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Writing (and revising) Writing (and revising) papers papers No publication, no project No publication, no project Make information available for Make information available for others others No publication, no promotion No publication, no promotion Yardstick of productivity Yardstick of productivity No publication, no funding No publication, no funding What have you done for me lately? What have you done for me lately? Why is it important? Why is it important? Publishing your work is vital for succ Publishing your work is vital for succ

Writing (and revising) papers No publication, no projectNo publication, no project –Make information available for others No publication, no promotionNo

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Page 1: Writing (and revising) papers No publication, no projectNo publication, no project –Make information available for others No publication, no promotionNo

Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• No publication, no projectNo publication, no project– Make information available for othersMake information available for others

• No publication, no promotionNo publication, no promotion– Yardstick of productivityYardstick of productivity

• No publication, no fundingNo publication, no funding– What have you done for me lately?What have you done for me lately?

Why is it important?Why is it important?

Publishing your work is vital for successPublishing your work is vital for success

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Decide on authors, and their order, as Decide on authors, and their order, as early as possibleearly as possible– Preferably before starting the projectPreferably before starting the project

• Authors should only include those who Authors should only include those who have made a substantive have made a substantive intellectualintellectual contribution to the project reported, and contribution to the project reported, and can defend the data and conclusions can defend the data and conclusions publiclypublicly

• Decide on authors, and their order, as Decide on authors, and their order, as early as possibleearly as possible– Preferably before starting the projectPreferably before starting the project

• Authors should only include those who Authors should only include those who have made a substantive have made a substantive intellectualintellectual contribution to the project reported, and contribution to the project reported, and can defend the data and conclusions can defend the data and conclusions publiclypublicly

AuthorshipAuthorship

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Generate at least part of the Generate at least part of the intellectual intellectual contentcontent– Conception or design of the workConception or design of the work– Data analysis and interpretationData analysis and interpretation

• Draft, critically review or revise the Draft, critically review or revise the intellectualintellectual content content

• Approve the final version to be Approve the final version to be submittedsubmitted

Criteria for authorshipCriteria for authorship

All three criteria should be satisfiedAll three criteria should be satisfied

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Target audienceTarget audience– ““Who would be interested in reading this Who would be interested in reading this

paper?”paper?”

• Import and significance of the findingsImport and significance of the findings– Seek input from colleaguesSeek input from colleagues

• Decide on the journal Decide on the journal beforebefore beginning beginning to writeto write

Choosing the right journalChoosing the right journal

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Key element that advertises the paper’s Key element that advertises the paper’s contentscontents– Be as specific as possibleBe as specific as possible– Include main aspects of study including Include main aspects of study including

model usedmodel used– Can be used to indicate an ongoing seriesCan be used to indicate an ongoing series

• Often helpful to choose the title when Often helpful to choose the title when the paper is almost completethe paper is almost complete

Structure – the titleStructure – the title

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Should be complete, and intelligible Should be complete, and intelligible without reference to the textwithout reference to the text

• Ordinarily, should not include actual Ordinarily, should not include actual data valuesdata values– Compare with a meeting abstractCompare with a meeting abstract

• Avoid abbreviations and citationsAvoid abbreviations and citations

• Write it at the end!Write it at the end!

Structure – the abstractStructure – the abstract

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Prominently state the hypothesis that Prominently state the hypothesis that prompted your investigationprompted your investigation

• BrieflyBriefly review the pertinent literature review the pertinent literature that led to this workthat led to this work

• Conclude at the starting point for the Conclude at the starting point for the current investigation rather than current investigation rather than including a summary of the data including a summary of the data obtainedobtained

Structure – the introductionStructure – the introduction

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• A good place to start for beginning authorsA good place to start for beginning authors– Should be the easiest section of the paper to writeShould be the easiest section of the paper to write

• Should permit another to repeat your work, Should permit another to repeat your work, but need not be exhaustivebut need not be exhaustive– OK to cite previous methods of your lab or othersOK to cite previous methods of your lab or others

• Identify sources of key reagentsIdentify sources of key reagents

Structure – the methods sectionStructure – the methods section

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• The heart of the paperThe heart of the paper• No need to follow chronology of studyNo need to follow chronology of study

– Rather, provide a logical progression and tell a Rather, provide a logical progression and tell a storystory

• Provide only enough interpretation to lead Provide only enough interpretation to lead reader from one experiment to the nextreader from one experiment to the next– Avoid lengthy analysis and comparisons to the work Avoid lengthy analysis and comparisons to the work

of others hereof others here

• Avoid duplication of information between text, Avoid duplication of information between text, figures, legends and tablesfigures, legends and tables

