty M BMJ 1999;318:1225

13. Figures and Tables should:
Add information
Save space
Self-explanatory
Not overloaded with numbers
or ink

14. The text in general - the prose style
Clarity
Fluency
Accuracy
Economy
Grace

15. Summary There is not one best way but many The choice depends on:
Journal
Topic
Audience