Manuscript writing

1
Introduction
 The goal of every research work is for it to be published.

 A manuscript is the form in which a research work is submitted for publication.

 A significant amount of time and effort is spent while conducting a research before it is
released to the reach of the public.

 Hence, the manuscript to present this research work must be carefully drafted,
thorough, presented in a logical manner, and accurate.

 A good manuscript when published, will bridge the gap between the public and the
researcher.

2
 The process of writing a good
manuscript can be somewhat
intimidating.

 Manuscript writing is an endeavor that

challenges even the best minds, yet it is
very rewarding when the manuscript is
finally published.

3
 A manuscript is submitted to a journal office.

 If the manuscript is considered relevant by the journal editor, the

manuscript is submitted to scholarly peer review.

 Unless a groundbreaking research has its manuscript well written, it may

be rejected by a journal for publication.

4
Considerations when setting out to write a
good manuscript
 Before you set out to write a manuscript, there are some few
important things one should bear in mind that will set in pace the
groundwork for the entire process.

 Define your hypothesis and your objectives, which will be reflected in

your introduction section.

 Review related literatures to your topic and select the important ones
that will be cited in your manuscript, may be at least 30 papers.

 Keep in mind that every publishers has its own style guidelines and
preferences, hence look out for the publisher’s guide for Authors
5
Sections in a Manuscript
 Title
 Author affiliations
 Abstract
 keywords
 Introduction
 (Materials and) Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 Acknowledgements/Funding
 References
 Tables

6
Length of the Manuscript
For the length of a manuscript, check the journal's Guide for Authors.
An ideal length for a manuscript is 25 to 40 pages, double spaced,
including essential data only. Some general guidelines include:

 Title: Short and informative

 Abstract: 1 paragraph (<250 words)
 Introduction: 1.5-2 pages
 Methods: 2-3 pages
 Results: 6-8 pages
 Discussion: 4-6 pages
 Conclusion: 1 paragraph
 Figures: 6-8 (one per page)
 Tables: 1-3 (one per page)
7
 References: 20-50 papers (2-4 pages)
 A manuscript begins with the Title, Abstract and Keywords.

 The manuscript text follows the IMRAD model/format, which responds

to the questions below:

 Introduction: What did you/others do? Why did you do it?

 Methods: How did you do it?
 Results: What did you find?
 And
 Discussion: What does it all mean?

8
 The main text is followed by the Conclusion, Acknowledgements,
References and Supporting Materials.

 While this is the published structure, however, we often use a

different order when writing our manuscripts.

9
Steps in organising your manuscript
 Arrange your figures and tables.

 Put down the materials and methods.

 Write your results

 Write your discussion: It is important that you finalise your results and
discussion before writing out your introduction. This is simply because a
good discussion would show the scientific significance on your
introduction.

 Write out a conclusion with good clarity.

10
Steps in organising your manuscript cont’d
 Write out a compelling introduction.

 Write out your abstract.

 Write out a concise but very informative title.

 Select important keywords.

 Write out you acknowledgements.

 Write out your references.

11
Figures and Tables section

 Tables or figures should be informative and clear.

 Label the axis correctly
 Tables or figures should be self explanatory
 Should not be over crowded
 Do not include vertical lines in tables
 No illustrations should duplicate the information
described elsewhere in the manuscript .

12
Materials and Methods section
 For a new method, include detailed information so any interested reader can
reproduce the experiment.

 Do not repeat the details of established methods; use references.

Some of the things to include in methods include:
1. Description of the site

2. Brief description of the surveys or experiments done, giving information on dates,

etc.

3. Description of the laboratory methods, such as how samples were treated,

analytical methods, etc.

4. Description of the statistical methods used (including confidence levels, etc.)

13
Results section
 Present only results from your research.
 The results should be essential for discussion.
 You must not include references in this section.

 Indicate the statistical tests used with all relevant parameters: e.g.,
mean and standard deviation (SD): 44% (±3); median and
interpercentile range: 7 years (4.5 to 9.5 years).

 Use mean and standard deviation to report normally distributed data.

 Use median and interpercentile range to report skewed data.

