1. Corso di clinical writing

2. What to expect today? Core modules IntroductionIntroduction Correction of abstracts submitted by participantsCorrection of abstracts submitted by participants Practical session 2 – Abstract draftingPractical session 2 – Abstract drafting Results draftingResults drafting Discussion draftingDiscussion drafting Tables and Figures draftingTables and Figures drafting Peer review and publicationPeer review and publication Synthetic example – database creation, analysis and Results draftingSynthetic example – database creation, analysis and Results drafting

3. Tables  Tables are useful, especially to clarify important points for the busy reader  Try to lump similar data together  Do not replicate in the text but a few numbers that you have reported in the Tables  May be subdivided in: -Baseline (or Patient) characteristics -Lesion and procedural characteristics -Outcomes -Additional (eg multivariable) analyses

4. Tables

5. Tables O’Brien et al, Ann Intern Med 2006

6. Tables Ceelen et al, Ann Surg 2003

7. Tables

8. Tables

9. Tables

10. Tables Schneider et al, AJS 2008

11. Figures  Figures are also useful, especially to clarify important points for the busy reader  In many cases the figures help you document that what you say you did is true (eg angiograms, microscopy, etc.)  Remember that they should be professionally prepared  Bear in mind that color figures may be expensive!

12. Figures O’Brien et al, Ann Intern Med 2006

13. Figures Visser et al, AJS 2008

14. Figures Miyoshi et al, Surg 2005

15. Figures Miyoshi et al, Surg 2005

16. Figures Lough et al, AJS 2008

17. Figures Lough et al, AJS 2008

18. Figures O’Brien et al, Ann Intern Med 2006

19. Figures Kukkonen et al, EJVES 2006

20. Figures Silva et al, CCI 2004

21. Figures Suter et al, Ann Surg 2005

22. Figures Ng et al, BJS 2006 WHAT ABOUT P VALUES???

23. Figures Adam et al, EJVES 2006

24. Figures Silva et al, CCI 2004

25. Figures O’Brien et al, Ann Intern Med 2006

26. Figures Zehetner et al, Surg Endosc 2005

27. Figures O’Brien et al, Ann Intern Med 2006

28. Figures Zehetner et al, Surg Endosc 2005

29. Figures Adam et al, EJVES 2006

30. Figures Miccoli et al, AOHNS 2006

31. Figures COLOR, Lancet Oncol 2005

32. Figures Suter et al, Ann Surg 2005

33. Figures Ceelen et al, Ann Surg 2003

34. Figures Nelson et al, NEJM 2004

35. Figures Nelson et al, NEJM 2004

36. Figures Siddiqui et al, AJS 2008

37. Figures

38. Authorship The paper is finished, but… Now you have to address the most dangerous issue…

39. Authorship The paper is finished, but… Now you have to address the most dangerous issue… Authorship!

40. Authorship Agree about authorship issues early on in the project Here is the usual arrangement… 1. First author is the person who wrote the first draft. Should be the student if paper arises from the thesis 2. Corresponding author is the person who can best address queries of reviewers and readers 3.Last author is the person responsible for the facilities were research was undertaken 4.Anyone who has made a substantial contribution to the study should be an author and should have an opportunity to contribute to the manuscript 5.Have you left anyone off?

41. Authorship Criteria for authorship* Participate sufficiently to take responsibility for the content, ie, be able to defend the content and conclusions Make substantial contributions to each of the following areas: –Conception and design or analysis and interpretation of data –Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content –Approving the version of the manuscript to be published *Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical journals. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. http://www.icmje.org/

42. Acknowledgments Include: - Intellectual assistance - Technical help, including writing and data analyses - Special equipment or materials - Outside financial assistance (including grants, contracts, or fellowships)

43. Acknowledgments  Remember the funding body  It may help to have consulted and acknowledged an expert  Name the people who have provided help with equipment or testing  Everybody who is quoted should forward a signed letter in which he consents to being quoted!

44. References Include only significant, published works –Remember the reviewers Use the correct format. Consult a current copy of the journal Use EndNote or Reference Manager whenever possible Check original sources In text, cite references at names of authors and after ideas, eg, “Jones et al 8 agree with others that people with a high BMI have an increased risk of access site complications 9 and treatment failure. 10

45. References Cite grouped references in chronological order Number references in tables and figures according to where they are cited in the text In text, name 2 authors; use et al (or “and colleagues” for more than 2) Obtain permission for citing unpublished data Beware that an oft quoted author may become a reviewer!

