How to Write and Publish a Research Paper

Dr Caerwyn Ash School of Medicine Swansea University

Introduction Ironically Ive been asked to write a short paper on how to write a paper for a journal club at Swansea University for other likeminded students to exchange thoughts and improve their writing skills. Learning about fellow students research and discussing their own with the intention of one day publishing their work can be satisfying. Whether youre constructing a paper from your MSc dissertation or with the intention of gain research grants for your department. A published paper can be beneficial to your career and will enhance your prospects by having peer reviewed articles on your CV. I would actively encourage students to publish their work as part of their PhD, not only does it allow development of effective technical writing skills but focuses your research investigation. These informally written guidelines will hopefully help you writing a paper that will get accepted in a peer-reviewed journal.

Where to begin? The progression to ending up with a published paper is different for each project and isnt as simple as a process that churns out papers. Projects are dynamic taking many turns as the project changes and evolve. As a result papers cannot be rushed; authors can never leave to a last minute if you have an academic deadline. Start early and let the project mature. I once wrote a paper in 2 hours sat at home with my iPod plugged in, and another took 4 years to get finished and published. It goes without saying that as the author you must dedicate much time to researching the subject matter. In many cases your writing on a subject you know immensely and maybe youre already a world expert. Typically the internet is the first place to look at finding, selecting, and reading sources for your project. Google has a product called Google scholar and has been enormously beneficial for my research. Start by putting ideas onto paper print or type using a 12 point standard font, such as Times, Geneva, Bookman, Helvetica, etc. Text should be double spaced on 8 1/2" x 11" paper with 1 inch margins, single sided. Number pages consecutively. Start each new section on a new page. Use present tense to report well accepted facts, for example, the grass is green. Use past tense to describe specific results, for example, When weed killer was applied, the grass was brown.

Caerwyn Ash, June 2013, How to Write and Publish a Research Paper

Style or structure Typically a manuscript follows a set structure, but some journals call for a combined results and discussion, or include materials and methods after the body of the paper. The well-known journal Science does away with separate sections altogether, except for the abstract. Journal guidelines vary. Space is so valuable in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, that authors are asked to restrict discussions to four pages or less, double spaced, typed. That works out to one printed page. While you are learning to write effectively, the limit will be extended to five typed pages. If you practice economy of words that should be plenty of space within which to say all that you need to say. I was once told a piece of great advice from an old tutor that when writing any report or thesis assume the reader has infinite intelligence and zero knowledge Title and Authors The title should be able to instantly describe what your work stands for. It should be original and eye catching. Include the name (s) and address (es) of all authors, and date submitted. Running title The idea of a running title is a shortened version of the title used as a header within the manuscript. Abstract An abstract is a concise single paragraph summary of completed work or work in progress. In a minute or less a reader can learn the rationale behind the study, general approach to the problem, pertinent results, and important conclusions or new questions. This is the last section you should write. Keywords Key words used for indexing the article should appear in alphabetical order. This is for computer database searches to pick up on, along with words in the title and abstract. Correspondence This is now typically just emails address as previously it was a requirement for address and phone numbers. Everybody has a private yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail account etc. it is suggested you use this rather than your current university or work email as this is likely to change with future employment and these papers will stay in the public domain indefinitely becoming immortal. Corresponding author Email: [email protected]

