Writing and publishing scientific papers is the core business of every researcher, but is often experienced as difficult and frustrating. Good scientific content of a paper alone does not guarantee its publication in a good journal, because various aspects affect the writing and publishing process. This book is a quick guide into effective writing and publishing papers. It provides authors with clear and concise key information on 12 major parts of the process, from how to get started to dealing with reviewers’ comments. We describe each part succinct and easy-to-read, structured into background information (‘‘What you should know’’), concrete advice (‘‘What you should do’’), and a checklist of the main points to consider. Authors can read the book as a whole but can also use it as a reference book to look-up advice for a particular part while writing. With the information from this book authors from the medical and health sciences increase their joy in writing papers and their effectiveness in getting them published in good journals.
Stephen Luby is a medical epidemiologist who has worked for over 25 years conducting public health research in low-income countries. This effort has included developing the scientific writing skills of early career researchers whom he collaborated with. This guide grew out of his review of dozens of draft manuscripts from novice scientists in Pakistan in the mid-1990s. To avoid writing the same critique into multiple manuscripts, he developed a short list of "most common errors" with explanations of how they should be addressed. This allowed him to refer to manuscript errors more quickly by number, and allowed writers to see a more complete description of the problem than might be typed out when he recognized a familiar error in a new manuscript. Over the years, these "most common errors" multiplied. While working in Bangladesh, Stephen began collaborating with Dorothy Southern, who edited and organized this rather unwieldy list and integrated explanations and examples from a number of different sources. As Dorothy and Stephen recognized new errors, they incorporated them into the guide. Dorothy also worked to broaden the document to describe the mentor-orientated approach to scientific writing that they promoted in the Centre for Communicable Diseases at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr, b). Neither of us is now living in Bangladesh, but we both remain involved teaching scientific writing to early career scientists, especially those working in low- and middle-income countries. We have chosen to publish this as an open access guide so that it can be downloaded at no charge by scientists working in low-resource settings. The Pathway to Publishing: A Guide to Quantitative Writing in the Health Sciences focuses on the unique format and data presentation of quantitative studies in the health sciences. It aims to support and encourage scientists who are actively engaged in quantitative research to write effectively, and so increase the sharing of important scientific results. Since this guide grew out of training public health scientists in Pakistan and Bangladesh, many of the examples are from this context, though the principles apply broadly to clear scientific writing.
From the acclaimed author of the standard reference on reporting statistics in medicine, this new resource explains how to create effective scientific articles, research proposals, abstracts, posters, and slide presentations. It describes how to write efficiently and how to prepare tables, charts, graphs, illustrations, and images for publication. A wealth of key concepts, practical information, common mistakes, and helpful tips make this book invaluable.
"In the new 2016 version of the ethical guidelines, CIOMS provides answers to a number of pressing issues in research ethics. The Council does so by stressing the need for research having scientific and social value, by providing special guidelines for health-related research in low-resource settings, by detailing the provisions for involving vulnerable groups in research and for describing under what conditions biological samples and health-related data can be used for research."--Page 4 de la couverture.
"Margaret Cargill's background as a linguist and research communications educator and Patrick O'Connor's experience as both research scientist and educator synergize to improve both the science and art of scientific writing. If the authors' goal is to give scientists the tools to write and publish compelling, well documented, clear narratives that convey their work honestly and in proper context, they have succeeded admirably." Veterinary Pathology, July 2009 "[The book is] clearly written, has a logical step-by-step structure, is easy to read and contains a lot of sensible advice about how to get scientific work published in international journals. The book is a most useful addition to the literature covering scientific writing." Aquaculture International, April 2009 Writing Scientific Research Articles: Strategy and Steps guides authors in how to write, as well as what to write, to improve their chances of having their articles accepted for publication in international, peer reviewed journals. The book is designed for scientists who use English as a first or an additional language; for research students and those who teach them paper writing skills; and for early-career researchers wanting to hone their skills as authors and mentors. It provides clear processes for selecting target journals and writing each section of a manuscript, starting with the results. The stepwise learning process uses practical exercises to develop writing and data presentation skills through analysis of well-written example papers. Strategies are presented for responding to referee comments, as well as ideas for developing discipline-specific English language skills for manuscript writing. The book is designed for use by individuals or in a class setting. Visit the companion site at www.writeresearch.com.au for more information.
This volume presents a comprehensive and comprehensible set of guidelines for reporting the statistical analyses and research designs and activities commonly used in biomedical research.
