2. Outlines
Introduction to scientific writing
IMARD Format
Manuscript writing
Common editing mistakes
3. Why Scientific Writing?
When a doctor decides to conduct a study, at
the same time the doctor should decide to
write and publish the study result as well.
If you start to work but you will not finish it, why
do you start it?
Moreover, if you finish the work but you will
not publish it, why do you finish it?
Michael Faraday,
4. Why Scientific Writing?
Writing and publishing a study result is important
either for the investigator or the reader.
For the investigator or writer, publication is
evidence that he/she has conducted a clinical
trial according to good clinical practice.
While for the reader, publication of a study
may
provide greater knowledge on research of
medical/health care science which may bring
advantages to enhance medical services for
patients.
5. On the other hand, publishing a manuscript of
study
result in medical or biomedical journal is not as
easy
as we imagine.
6. Plan effectively
For original research:
have a clear research question
seek statistical advice
use the right study design
act ethically
keep an open mind and minimise bias
agree who will be principal investigator
agree who will be authors and contributors
agree to publish even negative results
7. WHAT DO THE READER AND
EDITOR WANT?
Who will be the readers of my article?
What will make the readers interested in
this article?
What will be the main concern of the
readers?
Do the readers understand the situation
and condition explained in this article?
What does the writer expect after the
reader has done reading this article?
8. Top 10 Reasons Manuscripts
Rejected
1. Poor organization throughout, writing, spelling
2. Disorganized study design
3. Defective tables, figures
4. No hypothesis or problem statement
5. Inappropriate statistical methods
6. Over interpretation of results
7. No or insufficient conclusion
8. Poorly written abstract/title
9. Article unfocused
10. Wrong journal, format, preparation
Pierson DJ, Respiratory Care 49(10), 2004
Byrne DW, Publishing Medical Research Papers, Williams and Wilkins, 1998
9. Writing scientific manuscripts need not be
difficult or painful.
With a little bit of organization, discipline,
and persistence, writing manuscripts can
be learned rapidly, thus producing
excellent exchange of experience,
personal success, and scientific progress.
10. Clear writing
Keep it simple: use short, familiar words
Avoid jargon and acronyms
Be specific
Be concrete, not abstract
Say what you mean and mean what you say
11. Writing is an Essential Skill
The career of a researcher can depend
heavily on this skill
The ability to communicate clearly and
precisely through the written word is an
essential skill for medical researchers
12. Try to Avoid
Long complicated sentence
Pretentious language
Repetition
Meaningless phrases
Irrelevant material
Cluttering a paragraph
Citing too many references
13. Meaningless Phrases
The results are given in Figure1, where it is shown that
temperature was directly proportional to metabolic
rate…
OR
Temperature was directly proportional to metabolic rate
(Fig.1)..
In order to determine... OR to determine… !!!!
14. Cluttering a Paragraph
Don’t have more than one main idea or theme
in a paragraph? It is better in such cases to
rather write two or more linked paragraphs.
Don’t overkill with too many citations. Just cite
the most important, most recent.
(However, in a review paper it may be
appropriate to have an extensive/complete list
of references).
15. Before Starting to Write the
Paper
Record your readings (results)
Make tables
Draw graphs
Keep file to record summaries of results and
any observation however insignificant
Date the files
Revise your readings, you may need to
repeat an experiment while you still have the
materials.
Write ideas when ever they come to you
16. IMRAD Format
I = Introduction, what question (problem) was
studied
M = Methods, how was the problem studied
R = Results, what are the findings
A = and
D = Discussion, what do these findings mean
17. Introduction
Why was the study undertaken?
What was the research question, the tested hypothesis or the purpose of the
research?
Methods
When, where, and how was the study done?
What materials were used or who was included in the study groups (patients,
etc.)?
Results
What answer was found to the research question
what did the study find?
Was the tested hypothesis true?
Discussion
What might the answer infer and why does it matter?
How does it fit in with what other researchers have found?
What are the perspectives for future research?