Structure – the results sectionStructure – the results section

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Length proportional to amount of new Length proportional to amount of new information presentedinformation presented– Avoid redundancy with results sectionAvoid redundancy with results section

• Parallel structure of results section plus Parallel structure of results section plus introductory and concluding paragraphsintroductory and concluding paragraphs

• Avoid undue speculation and claims of Avoid undue speculation and claims of primacyprimacy

Structure – the discussion sectionStructure – the discussion section

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Finalize at the end using a software packageFinalize at the end using a software package• Ensure correct formatting for journal of Ensure correct formatting for journal of

submissionsubmission• Most papers can be adequately referenced Most papers can be adequately referenced

with less than 50 citationswith less than 50 citations– Check that introduction and discussion are not out Check that introduction and discussion are not out

of proportion to new information presentedof proportion to new information presented

• Avoid excessive self-citation, and check all Avoid excessive self-citation, and check all citations for accuracycitations for accuracy– Remember who your reviewers might be!Remember who your reviewers might be!

Structure - referencesStructure - references

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• First or third person?First or third person?– Latter is more formal, but former often makes for a Latter is more formal, but former often makes for a

livelier readlivelier read

• Back to basicsBack to basics– Use an outline – know where you’re goingUse an outline – know where you’re going– Carefully consider issues of sentence and paragraph Carefully consider issues of sentence and paragraph

construction, run-on sentencesconstruction, run-on sentences– Don’t use five words when one will doDon’t use five words when one will do

• Allow trainees to develop their own style, while Allow trainees to develop their own style, while maintaining quality controlmaintaining quality control

• Read, write and review to learn what worksRead, write and review to learn what works

Stylistic issuesStylistic issues

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Read the instructionsRead the instructions– Provide all requested itemsProvide all requested items– Don’t make enemies in the editorial officeDon’t make enemies in the editorial office

• Ensure appropriate file format for on-line Ensure appropriate file format for on-line submission, including figuressubmission, including figures– Is the on-line version the one you want reviewers Is the on-line version the one you want reviewers

to see?to see?

• Confirm receipt; enquire if a decision has not Confirm receipt; enquire if a decision has not be received after six-eight weeksbe received after six-eight weeks

The submission processThe submission process

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• If your paper is returned for revision, you are If your paper is returned for revision, you are in good companyin good company

• It’s OK to get mad, but don’t act on itIt’s OK to get mad, but don’t act on it• Try to understand what the reviewers are Try to understand what the reviewers are

really sayingreally saying– If the reviewers did not understand your work, is it If the reviewers did not understand your work, is it

because you did not present it clearly in the first because you did not present it clearly in the first place?place?

• Look for clues from the editor as to the extent Look for clues from the editor as to the extent of revision neededof revision needed

The revision processThe revision process

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Complete additional experiments if neededComplete additional experiments if needed• Resist temptation to prepare an impassioned Resist temptation to prepare an impassioned

response to points with which you disagreeresponse to points with which you disagree• Stand firm if that is truly the right thing to doStand firm if that is truly the right thing to do

– But do so diplomatically, backed up with citationsBut do so diplomatically, backed up with citations

• Sincerely thank the editor and reviewers for helping Sincerely thank the editor and reviewers for helping you to improve your workyou to improve your work– They have invested a lot of time, mostly on a voluntary They have invested a lot of time, mostly on a voluntary

basisbasis

• Ask a neutral colleague to review your responseAsk a neutral colleague to review your response

Responding to reviewsResponding to reviews

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• If a very major revision is called for, or if your If a very major revision is called for, or if your paper is rejected, consider another journalpaper is rejected, consider another journal– Was your initial selection of journal part of the Was your initial selection of journal part of the

problem?problem?

• Avoid LPU’sAvoid LPU’s– Consider doing more work to make your study Consider doing more work to make your study

more substantivemore substantive

• More papers are rejected on the basis of More papers are rejected on the basis of priority than because of scientific flaws priority than because of scientific flaws

Handling rejectionsHandling rejections

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Writing (and revising) papersWriting (and revising) papers

• Do the study with the paper in mindDo the study with the paper in mind

• Seek as much input from colleagues as Seek as much input from colleagues as possiblepossible– Need to see the wood as well as the treesNeed to see the wood as well as the trees

• Remember who the reviewers might beRemember who the reviewers might be

• If unsure about ethics, ask!If unsure about ethics, ask!

• Practice, practice, practice!Practice, practice, practice!

Closing thoughtsClosing thoughts