1、For Ph.D. and Master Programs Scientific papers, their publishing and presentations My experiences,Department of Clinical Pharmacology, central south university,Introduction,A naturalists life would be happy one if he had only to observe and never to write (Charles Darwin)In science, no matter how s
2、pectacular the results are, the work is not completed until the results are publishedOne of the best ways scientific researchers provide their expertise and to be recognized professionally is to publish as many good papers as possible in a number of very prestigious professional journals,Introductio
3、n,Journals decide which manuscripts to publish largely on the opinions of other scientists who judge the quality of submitted papers- A process called peer review Attracting the reviewers attention and support is vital! The purpose of this presentation is to help candidates to prepare the manuscript
4、 and to show all steps from the rough manuscript to published paper,Contents,kinds of scientific written communication scientific writing in general IMRAD format paper organization paper writing paper submission the editing process proof-reading and pointers to reading,Scientific written communicati
5、on,Reports Theses or dissertations Journal articles Slide presentations Posters Books and book chapters Technical manuals/users guides Research or grant proposals,Why Publish?,contributes knowledge ensures scientific rigor allows feedback (improves work) Promotes career document productivity documen
6、t impact on field/reputation Advertises your lab for future trainees improves chances of funding,Information on writing scientific paper,Scientific writing is primarily an exercisein organizationScientific writing is highly stylized with distinctive and clearly evident component partsEach scientific
7、 paper should have proper order in contents,Information on writing scientific paper,If your research work is important, then it should be communicated effectively, clearly in words of certain meaningThe best English in scientific writing is that which gives the sense in the fewest short wordsEnjoy t
8、he sheer of beauty of simple declarative sentence using clear and short word The ultimate goal of scientific research is publication,Information on writing scientific paper,Scientists with PhD can make journal editors quite happy with plain, unassuming, simple, and freshman level compositionA scient
9、ific paper is not literature If the ingredients are properly organized, the paper will almost write itself,Information on writing scientific paper,The very first decision you need to make is to which journal you intend to submit. This in itself is often a difficult task Many factors are involved in
10、the decision (e.g. impact of the journal vs probability of acceptance; publication lag; desired audience, etc) Once you decide, read the journals “Instructions for authors”, usually found inside the front or back cover. Ensure that you follow all of these to the letter,Information on writing scienti
11、fic paper,Also, journals differ in style - some use “Introduction” as a heading for that section, others dont. Peruse some published papers to acquaint yourself with the journals style. This is much easier than reading the formatting instructions,Mission of Scientific Journals,Publication of importa
12、nt, quality and current scientific information,Criteria for Acceptance,Clarity of objectivenessOriginalityAppropriate experimental design and methodsAppropriate statistical analysis,Criteria for Acceptance,Depth of the investigationSubstance of the resultsScientific interpretation and thorough discu
13、ssion of resultsThe importance of topic to the journal,Rejection - Why?,Wrong Journal The subject matter is of insufficient interest to the readership to a specific journal Offering too long Faults in presentation Retrospective study Statistics The results are trivial The scientific quality is subst
14、andard Groups in trial not comparable,The object of a Scientific Paper,Enable the reader to: Assess the observations you made Repeat the experiment if they wish Determine whether the conclusions drawn are justified,IMRAD format,Other types of journal papers,State-of-the-art Review Bibliography Techn
15、ical notes Letter to the editor,Paper organization,Title The title is the only part of your paper most people will read - make it clear, concise (self-contained) and informative Actual findings should be described with claims that can be supported It should be catchy / memorable The title is a label
16、, not a sentence,The list of Authors,Student first, supervisor second An author of a paper should be defined as one who takes intellectual responsibility for the research results being reported Give credit where it is due. It does not cost anything, and it creates friends. Science is more of a socia
17、l activity than you might think Authors affiliations and corresponding author,Paper organization,AbstractThe abstract is vitally important - without doubt the most important 200-300 words in the paper Never forget that the abstract is often the only thing readers will read from your paper. Pay atten
18、tion to it! Make it very concise, clear-cut, easy to read. Avoid technical terms or complicated reasoning First 1-2 sentences: introduction to the concept Next 1-2 sentences: the system and the specific question,Abstract,No methods, unless unavoidable or new Next x sentences, a brief summary of the
19、results Final 1-2 sentences: conclusion You can end with a sentence that hints at the major topic of the discussion Typed as a single paragraph No abbreivations /or citations As a summary of work done, it is written in past tense,Paper organization,Introduction No more than 2 pages A bad beginning m
20、akes a bad ending call attention to the specific subject, define the problem provide background and present the results of other studies (literature review) Should not be (too) technical list the structure of your research project and what you plan to present in your paper,Materials and Methods,Suff
21、icient detail so that work can be repeatedDescribe new methods in detail- the degree of replication and sensitivityCite the accepted method briefly using referenceIf a published method is modified, such modifications must be described in detail,Materials and Methods,Statistical analysis of data if a
22、ppropriate.Use subheadings as needed for clarityask a colleague if he/she can follow the methodologySince your procedures have been completed, report them using past tense.,Paper organization,Results Display of data with logical development showing how your findings satisfy your objectives The resul
23、ts should be short and sweet, with no excess verbiage Present and discuss results concisely using figures and tables as needed Findings described in past tense,Results,Generally does NOT include explanations or discussion of the results Table and figure legends should be accompanied with sufficient
