1. The Paper Chase: A 24 hour Endeavor to write a paper
Natalie Mota, PhD
Depts. of Clinical Health Psychology and Psychiatry
August 15, 2018

2. The problem Multiple, busy roles Nonnegotiable deadlines Overwhelming
Many studies are never published
Others still, experience a publication lag (e.g., my doctoral dissertation from 2014)
One of these reasons is the scientific writing process
Multiple, busy roles
Nonnegotiable deadlines
Overwhelming
Fear of criticism from peer reviewers
The sometimes double-edged sword of collaborative writing
(Schaumberg et al., 2015)
non-significant results, fall off radar
Similar reasons, journals take a long time to get them in print
e.g., BSC med – research summer comes to an end; Psyc Residents – busy rotations

3. Tips 1. Write for the right audience – who’s your target?
2. What’s your story/the controversy?
3. Don’t start with the intro
4. Paper should have an hourglass “shape”
5. Write everyday
6. Write in a team*
(Cargill & O’Connor, 2009)

4. The Behavior Therapist, Feb, 2015.

5. The paper chase 2013-2014 Mississippi Residency cohort
2 teams, 6 people each
2 faculty supervisors
24 hours to write a paper already prepared for a scientific outlet
Preparation – chains, 2 meetings to develop an idea, preliminary analyses to ensure feasibility

6. Everything is sped up; real time discussions, help at your fingertips from people with different sets of expertise

8. update Spring 2014 – Second Paper Chase
Mota et al. (2015), Behavior Research and Therapy
Several other Paper Chases led by first author since then, including some with a virtual component
ISTSS – Paper in a Day (PIAD) – Nov, 2018, Chicago

9. update Paper Chase Winnipeg, 2017 2 teams - Both papers under review
BSc Med students, Graduate students, Faculty mentors
2 teams - Both papers under review
If you’re interested in learning more about Paper Chase 2018, leave us with your contact information

10. THANK YOU! QUESTIONS?