14
Discussion section
 It is one of the most important part of your manuscript. It is the
section where you have an opportunity to sell your work.

 Note that large numbers of manuscripts are rejected simply because

they have a week discussion.

 It appears to be the easiest section to write, but the hardest section

to get right.

 Your discussion should correspond with your results you got. Try not
to reiterate the results in this section.

 There is the need for you to compare your results with already
published results by other researchers. 15
Some tips to take into consideration when discussing
your results
 Do not over look works whose results are not consistent with yours. You
can go as far to confront and convince your reader that yours is better.

 Ensure you do not make comments that is above what your results can
support.

 Be specific with your choice of words and avoid expressions that

depicts uncertainty. For example, instead of saying at higher
temperature, you can say at 38ºC.

 You should avoid introducing new concept or ideas not captured in your
introduction.

 Give a careful overall interpretation of results considering the 16

objectives, limitations, results from similar studies, and other relevant
evidence.
Conclusion section
 Write a clear conclusion. This is because without a clear conclusion,
readers and reviewers would find it hard to weigh the worth of your
work and whether it is fit to be published in a journal or not.

 Do not make the mistake of re-writing parts of your results here.

 Your conclusion should give a clear justification for your work.

 Also, you may conclude in respect to your objectives given in your

introduction.

17
Introduction section
 Gives a summary of the relevant literature so that the reader will
understand why you are interested in the research question you
asked.

 A good introduction should answer the following questions:

 What is the problem to be solved?
 Are there any existing solutions?
 Which is the best?
 What is its main limitation?
 What do you hope to achieve?

18
Introduction section Cont’d

19
Abstract section
 The abstract give the readers idea on what you did and the important
findings in your research.

 Just as with the title of your work, the abstract help advertise your
manuscript. Hence, ensure your abstract is interesting and easily
understood without going through the entire length of the
manuscript.

 Avoid the use of jargon, uncommon abbreviations and references.

20
Characteristics of good abstract
 Stands on its own without need to read the paper
 States your research question, or objective
 Answer the hypothesis, question, or objective
 Contains the same terms and key words as the title and the
introduction
 Follows the correct style and format
 Follows the order of the main text (e.g., IMRAD)

21
Characteristics of good abstract
cont’d
 Stays within the allowed word count
 Does not contain any information not present in the paper
 Does not make conclusions unsupported by the data
 Reduces the use of abbreviations
 Does not include references, or cite tab
 Does not cite tables or figures

22
Title and title page section
 Titles are the first thing readers see.
 Needs to be attention grabbing
 Concise-Few words that can adequately describe the contents of
the paper
 Informative
 Do not use abbreviations
 Search engines/indexing databases depend on the accuracy of
the title - since they use the keywords to identify relevant
articles

 Clarity, e.g., Consider the title:

 Treatment of Pediatric Melanoma Patients with Lasers

 Laser Treatment for Pediatric Melanoma

23
 Title page includes:
 Author affiliations
 Corresponding author
 Running title
 Keywords
 List of abbreviations

24
Example of a title page

Title

Authors

Affiliations

25
Keywords for Indexing
 Keywords help to label your manuscript.

 Some journals require that the keywords are not words similar to the
journal name, because it may be misleading. For example, the
journal Reproductive Biology requires that the word “reproductive"
not be selected as a keyword.

 Ensure you check the Guide for Authors and look at the number of
keywords admitted, label, definitions, thesaurus, range, and other
special requests.

26
Acknowledgements/Funding section
 List funding sources for the study and authors

 Extend your appreciation to the participants of the study for their

time, commitment, and participation.
Reference Section
 The referencing style to be used depends on the style recommended
by the journal.

 Ensure that your references have consistent format style.

 You may employ the use of products like reference manager Use
products like procite, or endnote for citations.

28
Selected References

 Angel Borja, 2014:11 steps to structuring a science paper editors will

take seriously, Elsevier.

 "Copyright 2005, Journal of Young Investigators, Inc. Writing Scientific

Manuscripts a guide for undergraduates.”

 https://thevisualcommunicationguy.com/writing/how-to-organize-
apaper/how-to-organize-a-paper-the-imrad-format/

29
Thank you for listening

30