Scientific Writing

Scientific and Medical Writing

Steven “Moustafa” Kassem

Types of Medical and Scientific Writing

Different publications

Medical JournalismNewspaper and Magazine articles

Mostly for “lay” people & general public

Written in simple, non-technical language

Contributing author or regular columnist

Medical EducationFor Physicians and Nurses

For Physicians – textbooks, Continued Medical Education (CME) programs,

slide decks,

e-learning modules

For Patients – patient education material

Some Contributors from the Oxford Textbook

• M. R. Cooper, Freelance Science Writer

• C. P. Conlon, Consultant Physician in Infectious Diseases

• B. J. Cohen, Clinical Scientist

• Richard E. Chaisson, Professor of Medicine

• Jonathan R. Carapetis, Senior Lecturer

• Paul H. Brion, Rheumatologist in Private Practice

Publication/Presentation

Journal articles / manuscripts (research articles, case reports, review articles)

Posters & presentations for scientific meetings and conferences

Language is technical and intended for specialists in the field

Types of Research DocumentsClinical trial protocols

Investigators Brochure′

Informed Consent Documents

Study reports

Research proposals

Research:Clinical trial protocols

Written procedural method in the design and implementation of experiments.

Standardize laboratory methods to ensure successful replication of results by others.

Lists of required equipment and instruments.

Information on safety precautions

Provisions for avoiding bias in the interpretation of results.

Approximation error, Sample biassample size Standard deviation

3.7. Establishment of Primary Chinese HamsterFibroblast Cultures

3.1.1. Embryo Culture1, Kill a 12-d old pregnant Chinese hamster with ether.2 Wash the animal in tap water and then with 70% ethanol3. Make a surgical incision on the dorsal side to expose the uterus using sterilemstruments (these can be dipped m ethanol and flamed to mamtam sterilityduring the operation)4 Remove the uterus in toto, and transfer it to a sterile Petri dish. Dissect theembryos, and place them m a new sterile Petri dish (see Note 4).5. Mince the embryos very finely, and while still in the Petri dish, wash the pieceswith 5 mL of 0.125% Bacto-trypsm at 37°C.6. Tilt the Petri dish so that embryo pieces go to the side Remove the pieces into a50-mL centrifuge tube usmg a wide-bore pipet.

Investigator’s Brochure• TABLE OF CONTENTS OF INVESTIGATOR’S BROCHURE (Example)• - Confidentiality Statement (optional) …………………………………………………………………• - Signature Page (optional) …………………………………………………………………………………• 1 Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………………………………• 2 Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….• 3 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………• 4 Physical, Chemical, and Pharmaceutical Properties and Formulation ………………..• 5 Nonclinical Studies …………………………………………………………………………………………• 5.1 Nonclinical Pharmacology ……………………………………………………………………………….• 5.2 Pharmacokinetics and Product Metabolism in Animals

……………………………………..• 5.3 Toxicology ………………………………………………………………………………………………………• 6 Effects in Humans …………………………………………………………………………………………..• 6.1 Pharmacokinetics and Product Metabolism in Humans

……………………………………..• 6.2 Safety and Efficacy ………………………………………………………………………………………….• 6.3 Marketing Experience ……………………………………………………………………………………..• 7 Summary of Data and Guidance for the Investigator …………………………………………• NB: References on 1. Publications• 2. Reports• These references should be found at the end of each chapter• Appendices (if any)

compile data relevant to studies of the tested drug in human subjects gathered during preclinical and other trials.

document summarizing the body of information obtained during a drug trial

Used in the drug development process

updated with new information as it becomes available

Medical Case Study Reports

• An article that describes a particular patient's diagnosis and treatment plan

• Most cases chosen are of unusual diagnoses or include complications in treatment.

• written in a specific format and can be submitted to peer-reviewed journals.

• Easier and faster to publish than research articles

• Can detail multiple aspects of a patients situation


• can detail many different aspects of the patient’s medical situation (clinical only one)

• published quickly in comparison to randomized control trials


1. Select a case• rare or unusual illnesses. • treatment plans that have an unexpected

positive or negative outcomes. • Speak with senior physicians about patients

whose illnesses would make an interesting case study report.

• Choose additional colleagues to contribute to the report.


2. Research the Case

• Review the current literature on relevant diagnosis or treatment.

• Seek assistance from your hospital's library staff.

• Ask senior staff members for guidance


3. Collect Patient Information and Consent• Medical ethics requires that the patient provide

written consent. • Many journals have their own consent forms that

must be completed and signed by the patient• patient's detailed information (age, medical

history, medication use, current and past diagnoses, etc.).

• copies of the patient's labs, x-rays and clinical photographs.


4. Drafting the Case Study

– Abstract (Should be written last)

– Introduction

– Case presentation

– Discussion

– Conclusion

– References

Features of a Successful Research Proposal

(1) a highly qualified investigator(s)or(2) a mentor with a successful track record in

scientific investigation, peer reviewed funding, ‐and mentorship of fellows and faculty

(3) a supportive academic environment

(4) a scientifically sound proposal.

Early-Careeer Research Fellowship & Grant Opportunities for Anesthesiologists (U.S.A.)

