1. Scientific Writing for MCH Epidemiologists
Jody W. Zylke, MD
Senior Editor
JAMA

2. What an editor looks for in a submission
Tips on writing a scientific paper
How to get started

3. What does an editor look for in a paper? Content
Ideal paper
Addresses a novel question
Addresses important clinical question that will be of general interest
Answers a controversial question
Real paper
“Next steps”
Not just confirmatory

4. What does an editor look for in a paper? Study design
Strong design—RCT, observational cohort, case-control
Design fits the hypothesis
Data source provides information on confounding variables
Sufficient power
Generalizable or clear about what population results apply to

5. What does an editor look for in a paper? Presentation
Indicates what is known and not known about topic and how this study fills gap
Clearly analyze and present data
Interpret data appropriately
Well written

6. Editor Reading Papers

7. Fatal Flaws Usually related to study design
Negative underpowered study
Predictive model that isn’t validated
Survey with inadequate response rate

8. One strike you may be out
Topic of article doesn’t suit journal
Case report, animal study, specialized
Failure to provide enough information on methods to judge validity
Failure to address sources of bias and study limitations
Conflicts of interest
Sloppiness
Failure to follow journal format, instructions

10. What an Editor Wants in a Paper
Study with original, clinically important idea
Rigorously performed and analyzed
Objectively interpreted
Paper well organized and written

11. “Writing is easy. All you have to do is sit and stare at the blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead.”
---Gene Fowler

12. Tips for Scientific Writing
Just the Facts
Follow the formula
Three qualities of scientific prose (Huth)
Accuracy
Clarity
Brevity

13. Accuracy Spelling errors Defective choice of verb tense
Past tense in describing your results; present tense describing literature
Commonly misused words
Incidence vs prevalence
That vs which
Effect vs affect
Case vs patient

14. Clarity
Ambiguous antecedents (“He is a person with many convictions.”)
Poor choice of verb tense
Modifiers (“Hospital nurse physician staff interaction”)

15. Brevity
“After careful consideration of all the foregoing lines of evidence, it is apparent to us that among all the antibiotics discussed penicillin is the one that should be chosen for the treatment of infections caused by the streptococcus.”
“We conclude that penicillin is the best antibiotic for treatment of streptococcal infections.”
“Streptococcal infections? Penicillin!”

16. Empty Words and Phrases
A majority of (Use “Most”)
Accounted for by the fact that (Use “Because”)
Despite the fact that (Use “Despite”)
Fewer in number (Use “Fewer”)
In order to (Use “To”)
It is often the case that (Use “Often”)
Very, Extremely (Delete)

17. Abbreviations Well known—MI, LBW Made up—VM (vitamin and mineral)
Unnecessary—NORM (normal)
Confusing—PA (pulmonary artery, physician’s assistant)
Silly—SALD (severe advanced lung disease)

18. Grace Dehumanizing words Pomposity Slang, jargon, cliches
A diabetic vs a woman with diabetes
Male and female
Pomposity
“It is an inescapable conclusion that utilization of this method in order to make the diagnosis . . .”
Try “I conclude that use of this method . . .”
Slang, jargon, cliches
prepped, lab, flat line, exam, status post

19. Other Prose Features Vary Sentence Structure and Length
“It is easy to craft a story about the FDA based on just a couple of actions, out of hundreds taken each year. So competing narratives abound. Some claim the FDA is captive to manufacturers and too quick to approve new therapies; others assert the agency is safety obsessed and too slow to make treatments available.” –Joshua Sharfstein
Logical flow of paragraphs,
Avoid passive voice (active verbs instead of forms of “to be”)
Use key terms consistently

20. Structure of a Scientific “Story”
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion

21. How do you start? Pick the section that seems easiest
Schedule times to write
Find your most creative time
Eliminate distractions
Find your most productive environment

23. Outline or phrases
Rough draft
Rewrite—again and again
Cut excess: “I have made this letter longer than usual, because I lack the time to make it short.” --Pascal
Get colleague input