18. Essential Parts of a Scientific paper
Title: Describe concisely the core contents of the
paper
Abstract: Summarize the major elements of the paper
Introduction: provide context and rationale for the
study
Materials: Describe the experimental design so it is
reproducible
Methods: Describe the experimental procedures
Results: Summarize the findings without interpretation
Discussion: Interpret the findings of the study
Summary: Summarize the findings
Acknowledgement: Give credit to those who helped
you
References: List all scientific papers, books and
19. Writing and Editing for Biomedical
Publication.
The first step: is always to read the Guide for Authors of the journal where you
intend to submit analysis (~1,000 words or less).
The second step: is to describe the results (~350 words).
The methods and results are the most important parts of the paper. When
possible, use figures rather than tables to show your results.
Start the manuscript preparation by describing the materials and methods,
including the planned statistical.
The discussion typically starts with a short overview of the most important
results, followed by an assessment why the chosen design or model is
appropriate. The discussions should place the results into contact, and
present the clinical impact of the findings. The discussion should also
acknowledge limitations of the study. The final conclusions should be low-
key rather than exaggerated.
The last step: is writing the introduction (~350 words), the abstract, and the
title page.
20. The Title
A good title is defined as the fewest possible
words that adequately describe the contents
of the paper.
The title is extremely important and must be
chosen with great care as it will be read by
thousands, whereas few will read the entire
paper
Indexing and abstracting of the paper depends
on the accuracy of the title. An improperly titled
paper will get lost and will never be read.
21. Titles should neither be too short nor too long
as to be meaningless
Waste words (studies on, investigations on, a,
an, the etc) should not be used.
It should contain the keywords that reflect the
contents of the paper.
It should be meaningful and not general
It should be concise, specific and informative
It should capture the fundamental nature of the
experiments and findings
The Title
22. Examples
1. Action of Antibiotics on Bacteria
Action: should be defined
Antibiotics: should be listed
Bacteria: should be listed
2. Mechanism of Suppression of Non-
transmissible Pneumonia in Mice Induced by
Newcastle Disease Virus
23. How to Prepare the Title
Make a list of the most important keywords
Think of a title that contains these words
The title could state the conclusion of the paper
The title NEVER contains abbreviations,
chemical formulas
Think, rethink of the title before submitting the
paper
Be very careful of the grammatical errors due
to faulty word order
Avoid the use of the word “using”
24. The Abstract
An abstract can be defined as a summary of the
information in a document
It is of fundamental importance that the abstract be written
clearly and simply, as it is the first and sometimes the only
part of the manuscript read.
It should provide a brief summary of each of the main
sections (IMRAD) of the paper:
1. State the principal objective and scope of the investigation
2. Describe the methods used
3. Summarize the results, and
4. State the principal conclusions
It is easier to write the abstract after completion of the
paper
25. Criteria of the Abstract
It should not exceed 250 words
It should be written in one paragraph.
It should be written in the past tense as it refers to
work done.
Long words should be followed by its abbreviation
which would be used through out the abstract and
paper.
It should not cite any references (except in rare
cases)
It should never give any information or conclusion
that is not stated in the paper
26. Introduction
Brief and arresting
Define nature and scope of problem, but
Do not hide inconvenient facts
Provide rationale for current study
State aim of study
27. Introduction
Adequate information to allow reader to
understand and evaluate present study without
referring to previous publications
Key references to support background
information provided
28. Writing Rules for Introduction
Use the present tense when referring to
work that has already been published, but
past tense when referring to your own
study.
Use the active voice as much as possible
Avoid lengthy or unfocused reviews of
previous research.
Cite peer-reviewed scientific literature or
scholarly reviews. Avoid general reference
works such as textbooks.
Define any specialized terms or
abbreviations
30. Methodology
• Study design (drug trial / intervention;
prospective / retrospective; randomized, blinded;
sensitivity of method; questionnaire; case report;
guidelines; meta-analysis)
• Setting
• Who is the study about? – Participants and
control subjects (in animal studies, specify genus,
species)
• What did you do?
