The Essentials of Manuscript Preparation

The Essentials of Manuscript Preparation

Thierry Olivry, DrVet, PhD, DipECVD, DipACVD

Scientific Article Writing Some Questions to be Addressed

– Where should I publish my article?

– Who should be an author, in what order?

– How to make my abstract effective?

– How long should my introduction be?

– How detailed should the methods be?

– Presenting results: tables, figures or text?

– How should I structure my discussion?

– How can I deal with so many references?

Scientific Article Writing Where Should I Publish?

– What is the “impact factor”?•IF = average number of times articles

from the journal published in the past two years have been cited in the journal citation report year

•IF = 1.0 means that, on average, the articles published one or two years ago have been cited one time

• What is most important? impact factor or most relevant readership?

Scientific Article Writing Impact Factor / Ranks

NE J Med 53.486 #3Nature 36.104 #9Vet Microbiol 3.256 # 1,211Vet Immunol 2.176 # 2,319

Scientific Article Writing Where Should I Publish?

– Maximizing publication effectiveness:• Citation databases: Medline (Pubmed), Web

of Science, CAB abstracts• Favor journals with rapid publication• Journals with “e-pubs ahead of print”• Open access journals:

PLoS One – 2010 IF: 4.411 after 5 years

BMC Vet Res – 2010 IF: 2.371 after 5 yrs

Scientific Article Writing Authorship

– Who should be an author?• Uniform requirements for publication in

biomedical journals (www.icmje.org)

– Authorship qualifications = 1 + 2 + 31. substantial contributions to conception

and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data

2. drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content

3. final approval of the version to be published

Scientific Article Writing Authorship

– Important considerations (ICMJE):• Acquisition of funding, collection of

data, or general supervision of the research group, alone, does not justify authorship

• All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship, and all those who qualify should be listed

• Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content

Scientific Article Writing Title and Key-Words

– Title: • Must be informative about the study• Consider using “hot” words that may be

searched often

– Key-words:• Consider “homonym variation” between title and

key-words to enhance retrieval chances• Examples:

1. Discipline: e.g. immunology, allergy2. Species: e.g. dog (or canine)3. Organ: e.g. skin4. Disease: e.g. atopy, pemphigus5. Category: e.g. pathogenesis, treatment, clinical

signs

Scientific Article Writing Abstract

– Important points: • Balanced, precise, relevant, accessible• Follow journal guidelines!• Structured versus narrative

– Example of abstract structure:• Background statement: 1-2 sentences• Objectives: 1 sentence• Method summary: short and to the point!• Results: major points• Conclusions: implication for research, practice

Scientific Article Writing Unbalanced Abstract

Scientific Article Writing Balanced Abstract

Scientific Article Writing Introduction

– Important points: • Short, relevant, informative, enticing• “Hourglass concept”

• “Sinusoid”, not “ reverse sigmoid”!

• Start with an outline!

Scientific Article Writing Introduction

– Example of introduction structure:• Definition of the problem, disease• Importance, prevalence, relevance• Areas of controversies• Missing information• Study objectives• Short teaser?

Scientific Article Writing Material & Methods

– Important points:• Short, clear, informative, structured• How much detail? Enough to permit the

reproduction of experiments• Online supplements

– Example of “Material & Methods” structure:• Study subjects, tissues, cells• (Main reagents)• Techniques 1, 2, 3….• Statistical analyses

Scientific Article Writing Results

– Important points:• Short, clear, informative, structured• Text, figures or tables?• Avoid duplication of information between text

tables and figures• Avoid discrepancies between text, tables and

figures• Don’t discuss the findings yet!

– Example of results structure:• Same headings as in material & methods

Scientific Article Writing Tables

– Main objectives:• Should complement the text• Should be short and not too wide• Not too much information (i.e. not too “tight”)• Not too many abbreviations• Clear, easily read• Should stand alone for comprehension• Don’t forget title, caption or abbreviation

explanation (separate section)

Tables: Which One is Better?

Tables: Which One is Better?

Scientific Article Writing Figures

– Main objectives:• Should complement the text• Clear, easily read and understood• Should stand alone for comprehension• Be artistic! play with composite figures• Judicious use of color, grayscale• Beware of ethical “enhancements”• Minimum resolution: 300 dpi (6-8’’ wide)• Don’t forget title, caption or abbreviation

explanation (separate section)!

Scientific Article Writing Figures

Scientific Article Writing Discussion

– Important points:• Short, focused, relevant, structured• Don’t stray away from your main objectives!• “Sterile” versus “emphatic” style• Use the richness of the English language!• “Hourglass concept”• Sinusoid, not reverse sigmoid!

• Make an outline!

Scientific Article Writing Discussion

– Example of discussion structure:• Introductory statement: main results (?)• Paragraphs corresponding to sections similar

to those of material & methods and results• Implication for research• Implication for practice• Concluding statement

Scientific Article Writing References

– Important points:• Follow journal guidelines for reference format!!!• Verify that all in text citations have matching

references!• Attempt to use “primary” citations except for

common knowledge (e.g. “… reviewed in 17)• Use reference management software:

RefWorks, Endnote, Reference Manager• Other alternative: Word’s endnote function

Scientific Article Writing Other Important Items

– Acknowledgements:• For reagent gifts• For technical help• For funding source• For advice on content or manuscript

– Conflict of interest:• May be required• List any consulting/lecture honoraria or

research funding that could have any direct or indirect link with the current study

Scientific Article Writing Conclusions

– A published article should be the final outcome of all (most) research projects:• Excellent time to gather all results and “digest”

them for others• Peer-review assessment of your work• Availability for present and future generations• Important outcome measure for obtaining a

faculty position and for promotion

– Excellent exercise in penmanship, logic, organization and artistry… be creative!

– Follow journal guidelines!!!