Writing Successful Research Proposals for Medical ScienceSchwinn, Debra A. MD; DeLong, Elizabeth R. PhD; Shafer, Steven L. MD

Requirements for Medical and Scientific Writing

What you need to develop

General Knowledge and Skills

• Language & grammar

• Literature / reference searching

• Ethical & legal issues

• Interpretation and presentation of research data

Avoiding Language Bias: “Sexism”“Sexist” “Non-Sexist”

Give each subject his results as soon as he is finished.

Give subjects their results as soon as they are finished.

Anyone who wants to improve must take his medicine.

All those who want to improve must take their medicine.

Every person has a right to his opinion. Every person has a right to his or her opinion.

chairman = chairwoman (re-gendered) • chair • chairperson (de-gendered)

Male nurse Nurse

Female Physician Physician

Avoiding Language Bias: Disabilities

Unacceptable Acceptable

handicapped Disabled, with disability

cancer victim, AIDS victim cancer patient, person with AIDS

suffers from diabetes is diabetic

confined/bound to a wheelchair

uses a wheelchair

dying of cancer living with cancer

Avoiding Language Bias: “Racism”

• Stay up-to-date on the acceptable terms

Acceptable UnacceptableNegro, colored Of African Origin, black,

African-American

Spanish (Except for natives of spain)

Latino/a, Hispanic

Indian Native American

Oriental Asian

Qualities of a Good Scientific Writer

• Thorough research of the subject• Ability to write for the target audience• Ability to understand the purpose and

requirements of the project• Scientific accuracy• Attention to details• Ability to work across teams and independently• Critical thinking

Step 1: Understanding the Project Brief

• Understand the Purpose for the document -How it relates to the institutions mission

-What the Sponsor wants to achieve

-Timelines

-Budgeting

-Data available

-Review process

Step2: Literature and Data Review

Should be the “Fun” Part of the process

adequate planning and time to allow for development of ideas

A creative and dynamic process

classify retrieved information in usable chunks

Begin Referencing as you learn

Step 3: Authoring & compiling the document

• Usually the “Not Fun” part of the process• The more effort spent on preparation, the

easier this part should be• Outline and Structure before prose• Well prepared writers need to streamline their

writing, not stretch it• Model on documents for same publication

Step 4: The review process

• Try to think like a reviewer while planning and writing to

• It is acceptable to suggest reviewers (referees) in your cover letter

• Use the fact that others will be evaluating your work to make your work better

Steps for Writing Scientific Documents

• Understanding the project brief • Literature search & review of information• Authoring & compiling the document• The review process• Formatting & editing• Approval and sign off• Electronic publishing

Ghost Writing: The Hidden Step

• "Ghost authoring" refers to making substantial contributions without being identified as an author.

• "Guest authoring" refers to being named as an author without having made substantial contributions.

American Medical Writers Association


• professional writers and other parties are paid by pharmaceuticals and medical devices manufacturers to produce manuscripts

• physicians may have little involvement in the research or the writing process.

• authors listed in the byline are prominent clinicians paid an honorarium for their names.


• An “author” is generally considered to be someone who has made substantive intellectual contributions to a published study

• must take responsibility for at least one component of the work

• should be able to identify who is responsible for other components

• should ideally be confident in their co-authors’ ability and integrity


• Permitted at the University of Washington School of Medicine

• Considered unethical at most Institutions

• Considered Plagiarism at:Tufts University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Criteria for Authorship:

1. substantial contributions to design, acquisition of, or analysis of data

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

And

3. final approval of the version to be published

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE or The Vancouver Group)

Ways to Publish

Traditional Open-SourceAvailable to those with a paid subscription

Available for viewing or downloading by anyone with access to the internet.

Author is paid “royalties” for each publication sold

Author pays to have his/her writing included in the publication

Standards for publication are usually higher

Easier to publish

Becoming obsolete as information-sharing proliferates

Seen as threat to peer-review system

Types of Open Access

1. Green Open Access self-archiving (OA Repositories)

• Authors publish in any journal and then self-archive a version of the article for free public use in their institutional repository, central repository (such as PubMed Central), or other Open Access website.

Types of Open Access

2. Gold Open Access publishing(O/A Journals)

• Authors publish in an open-access journal that provides immediate OA to all of its articles on the publisher's website

• Examples: BioMed Central, the Public Library of Science, and Dove Medical Press.

How much can you find on OA?

Björk et al. (2010). "Open Access to the Scientific Journal Literature”

Types of Open AccessGreen OA self-archiving Gold OA publishing

Peer-reviewed post-print is published Immediate access on the publishers website

Generally free or nominal administrative fee Author fees to cover the cost of publishing (from $1,350 to $2,900)

No Peer Review (assumed) Peer review

Requires publishers permission No permission required

Universities have repositories Privately owned or non-profit

Fake Publications• Etymology 2013 vs. Entomology-2013

• Names almost identical to respected journals

• Academics are solicited to contribute or attend a conference then charged exorbitant rates

• Erroneously use academics’ credentials

• Jeffrey Beall, a research librarian at the University of Colorado at Denver, has developed a blacklist of “predatory” journals.

http://scholarlyoa.com/individual-journals/

Nytimes.com

http://scholarlyoa.com/individual-journals/

Thank you!

Steven Moustafa Kassem

[email protected]

Technology

Scientific Writing