Writing the Scientific Paper
• Introduction• Methods• Results• Discussion• Abstract• Title
Purpose of an Abstract
• To provide a faithful, clear and concise summary of the article
Importance of Abstract
• Important for 3 reasons– Allow busy readers to learn main points without
reading the whole article– May persuade someone to read the whole article– Captured in computerized databases
Goals of Abstract
• Makes sense when read alone• Conveys main results• Shouldn’t contain anything not in paper• Follows journal guidelines for structure and
length
Structure of Abstract
Refer to Instructions for Authors!
Maternal and Child Health Journal
250 words
Research Articles – Objectives– Methods– Results– Conclusions
Structure of Abstract
Refer to Instructions for Authors!
Maternal and Child Health Journal
250 words
Practice/Field-Based Articles – Purpose– Description– Assessment– Conclusion
Match the Journal
• Context, objective, design, setting, participants, main outcome measures, results, conclusion
• Background, methods, results, conclusions • Objective, methods, results, conclusions• Background, methods, findings, interpretation• Unstructured
• Pediatrics• Lancet• New England Journal of Medicine• JAMA• American Journal of Epidemiology
Editor’s Plea
• If I’m going to find a typo, it is going to be in the abstract– I suspect people write the abstract last (makes
sense)• PLEASE use full sentences• PLEASE proofread – this is the window to your
work and the reason people will read on or move on
Purpose of Title
• Captures reader’s attention• Used to index article• Represents article in reference lists• Think about how your article will be found in
search engines . . .
Structure of Title
• Types—declarative, questions, catchy• Subtitles• Independent variable, dependent variable,
study population: Effect of x on y in z
• Ethnic differences in the association between gestational diabetes and pregnancy outcome
• Fine
• Is effective contraception use conceived prenatally in Florida? The association between prenatal contraceptive counseling and postpartum conceptive use
• Clever
• Suicidal behavior differs among early and late adolescents treated with antidepressant agents
• Gives away the conclusion of the study. Better: Suicidal behavior among early and late adolescents treated with antidepressants
• Fasting might not be necessary before lipid screening: a nationally representative cross-sectional study
• The title contains the implications of the study. Better: Relationship between length of fast and lipid screening levels in children
• Parent involvement in pain management for NICU infants: a randomized controlled trial
• Good use of subtitle
• Use of models to identify cost-effective interventions: pertussis-vaccination for pediatric health care workers
• Title tells little about study; main title is really subtitle. Better: Cost-effectiveness of pertussis vaccination for NICU workers
