Scientific Writing MCH Epidemiology Pre-conference Workshop Dec 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, Policy and Evaluation Jody Zylke, MD Senior Editor Journal of the American Medical Association

Schedule for Today 8-8:15 -- Introduction of speakers and SWAT 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 12-1:30 – Lunch (Dr. Zylke’s treat)

Schedule for Today (continued) 1:30-2--Working with class on your results section 2-2:30--How to write a discussion section 2:30-3--Working with class on your discussion section 3-3:15--Break 3:15-3:45--How to write an abstract and titles 3:45-4:15--Working with class on abstract and titles 4:15-4:45--How to submit a paper to a journal 4:45-5--Questions, additional work on papers

The Scientific Writing SWAT Team Paul Newacheck, PhD, University of California San Francisco Russ Kirby, PhD, University of South Florida Martha Wingate, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham Stephen Blumberg, PhD, CDC, National Center for Health Statistics Arden Handler, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago

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

Why Should You Write for Publication? It will help you to clarify your thinking on a topic Thinking reduces risk of dementia 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 MCH staff Publications can be a determinant in hiring and promotions

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?

Selected Impact Factors NEJM 53 Nature 36 Lancet 34 Cell 32 Science 31 JAMA 30 PLOS 16 BMJ 13 American Journal of Epidemiology 5.75 Pediatrics 5.4 Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 4.1

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? What is the journal’s impact factor?

Resource for Investigating these Questions 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

Brevity is the sister of talent. - - Chekhov

The best writing has no lace on its sleeves – Whitman