Michael Cotton, MA(Oxon), MBBS (Lon), FRCS(Eng), FACS, FCS ... · English: is it intelligible, readable & interesting? Helen C Eborall , post-doctoral research fellow 1, Simon J Griffin

Michael Cotton,MA(Oxon), MBBS (Lon), FRCS(Eng), FACS, FCS(ECSA), FMH(Switz)Chief Editor,Tropical Doctor

Tips how to get your research article published

Content

What exactly are you wanting to say?Is it interesting?Is it relevant?Is it important?Is it novel?

Getting Started

The most difficult part

Make an outline: jot down random thoughts

Organize these into an order

Where?Get the right journal !!

6m medical articles published per year

What sort of article?

Leading articleOriginal scientific researchShort reportCase reportTechnical method/devicesLetters to the editorEditorials/Comment/Opinion/News itemBook review

Reasons for rejection

Wrong subjectWrong target audienceToo much information Too little informationInaccurate informationBad structure & organizationToo longSo what?Terrible English

Making the Wrong Subject the Right Subject

Address your paper to an interested journal.Read what is discussed in those journals.Acquaint yourself with your subject. Find out what others have written.Think about gaps in the knowledge.Discover where there is debate.

Reducing too much information

Get rid of irrelevant stuff.Do not repeat yourself.Do not add excess background content.Do not include suspect data.Do not put in unnecessary statistics.

Including enough information

Add details to make your researchcomprehensible.

Make sure your sample is big enough.Is your study randomized/blinded etc?Do not omit excluded data.Make sure your numbers are adequate.Do not cheat with statistics.

Familiarize yourself with the subject

Do not just repeat someone else’s findings.Where are the arguments?Are all conclusions sound?Have you discovered something new?Is data missing somewhere?What are previous suggestions for research?

Creating a formatTITLEABSTRACTINTRODUCTIONMETHODSRESULTSDISCUSSIONLIMITATIONS(CONCLUSION)TABLES & ILLUSTRATIONSKEYWORDSCONSENT & ETHICAL APPROVALREFERENCES

TITLEInformative.Not too long.Comprehensible.Attractive.Relevant.Important.

ABSTRACT

Résumé of the articleUsually 150 (or 250) wordsNot a detailed account of the resultsNot an introductionShould not be repeated verbatim in intro

NB. Often only thing a reader looks at!

INTRODUCTIONWhat are you trying to say?

What is the current background/theory?What information is needed?What do you propose?What conclusion do you hope to draw?

Do not assume your reader knows all about your subject.

Do not put in results or conclusions.

METHODS

What did you do?

Give adequate (not excessive) detail.Design of the study:

retrospective/prospective/randomized/double-blind/observational/multi-centre..?

Explain data included & excluded.Describe data collection.Do not confuse this with results.Do not mix this with comments.

RESULTSWhat were your findings?

Use a logical sequence.Do not add irrelevant data.Use SI units.Do not mix in methods or discussion.Note relevant statistics.Data commentary should be meaningful.Do not cheat! Be careful with your Maths.Report any unexpected results.

DISCUSSIONThe most important section

Make a structured argument.Present what you are trying to show.Analyze the results & evaluate them.Do not repeat other people’s findings.Explain discrepancies.Postulate alternative explanations.Finish with a conclusion.Be careful that an opinion is supported.

TABLES & ILLUSTRATIONS

Check figuresCheck formatDon’t use too many sig. figs.Label carefullyMake sure illustrations are good quality

LIMITATIONS

Make honest comment on difficulties.Mention where data may be suspect.Explain why some data were excluded.Suggest confounders.Comment on adequacy of numbers &

statistical power of your study.

KEYWORDS

Used for indexing.Check headings in Index Medicus, Medical Subject Headings (MESH), Pubmed etc.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONSIf necessary (where patient details identifiable), get consent.

(Ethical Committee Approval: usually a footnote suffices.)

Conflict of interest & source of funding.

Get consent to reproduce illustrations or tables.

DO NOT PLAGIARISE: you will be found out!

Acknowledge direct or indirect assistance in your study.

REFERENCES

Not the more the better!Make sure details are correct.Take care not only to refer to an abstract.Order referred to in the text.Follow journal rules,

e.g. Vancouver/HarvardUsually max 6 authors;

otherwise 3 + et al.

WHAT REVIEWERS LOOK FORIntroduction: are objectives clear?

is the study important?is it something new?has this been covered before?

Methods: is population described adequately?are methods reproducible?is the study design clear?are the statistics correct?

Results: do the results appear from the data?are the data presented clearly?are there adequate controls?is the statistical method appropriate?

Discussion: is comment adequate & justified?are differing results explained?is the conclusion logical & supported?are limitations discussed?

References: are they checkable & true?English: is it intelligible, readable & interesting?

Helen C Eborall, post-doctoral research fellow1, Simon J Griffin,programme leader2, A Toby Prevost, medical statistician1, Ann-LouiseKinmonth, professor of general practice1, David P French, reader inhealth behaviour interventions3, Stephen Sutton, professor ofBehavioural science1 Contributors: SS, DPF, ATP, A-LK, and SJG conceived and designed the originalprotocol. All authors were involved in amending the protocol. HCE coordinated thestudy throughout. Data entry was carried out by Wyman Dillon Ltd, Lewis Moore,and HCE. HCE cleaned the data and ran preliminary analysis with input from TomFanshawe. ATP analysed the data. ADDITION trial data were supplied by LincolnSargeant and Kate Williams. HCE wrote the first draft of the manuscript with ATPand SS. All authors contributed to subsequent and final drafts. HCE is guarantor ofthe paper.

LENGTH & ENGLISH STYLE1. Be brief & concise: (journal rules).2. Use short sentences. 3. Don’t be pretentious.4. Don’t use jargon or gobbledigook.5. Avoid subjective terms: clearly, quite, basically,

rather, fairly, somewhat, virtually…6. Use prepositions (them, it, him).7. Careful use of the definite (the) &

indefinite (a) article.8. Keep a constant tense,

usually past passive, rather than « we ».9. Note if British or American spelling.10. Use abbreviations only after first defining them.

REVISION STRATEGYSAVE YOUR COPY + MEMORY STICK !Go over your work!Check for spelling & grammar mistakes.Check the Maths.Check sections at a time & take a break!Print out the copy and re-check.

IF YOU ARE UNLUCKY?

Check if your design is good.Respond to reviewer’s criticisms.Remove unnecessary stuff.Shorten & simplify the English.Justify your conclusions.Try again with another journal.