SCIENTIFIC WRITING & SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING DR. MD. SHAHIDUL ISLAM BDS, MS Associate Professor & Head Department of Prosthodontics Rangpur Dental College & Hospital Rangpur, Bangladesh [email protected]
SCIENTIFIC WRITING &
SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING
DR. MD. SHAHIDUL ISLAMBDS, MS
Associate Professor & HeadDepartment of Prosthodontics
Rangpur Dental College & HospitalRangpur, Bangladesh
DR. MD. SHAHIDUL ISLAM Editor-in-chief: International
Journal of Dental Medicine
Editor: Rangpur Dental College Journal
Member of Editorial and Review Board: American Journal of Health Research, American Journal of Biomedical and Life Sciences, and Clinical Medicine Research
Member of Review Board: Research and Review Journal of Dental Science
MAKING SENSE OF SCIENTIFIC WRITING Experts communicating through the
written word with other experts or as experts to a non-expert audience-
Thesis Dissertation Technical papers Conference papers Poster Book Journal Article
WHY TO WRITE SCIENCE? Without publication, science is dead
-Gerard Piel A scientist must not only ‘do’ science but
must also ‘write’ science.
A scientific experiment is not complete until the results have been published and understood.
The goal of scientific research is publication!
ANATOMY OF A SCIENCE PAPER Title Abstract Key Words IMRAD Conclusion Acknowledgement Reference Supporting materials
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
and
WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT Before start writing, to ask:
“What am I trying to say?”
Figures and/or tables
Methods Results Discussion
Conclusion Introduction
AbstractTitle Key word
FIGURES AND TABLES A figure is worth a thousand words. Tables give the actual experimental results Figures are often used for comparisons of
experimental results
1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 33 37 41 45 49 530
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Sex and GI
MaleFemale
GI
METHODOLOGY To provide enough
details To repeat,
reproduce and evaluate the study
Explaines enough details How did I studied
the problem? What did I use? How did I proceed?
RESULTS Presentation and explanation of findings New findings
contributing to the scientific knowledge
Based on the tables and figures presenting the findings to answer the hypothesis
Brief description of figures & tables
DISCUSSION The hardest section to
write Avoid statements that
irrelevant to results. Quantitative descriptions
are always preferred Do the data support your
hypothesis? Discuss weaknesses
and strength of study Outline the next steps
for further study
CONCLUSION This section shows
how the work advances the field from the present state of knowledge.
No repeating the abstract, or just
listing experimental results. Should provide a clear
scientific justification for the work
“State your facts as simple as possible, even boldly. No one wants flowers of eloquence or literary ornaments in a research article” – R.B. McKerrow
“I don’t care what you think”, George said, “my paper is dynamic and stimulating.”
INTRODUCTION Makes the reader interested to the paper
Gives a thorough information
Background Brief literature review
Introduction
Rationale Study question
Purpose of the study
TITLE Most visible parts of any
article Begin with word/words that
attracts the reader Readers’ decision to read
paper or not Reviewers’ decision to
review paper or not Should spell the main
message of the article Fewest possible words No abbreviations or jargons
KEY WORDS Keywords are used
for indexing the paper.
Avoid words with a broad Meaning
Only well established abbreviations
MeSH
REFERENCE Whenever draw upon
previously published work, must cite the source
How references are presented varies considerably - refer to notes for authors for the specific journal
Avoid references that are difficult to find
Avoid self references
IMPROVING A SCIENCE PAPER Revise, revise
and revise Review by co-
authors
Follow highest quality papers
SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING
The process of academics, scholars and researchers sharing their research findings so that they are available to the wider academic community and beyond.
JOURNAL SELECTION Key (Determining) factors
Impact FactorIndexing ReputationAccess to the target audienceOverall editorial standardPublication speedInternational coverageOpen Access or HINARI participating
publisherBM&DC and NHL&DC
KEY ELEMENTS OF PUBLISHING Ethical Issues
Style and language
Structure of paper
Components of paper
Article submission/journal selection
Publisher’s process/peer review
ETHICAL ISSUES Disclosure of Conflict of Interest
Acknowledgment of funding sources
Image manipulation guidelines
For Health SciencesInstitutional Review Board approval
STYLE AND LANGUAGE Refer to the journal’s author guide for notes on
Non-native English speakers is to find a native English speaker (if possible) to review the content and language of the paper before submitting it
To find a colleague/editor to review the content and language of the paper
See: Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication
AUTHORS LISTING ONLY include those who have made an
intellectual contribution to the research
OR those who will publicly defend the data and conclusions, and who have approved the final version
Ghost authorship Gift authorship Order of the names of the authors can vary from
discipline to discipline In some fields, the corresponding author’s name
appears first
ARTICLE SUBMISSION Read the aims and scope
Think about your target audience and the level of your work
Follow the guidelines in the notes for authors and include everything they ask.
No simultaneous submission
READERS’ PRIORITIES Authoritative quality articles Ease of access Rapid delivery Convenient format Linking of information - clustering Low or no cost Up-to-date information
PEER REVIEW Independent
scrutiny by other qualified scientific expert Valid, significant
and original Revise, reject or
published
AFTER SUBMISSION
Paper Submitted
Initial Decision by Editor
Confirmation of Receipt
Rejection Decide to Review
Assign Reviewers
Reviewers Accept Invite
Reviews Completed
RejectAccept
Notification to Author
Revise
Paper sent to Publisher
AcceptRevise
Revision Received
Revision Checked