46. Citation styles Harvard style – social sciences Ebenezer, C M (2001) The trials of life: the work of a mental health librarian. Health Information and Libraries Journal 18(4) 234-239 Vancouver style – biomedicine Ebenezer C M. The trials of life: the work of a mental health librarian. Health Information and Libraries Journal 2001; 18(4) 234-9 … more on citation styles at http://slamlibrary.xiy.net http://slamlibrary.xiy.net

47. Citation styles Citing electronic sources: Styles less established than for citing printed formats Need to include: –Bibliographic details (as applicable): author, title, etc. –URL –Date downloaded eg Ebenezer, C M (2001) From nether hell thy people save: BMA Library open day 12/09/2001. London-I 5 12-14 At http://www.londonlinks.ac.uk/london_I/ [17/01/2002]. http://www.londonlinks.ac.uk/london_I/

48. References Ng et al, BJS 2006

49. Plagiarism and copyright infringement Learn about Italian laws (plagiarism, copyright infringement, fair use), which differ from laws and practices in other countries Avoid direct plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism, unacceptable paraphrasing, and insufficient acknowledgment –Do not use the exact wording from another paper in your paper─even when you cite the source –Use quotation marks when you borrow blocks of text –If in doubt, quote extensively and kindly!

50. Cover (submission) letter Identify the paper Describe the paper Repetitive publication and duplicate submission Conflict of interest Corresponding author Suggest reviewers

51. Choosing a target journal 1.Make a choice prior to beginning manuscript preparation 2.What journals do you and your co- authors read most often? 3.In what journals were the articles you used for background for this project published? 4.New versus established journals?

52. Choosing a target journal Consider: 1. Appropriateness for your message 2. Type and length of articles published 3. Impact factor (Thomson Scientific, Journal Citation Reports: http://scientific.thomson.com/ ) http://scientific.thomson.com/ 4. Circulation 5. Likelihood of publication 6. Journal style

53. Impact factors in surgery (2006) RankJournalTotal citesImpact factor 1Ann Surg237667.7 2Am J Transplant71536.8 3Liver Transplant60094.6 4Am J Surg Pathol115754.1 5Brit J Surg168424.1 6Transplantation265883.9 7Obes Surg39243.7 8J Neurol Neurosurg Ps188543.6 9Endoscopy51303.6 10J Thorac Cardiov Sur167743.5 11Ann Surg Oncol45333.3 12Shock47073.3 13J Vasc Surg132303.3

54. Submitting to a specific journal  Follow the instructions for authors - check you have the most recent version!  Take care in proofreading the uploaded draft - sometimes problems arise with figures  Follow-up often your paper online  Get ready to submit it to another journal in case of rejection

55. Learn to enjoy the road… Biondi-Zoccai et al, Lancet 2000 Number of citations 0 Biondi-Zoccai et al, J Am Coll Cardiol 2003Number of citations 60 (2 February 2008)

56. Further reading AMA Style Manual CONSORT, MOOSE, STARD and QUADAS guidelines Guyatt G, Rennie D. Users’ guide to the medical literature. A manual for evidence-based clinical practice Zieger M. Essentials of writing biomedical research papers Slide set by Clark NB (http://www.med.fsu.edu/informatics/research.asp)http://www.med.fsu.edu/informatics/research.asp Slide set by Ebenezer C Slide set by El-Serag HB Slide set by Hopkins WG Slide set by Mallia-Hughes M (mmallia@heart.thi.tmc.edu)mmallia@heart.thi.tmc.edu Slide set by Tudiver F et al http://home.clara.net/sisa/ http://www.bmj.com http://www.cochrane.org http://www.metcardio.org

57. Interested in more? Our integrated program on clinical research methods: corso “Come scrivere un lavoro scientifico” corso “Creazione del procotollo clinico” “Corso teorico e pratico di statistica biomedica” corso “Revisione e interpretazione di un lavoro scientifico”

58. Questions?

59. Take home messages 1.Tables and Figures should complement your work, not distract from it 2.In any case, if you can’t provide a professionally looking figure or table, it is better to avoid it

60. And now let’s move to peer review…