24、information for main point. Table and figure should be able to stand alone All tables and figures must be numbered in the order in which they are mentioned in the text Numerical data with the correct number of significant digits,Paper organization,Discussion the hardest section to write, you discuss
25、, you do not recapitulate the Results show the relationship among observed facts Clearly indicate what new information is provided by the present study- - originality end with a short summary/conclusion,Discussion Advice,Move from your specific findings to the literature, theory and practice Make su
26、re not to ignore the major issue (did it resolve problem, answer question, support hypothesis? Dont overgeneralize or make unsupported conclusions Dont ignore deviations in your data Avoid speculation that cannot be tested in near future,Conclusions,Conclusions should not be a summary of the work do
27、ne or a virtual duplication of the abstractConclusions should be justified by the data presentedEmphasis should be on major conclusions and implicationConclusion is optional in many scientific journals,“Thank you” Acknowledgments,Technical assistance Advice on research or manuscript Gifts of materia
28、ls Assistance in preparing manuscript Financial assistance,Searching scientific literature,Explore ideas to your subject gaps in research on a subject of interest existence of any duplication to your work Conduct a specific search manually in the library on-line searching Keep up-to-date with the sp
29、ecific subject,Literature review,Developing an outline chronological arrangement comparison and contrast in contraversional theories Creating a skeleton select a few documents and write about each discern the main points of their contents,High Quality of Review,Free from biasConstructiveIn-depth and
30、 thorough reviewThe emphasis on the points of major importance,Points of considerations,Before submitting a paper, therefore, be sure that you have something important and publishable to say. To know this, you should discuss your results with others working in the field, both in your own institution
31、 and elsewhere. The best way to do this is to present your results at scientific meetings if you can get to them.,A rough draft is ready but .,Will you have co-authors? Which journal to submit your manuscript? How soon will it be published? How to deal with editors?,Professional publishers Elsevier
32、Springer Verlag J Wiley & Sons Kluwer Academic Publishing MCB University Press IOP Publishing Academic Press,Journals - Publishers,Where to submit the manuscript,The prestige factor The circulation factor The frequency factor The audience factor,Paper writing,Write a rough abstract first or start te
33、xt in the middle A rough draft is ready Select the journal and read Instructions to Authors (manuscript requirements: style in headings, the system for citations, figures and tables, etc.) Write the final manuscript,The final draft,Front Matter Title (fewest possible words that describe the contents
34、) Authors (co-authors) name and address Abstract (miniversion of the paper, no citations) Keywords Article Body Introduction Theoretical and experimental sections Results Discussion/Conclusion End Matter Acknowledgment (technical help and financial assistance) References (at 52 journals were found 3
35、3 different styles for listing) Appendixes,Citations and references,For a better credibility you have to review the literature and show that your contribution extends from a solid foundation of research Quality and quantity of the sources you have consulted will enhance your work You have make it po
36、ssible for readers to retrace your steps Your references can be as valuable as your research methods and findings At least three citation styles (in-text citations) and 100 reference styles are commonly used,Citations: Alphabet-number system,Examples in the textIn 1986 Schmitt (10) developed a . Wit
37、h optimum design sensitivity (10) .,References9. Schittkowski, K. 1999. Nonlinear Programming Software 10. Schmitt, L. A. 1986. Symposium summary and concluding remarks. .,Note: list of references in author alphabetical order,Citations: Name-year (Harward) system,Examples in the text:Schmitt (1986)
38、developed a With optimum design sensitivity (Schmitt, 1986) ,References Schittkowski, K. Nonlinear Programming Software, 1999. Schmitt, L. A. Symposium and concluding remarks,1986.,Note: list of references in author alphabetical order,Citations: Order of citation (Vancouver) system,Examples in the t
39、extIn 1986, Schmitt (1) developed a With optimum design sensitivity (1) ,References1. Schmitt, L. A. (1986). Symposium summary and concluding remarks,Note: list of references not in author alphabetical order,Ethics of scientific writing,Avoid the dual publication Dont use the work of others without
40、appropriate attribution List only those co-authors who contributed substantially to the work,Final submission,In-house reviews are required? Submit the paper to the journals editor (only to one journal) Hard-copy of manuscript (usually three or more copies) Disk of the same version Text: Word, Word
41、Perfect, TeX/LaTeX, etc. Figures: tif, gif, postscript, etc.,Editing process,Editor log a manuscript and send an acknowledgement that the paper has been received Editor sends the manuscript to reviewers On the basis of the reviews and the editors opinion, your paper will be accepted, conditional acc
42、epted or rejected.,Editors,I expect the editor to accept all my papers, accept them as they are submitted, and publish them promptly. I also expect him to scrutinize all other papers with the utmost care, especially those of my competitors.,Bibliography,Davis, M. Scientific Papers and Presentations,
43、 Academic Press, 1997 Day, R. A. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 4th Ed., Cambridge University Press, 1995 Michaelson, H. B. How to Write and Publish Engineering Papers and Reports, 3rd Ed., Oryx Press, 1990 OConnor, M. Writing Successfully in Science, Academic Press, 1991 Paradis, J. G
44、. and Zimmerman, M. L. The MIT Guide to Science and Engineering Communication, MIT Press, 1997, and more books,Briscoe, M.H. A Researchers Guide to Scientific and Medical Illustrations, Springer-Verlag, NY, 1990 Hodges, E. R. S. The Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration, Van Nostrand-Reinhold, N
45、Y, 1989 Reynolds, L. and Simmonds, D. Presentation of Data in Science, Nijhoff, Hague, 1983 Smith, R. V. Graduate Research: A Guide for Students in the Science, ISI Press, Philadelphia, 1984 Stock, M. A Practical Guide to Graduate Research, McGraw-Hill, NY, 1985,A scientific paper is not literature. If the ingredients are properly organized, the paper will almost write itself. Scientists of the world, organize!,