Introduction The introduction should not be an extensive review of the literature, but only of that portion which is pertinent to the purpose of the study and its relationship to work in the same field. The main bulk of your paper will be located in the introduction as its a short literature review introducing the reader to the subject and why you are focussing your research on this question. Don't be ashamed or too proud to admit and reference the previous work ('the shoulders of giants') which inspired and led up to your result. Use past tense except when referring to established facts. After all, the paper will be submitted after all of the work is completed. Organize your ideas, making one major point with each paragraph. If you make the four points listed above, you will need a minimum of four paragraphs. When writing the background information only includes whats needed in order support a position. The reader does not want to read everything you know about a subject. This is also an opportunity to state what is lacking in the current knowledge The last paragraph should outline the objective of this work. When answering the research question you must address the novelty or originality of the research and how it will impact on the scientific community. Materials and Methods Materials and methods should be written clearly and in such detail that the work can be duplicated by others. Particular care should be taken in specifying exactly the parameters used in your experiment along with the exact make and model of equipment and perhaps software version number if relevant. Include specialized chemicals, biological materials, and any equipment or supplies that are not commonly found in laboratories. Check that all symbols and terminology are defined to some extent before they are used. This can be done in a formal definition or more informally as the paper continues. Greek letters and mathematical symbols should be defined initially in the margin. Identify the main study variables early on in the materials and methods.

Caerwyn Ash, June 2013, How to Write and Publish a Research Paper

Although the reader must be able to duplicate your experiment from your materials and methods they should not be a set of instructions. Describe the methodology completely, including such specifics as temperatures, incubation times, etc. To be concise, present methods under headings devoted to specific procedures or groups of procedures. Describe the population of the researchers and the origin of the data (patients, doctors, hospitals, etc.). Describe the sampling strategy and rational behind the sample size and the quality of the individual data sets. Omit all explanatory information and background to the specific experiment this is best placed in the discussion. The first time you may use a photo or illustration is in the introduction. Each image must be accompanied by a caption. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used. As a rule a caption should explain the illustration simplistically as a standalone piece of text. Outline analysis methods here, but typically researchers change the analysis method as the project evolves or upon the findings of the analysis other analytical methods are used to present the information gathered. Results This section is very simple as your presenting facts in a manner that can be illustrated simply to the reader. Summarize your findings in text and illustrate them appropriate with graphs, photos or tables. In text, describe each of your results, pointing the reader to observations that are most relevant. Provide a context, such as by describing the question that was addressed by making a particular observation. Do not discuss or interpret your results, report background information, or attempt to explain anything this is for the discussion chapter. It goes without saying and common sense that you should never include raw data or intermediate calculations in a research paper. Do not present the same data more than once even in a different format, always choose the simplest method of conveying the information to the reader.

All submissions with photos of human faces where eyes are not blacked out must have patient release to use photo permission in addition to the normal patient consent forms. All submissions where human subjects are involved must have ethic committee approval before that data was collected. Report on how the data collection and how subject were recruited. Describe participants fairly e.g. demographic, clinical condition if relevant to the data collection and results. The Results section is typically fairly straightforward and factual. All results that relate to the research question should be given in detail, including simple counts and percentages. Resist the temptation to demonstrate analytic ability and the richness of the dataset by providing numerous tables of nonessential results. Discussion The Discussion section allows the most freedom. This is why the Discussion is the most difficult to write, and is often the weakest part of a paper. Decide if each hypothesis is supported, rejected, or if you cannot make a decision with confidence. Research papers are not accepted if the work is incomplete. Draw what conclusions you can based upon the results that you have, and treat the study as a finished work. You may suggest future directions, such as how the experiment might be modified to accomplish another objective. Explain all of your observations as much as possible, focusing on mechanisms. Analyse the strengths and limitations of the study Conclusion Your conclusions should be like bullet points stating what you have achieved with this paper.

