Scientific Writing for Peer Reviewed Publications for Public Health Professionals

MCH Epidemiology / CityMatch ConferenceDec. 11, 2012

Michael Kogan, Ph.D.Director

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Office of Epidemiology and Research

Donna J. Petersen, ScD, MHSDean, School of Public Health, University of South Floridaand Editor in Chief, Maternal and Child Health Journal

Schedule for Today• 8-8:15 -- Introduction of speakers and Dream Team• 8:15-8:45 – Why write & preparation needed to begin• 8:45-9:15 – What does an editor look for in a paper,

tips on writing, and how to get started• 9:15-9:45 – How to write an introduction• 9:45-10:15 – Working with class on your introductions• 10:15-10:30 – Break• 10:30-11 – How to write a methods section• 11-11:30 – Working with class on your methods

sections• 11:30-12 – How to write a results section• 12-1:00 – Lunch

Schedule for Today (continued)

• 1-1:30--Working with class on your results section• 1:30-2--How to write a discussion section• 2-2:30--Working with class on your discussion section• 2:30-3--How to write an abstract and titles• 3-3:15--Break• 3:15-3:45--Working with class on abstract and titles• 3:45-4:15--How to submit a paper to a journal• 4:15-4:45--Questions, additional work on papers

The Scientific Writing Dream Team

• Debbie Klein Walker, EdD, Abt Associates• Martha Wingate, PhD, University of Alabama at

Birmingham• Pat O’Campo, PhD, University of Toronto• Reem Ghandour, DrPH, Maternal and Child

Health Bureau• Laura Schieve, PhD, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention• Stephen Blumberg, PhD, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention

Acknowledgements• Russ Kirby, PhD, University of South Florida• Paul Z. Siegel, MD, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention• Elena Kallestinova, Yale University

Why Should You Write for Publication?

• It will help you to clarify your thinking on a topic• It is one of the main methods of communicating

your work to other scientists• It carries the weight of being peer-reviewed• It can be more easily found and referenced by

other scientists and public health professionals• Publications can be a determinant in hiring and

promotions• It helps build the evidence base in MCH

Laying the Groundwork before Writing

Deciding Where to Send Your Paper

• Does the journal employ blind peer-reviewing? (AJPH – yes, JAMA – no, MCHJ – yes, Pediatrics – no, NEJM - no)

• How often do articles appearing in the journal get cited? (Look up the Journal Impact Factor)

• Are there a large number of subscribers?• Is the journal listed in Index Medicus?

Deciding Where to Send Your Paper • Does the journal process manuscripts in a

reasonable amount of time? • Is there a long lag from acceptance to

publication? • How many of their articles are published online

ahead of print?• Is the journal’s subject matter, methodological,

and theoretical orientation appropriate?• What is the journal’s acceptance rate?

Selected Impact Factors

• NEJM 53• Nature 36• Lancet 34• Cell 32• Science 31• JAMA 30• BMJ 13• American Journal of Epidemiology 5.75• Pediatrics 5.4• Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 4.1• American Journal of Public Health 3.9

Resource for Investigating these Questions

• http://mulford.meduohio.edu/instr/• This is a listing of “Instructions for Authors”

from over 3500 journals in the health sciences

• NOTE: ALWAYS FOLLOW THE SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR EACH JOURNAL

Common Mistakes in Laying the Groundwork

before Writing

• Has the journal published papers in your subject area?• For example, submitting a paper on child injury to

the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

• Does the journal have predetermined criteria that would eliminate your paper?• The Journal of the American Medical Association

will not accept papers from any studies with response rates below 60%.

Brevity is the sister of talent. -- Chekhov

The best writing has no lace on its sleeves –

Whitman