– Intervention
– Follow up
• What did you look for? – Outcome measure
31. Methodology
• Inclusion criteria
• Exclusion criteria
• Sample size calculation
• Circumstances under which intervention done
– Lab settings
– In-patient or real life
• Consent
• Ethics clearance
Timing and duration of intervention
• Equipment / kits / manufacturer
(Sections and subsections help)
32. Methodology
• Define outcome
• Parameters to assess outcome
• Endpoint, cut-off values
• Adverse events, if any
33. Results: General
• What did you find?
• Should answer all points raised in Methods
• No new parameters
• No mismatch in numbers between text and
tables / figures
34. Results: Participant
• How many screened?
• How many eligible?
• How many recruited / excluded?
• How many completed study?
• Reasons for lack of completeness
• Compliance with therapy / protocol
35. Results: Data presentation
Cause of incomplete data, if any (sample lost,
incomplete study)
• No repetition between text and tables
• No interpretation
• No adjectives (most, some, often..)
• Provide value of p (“highly significant”, “very
highly significant” meaningless)
36. Tables and figures
Tables are appropriate for large or complicated
data sets that would be difficult to explain clearly
in text.
Figures are appropriate for data sets that exhibit
trends, patterns, or relationships that are best
conveyed visually.
Any table or figure must be sufficiently described
by its title and caption or legend, to be
understandable without reading the main text of
the results section.
Do not include both a table and a figure showing
the same information
37. Discussion
• Discussion of major findings in light of
available data
• Discussion of important minor findings
• Alternative explanations
• Strengths and limitations of study
• Implications of findings
• Unanswered questions and future research
• Summary / conclusion
38. Common Mistakes in
Introduction
• Details of previous studies
• Abbreviations without full form
• Details of Results and Conclusions
39. Common Mistakes in Methods and
Results
Mixed up
• Errors in data (e.g., mean age 25, range 17-
22)
• Mismatch of data in Methods / Results /
Tables / Figures
• Misinterpretation of data
40. Common Mistakes in
Discussion
• Repeating results
• Emphasizing strengths of study over its
weaknesses
• Going beyond evidence and drawing
unjustified conclusions
41. Journal Editors Agree
Good writing signals clear thinking and an
organized approach
Clear direct English and logical, organized
writing are key to acceptance
Even well-constructed study will be rejected if
the writing is flawed.
42. Manuscript Reviews
Receipt of
manuscript by
editorial asst
Manuscript
Editor
Title & Abstract
Headings
References
Tables/Figures
Read Through
Journal
Decision Editor
Revise-Acceptance ?
Revise-Accepted
Acceptance - Outright
Rejection - Outright
Editor Reports
Summary of peer reviews
Summary of editor’s review
Appropriate to
journal?
Conform to
guidelines?
No-DOA
Yes
Peer Reviewers
Masked review
43. Summary
Outline your paper
Start early as your data is being analyzed
Look at your data and decide how to organize and present
your results: tables, figures, text
Patterns and clues will emerge to guide your argument
Start with results then introduction and discussion/conclusions
Write title and abstract last
Put it away, re-read, give to your colleagues to read
Revise, revise, and re-revise
Adhere to journal guidelines!
Critically evaluate your paper with an editor’s eye
Write clearly, logically, and simply!
44. Things may help you
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
Plagiarism checker.
Put the manuscript away for a couple of
days
Let go of “academic” writing habits and
don’t imitate others’ writing. Develop your
own clear, direct style
45. References
Fundamentals of good medical writing by Dr.Trish Groves, Deputy editor at BMJ
How to write a scientific paper By Prof. Dr. Khadiga Gaafar, Zoology Dept., Faculty of
Science, Cairo
University
Writing The Biomedical Manuscript:A Systematic Approach. Christopher Dant. Stanford
Medical School.
Writing for Scienti c Medical Manuscript: a Guide for Preparing Manuscript Submitted to
Biomedical Journals. Siti Setiati, Kuntjoro Harimurti Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Indonesia-dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta.
A Step by Step Guide to Writing a Scientific Manuscript, Volker Wenzel, M.D., M.Sc.,
Martin W. Dünser, M.D.*, Karl H. Lindner, M.D.Department of Anesthesiology and Critical
Care Medicine, Innsbruck) Medical University, Innsbruck,Austria.