From the acclaimed author of the standard reference on reporting statistics in medicine, this new resource explains how to create effective scientific articles, research proposals, abstracts, posters, and slide presentations. It describes how to write efficiently and how to prepare tables, charts, graphs, illustrations, and images for publication. A wealth of key concepts, practical information, common mistakes, and helpful tips make this book invaluable to novice researchers and seasoned professionals alike. This book is sure to become the leading reference on health-science communications!
Writing manuscripts is central to the advance of scientific knowledge. For an early career aspiring scientist, writing first author manuscripts is an opportunity to develop critical skills and to credential their expertise. Writing manuscripts, however, is difficult, doubly so for scientists who use English as a second language. Many science students intentionally avoid a writing-intensive curriculum. Careful, thorough reviews of draft manuscripts are difficult to secure, and experienced scientific supervisors face more demands on their time than they have time available. Weak draft manuscripts discourage supervising scientists investing the time to coach revisions. It is easier for experienced scientists to ignore the request, or to simply rewrite the article. Early career scientists are motivated to address these barriers but specific advice is difficult to find, and much of this advice is behind a pay wall. This essential, open access text presents writing lessons organized as common errors, providing students and early-career researchers with an efficient way to learn, and mentors with a quick-reference guide to reviewing. Error descriptions include specific examples drawn from real-world experiences of other early-career writers, and suggestions for how to successfully address and avoid these in the future. Versions of this book have been used by Stanford University, UC Davis, Johns Hopkins, and numerous international institutions and organizations for over a decade.
Mixed Methods in Health Sciences Research: A Practical Primer, by Leslie Curry and Marcella Nunez-Smith, presents key theories, concepts, and approaches in an accessible way. Packed with illustrations from the health sciences literature, this ready-to-use guidebook shows readers how to design, conduct, review, and use mixed methods research findings. Helpful checklists, figures, tables, templates, and much more give readers examples that will elevate the quality of their research, facilitate communication about their methods, and improve efficiency over the course of their projects. Real-world examples and insights from mixed methods researchers provide unique perspectives on every aspect of mixed methods research. This book successfully pulls together foundational mixed methods principles, synthesizes the knowledge base in the field, and translates it for a health science researcher audience. “The content is highly applicable to real life research teams in the areas of clinical research, health services research, and implementation science, providing sound content and practical advice. The authors have synthesized and pull key concepts from a variety of sources to provide a concise resource.” —Linda M. Herrick, South Dakota State University “Everything from the references, to the topics, checklists, conceptual graphic representations, and organizers, interviews, and resources, all contribute to the content and aid with understanding and/or application. … It addresses specific MM research as it pertains to health sciences in a way that other texts just do not even attempt.” —Denise L. Winsor, University of Memphis “[This text is] a very pragmatic approach to mixed methods research; excellent resources, tables, and figures [are] provided, along with cases and examples of value to researchers and grant reviewers. Its relevance to practice, education, and research, as well as to potential policy implications, is a strong focus that would make this a valued textbook for any researcher!” ? —Karen Devereaux Melillo, University of Massachusetts Lowell “The text is cutting edge. It leads the way with its focus on team dynamics. [The authors] succeed in making the book relevant and practical. They also articulate a number of key insights in the area of mixed methods that rarely get addressed, such as teams and conflict. Great read with a lot of good, practical information for mixed methods researchers at all levels. The practical approach of this text makes it an innovative and valuable resource.” —John G. Schumacher, University of Maryland
Gábor Lövei’s scientific communication course for students and scientists explores the intricacies involved in publishing primary scientific papers, and has been taught in more than twenty countries. Writing and Publishing Scientific Papers is the distillation of Lövei’s lecture notes and experience gathered over two decades; it is the coursebook many have been waiting for. The book’s three main sections correspond with the three main stages of a paper’s journey from idea to print: planning, writing, and publishing. Within the book’s chapters, complex questions such as ‘How to write the introduction?’ or ‘How to submit a manuscript?’ are broken down into smaller, more manageable problems that are then discussed in a straightforward, conversational manner, providing an easy and enjoyable reading experience. Writing and Publishing Scientific Papers stands out from its field by targeting scientists whose first language is not English. While also touching on matters of style and grammar, the book’s main goal is to advise on first principles of communication. This book is an excellent resource for any student or scientist wishing to learn more about the scientific publishing process and scientific communication. It will be especially useful to those coming from outside the English-speaking world and looking for a comprehensive guide for publishing their work in English.
