1. How to Conduct Research and Write Scientific Papers
Chung S. Yang (杨中枢)
Department of Chemical Biology and
Center for Cancer Prevention Research
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

2. How to Conduct Research and Write Scientific Papers
Form research ideas – reading papers in the field
Develop research plans – a hypothesis to test, feasibility
Conduct experiments, interpret results, draw conclusions
Write the paper – what is new and meaningful?

3. Research Ideas – Where Do They Come From?
Equipped with basic scientific knowledge, always be curious
Read the literature carefully to understand the key points
Illustrate your overview with diagrams; find knowledge gaps
Develop ideas to fill the gaps
Discuss with others to polish and improve your ideas

4. How to Read Scientific Papers
Conduct literature search to find key reviews and research papers
Read the key papers for general understanding and specific points – actively read, recollect and take notes in English
Read specific papers for methods, experimental conditions, etc.
Be critical about the data and some unjustified claims (especially in review articles)
Discuss the paper with others for better understanding – Journal Club works

5. Transform Ideas Into Research Plans
Develop clear and specific hypothesis
Design experiments to test the hypothesis – useful and feasible (not fashionable) experiments
Discuss with others, and seek collaborations if needed
Set a timeline for different parts of the study

6. Interpretation of Results
Be critical, with an open mind
Are your data reproducible and accurate?
Are your results consistent with your other observations and other peoples’ results?
Are your results consistent with your hypothesis? Have you made new discoveries?
Discuss with others

7. Writing Papers for Publication
What are your discoveries?
Make an outline on key points
Introduction - concisely give the background and rationale of your study
Methods and Results - in past tense, active voice
Discussion - interpret (not repeat) your results; discuss importance, possible problems and future studies needed

8. Styles and Common Mistakes
Examples
Basic grammar, tenses, singular vs. plural
Do not be afraid to write short sentence or outline forms
Articles - a dog, the dog, dogs
Do not copy – perjury
Writing club or workshop

9. 14 figures and 14 pages