1. How to write a scientific article Nikolaos P. Polyzos M.D. PhD

2. 2 Well-written papers are: Read Remembered Cited Poorly written papers are not… 2

3. 3 What journal? 3 Select the journal relevant to the work done Read the ‘guidelines for authors’ on the website of the journal Depends on the ‘quality’ of the research performed  Innovative  Design of the study  Size of the study  Human or Animal  Effect on clinical practice

4. 4 Title 4 Describes the contents of the paper  As short as possible  Descriptive words: ‘Key words’ The molecule studies The organism used The treatment The outcome measured Opinion paper: Catchy title ‘OHSS free clinic’ A majority of readers finds your paper via electronic database searches

5. 5 Authors The Vancouver Criteria Each and every author on a publication needs to have been involved in the:  Conception and design, or analysis and interpretation of data AND  Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content AND  Final approval of the version to be published 5

6. 6 Authors 6 Why does the number of author increase with years?

7. 7 Abstract Summarizes the major aspects Question(s) you investigated  From introduction Experimental design  From Material and Methods Major findings and key quantitative results  From results Interpretation and conclusions  From discussion 7

8. 8 Abstract Summarizes the major aspects All information in the abstract should appear in the body of the paper No lengthy background information No references No abbreviations No figures, tables or references to them 8

9. 9 Introduction Establish the context of the work reported  Cite the primary research literature 9

10. 10 Introduction It is the most important part….. When the reviewers read it they need to know why you did the study…. CONVINCE THEM! 10

11. 11 Introduction Establish the context of the work reported  Cite the primary research literature State the purpose of the work  Hypothesis, question or problem Explain your rationale and approach  Possible outcomes your study can reveal 11

12. 12 Material and Methods Helps others to reproduce your experiments Describe the organism(s)/patients studies  Location, numbers… Sampling design  Controls, treatments, outcome measures Protocol for collecting data  How study was performed How data were analyzed  Statistics 12

13. 13 Results Key results without interpretation: concise and objective Use both text and illustration Organize result section based on the sequence of Tables and Figures Do not report raw data values when they can be summarized as means, percent's, etc. 13

14. 14 Discussion To interpret your results in light of what was already known Always connect with the introduction 14

15. 15 Discussion Fundamental questions to answer: Do your results provide answers to your hypothesis? Do your findings agree with what others have shown? Given your conclusions: what is the new understanding? What would you do next? 15

16. 16 Discussion Stay focused on the research topic of the paper Use paragraphs to separate each important point Present your points in logical order Do not introduce new results 16

17. 17 Which is the evidence to cite in your article Can systematic reviews and meta-analyses always give you the best available evidence….. EVEN WITH ZERO TRIALS????

18. 18 Meta-analysis and number of trials included 61 systematic reviews published during July 2012 in Cochrane 1. 15% of the reviews included 1or 0 trials 2. Half included fewer than 1,000 randomized patients. 3. 31 were updated reviews, 4. 11 of these 31 updated reviews included the same number of trials and participants as the previous review they sought to bring up to date.

19. 19 Acknowledgments Assistance in thinking, designing, carrying out work, providing medication Outside reviewers of the draft Sources of funding 19

20. 20 References List of cited articles Order/style: depends on the journal Software available (endnote, reference manager,…) 20

21. 21 Finally Self-revise your paper  Enhance the logical flow of your arguments  Shorten long sentences to clarify them  Perform spelling check  Revision by native English speaker  Check the word count (abstract, whole article…) Read your article many times before you submit….like it is not yours Try to find flaws—be the most critical reviewer of your self 21

22. Thank you