Caerwyn Ash, June 2013, How to Write and Publish a Research Paper

Referencing Every Journal has its own specific reference style whether it is Harvard (Ash et al discovered in 2009) or Vancouver (32). The exact symbols used (brackets) or [square brackets] vary with journals and used respectively. The layout of the reference is again specific to the journal, but typical examples are shown below. [1] F.T. de Dombal, Transporting databanks of medical information from on location to another, Effective Health Care 1 (1983) 155162. [2] P.F. Lemkin and L.E. Lipkin, Database techniques for two dimensional electrophoretic gel analysis, in Computing in Biomedical Science, eds. M.J. Geisow and A.J. Barrett, pp. 181234 (Elsevier, Amsterdam, New York NY, 1983). Microsoft word has a referencing feature called endnote and allows for automatic editing of references within your document and is highly recommended. Plagiarism Plagiarism is the copying or paraphrasing of other peoples work or ideas into your own work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition. if you take someone else's work and pass it off as your own, you are plagiarising the original author. It is a serious academic offence and is treated as such by all universities. Whether unintentional or intentional, plagiarism is your responsibility. Ignorance is no excuse. There are many software programs used by universities to automatically check for plagiarism. But you too can use online tools like www.dustball.com to check your own work. Journal Selection I have approximately 6 main journals I can submit my work to in my field of work. The decision to submit to a journal is based for me on the content of the work, laboratory or clinical! The typical audience of the journal, physicists or surgeons! Ask peers to advise on the best journal choice for your article if you are unsure of the correct choice. Impact factor The impact factor (IF) of an academic journal is a measure reflecting the average number of citations to recent articles published in the journal. It is frequently used as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field, with journals with higher impact factors deemed to be more important than those with lower ones. This is only relevant for academic publishing work as departments are reviewed on the quality of their research.

Collaboration with co-authors When you have your research paper outlined use Microsoft office as a standard as this software package is widespread. Microsoft word has the track changes option and allows everybody to visualise each change. Never reply of spell check, the amount of reports and dissertation where spell check has been run and not read through is remarkable. Ask for people who are not specifically involved to proof read your manuscript. Let it sit on the shelf for a week or a month before giving it a final fresh reading. There may well be typos that you did not spot first time round. Traditionally this would be emailed and circulated going from one co-author to another. Currently there are other options such as dropbox, and skydrive. All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship as defined should be listed in an acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, writing assistance, or a department chair that provided only general support. Authors should disclose whether they had any writing assistance and identify the entity that paid for this assistance. Each author of a manuscript submitted must have made a significant contribution to the research and must assume responsibility for the content of the article (1). Conflict of Interest Statement Authors whose manuscripts are published are required to disclose their commercial interests in subjects or materials discussed in their papers. The following statement is to be included in transmittal letters: "I certify that I have no affiliation with or financial involvement in any organization or entity with a direct financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript (e.g., employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria) except as discussed in an attachment." Presenting this work at conferences I strongly advice if you have the chance to present your work at conferences to do so. Its an opportunity to network, hone your presenting communication skills and refine your work by feedback questions and acceptance by peers in the audience. Plus conferences are always great fun.

Caerwyn Ash, June 2013, How to Write and Publish a Research Paper

Ready for journal submission Almost all journals are now online submission, this improves the process significantly. Journals accept papers in the form of three types Articles, Reviews and Letters. Articles describe new findings of major importance. Authors should contact the editors prior to preparing a review article. Letters may express an opinion about material previously published in a journal, or express views on any issue related to the subject matter of that journal. Copyright Agreement Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to sign a Journal Publishing Agreement. Acceptance of the agreement will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. An e-mail (or letter) will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a Journal Publishing Agreement form. If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Comments from reviewers Typically a few weeks after submission your article will have been peer reviewed and many comments and questions returned. This is a great opportunity to produce a well-rounded and refined paper with this feedback. All point raised should not be viewed as criticism but as positive feedback. You do however have the chance to disagree with these comments if you choose. Proof copy The journal then typesets the paper and sends one set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author. This is the final chance to make minor corrections if missed. After publication Many people will get an enormous satisfaction of having your name immortalised in the public domain for the first time. Authors also get a new found respect of how much work is involved in a 5 page journal paper. Send your work by email to relevant authors to introduce yourself and hopefully cite your work in their papers.

References 1. Huth EJ: Guidelines on authorship of medical papers. Ann Intern Med 1986; 104:269-274.

Caerwyn Ash, June 2013, How to Write and Publish a Research Paper