Academic Writing Peter S. Cahn Associate Provost for Academic Affairs MGH Institute of Health Professions December 1, 2014

Learning objectives Overcome barriers to getting started on writing projects Present scientific ideas clearly and logically Edit manuscripts to refine the argument

Overcome barriers to getting started on writing projects

Thinking about the future $100 June 1, 2015 $110 June 2, 2015 $100 today $110 tomorrow

"If you wait for clouds to part and be struck with a bolt of lightning, you're likely to be waiting the rest of your life. But if you simply get going something will occur to you."

Getting started Cover the blank screen Write a catchy title Build from existing work Put headings in Start with methods Use voice recognition software Dress the part Write a letter to your mother Write why you’re stuck Block it into calendar Touch it everyday Reward yourself Create a deleted file Commitment contract

Present scientific ideas clearly and logically

Motive The truth isn’t what you would expect There’s a contradiction that needs explaining The prevailing opinion needs to be challenged or qualified Several authorities’ published views disagree We can learn more about a larger phenomenon by studying this smaller one A seemingly insignificant matter is actually important A previous tentative result has now been confirmed Adopting this program/technique will contribute to an agreed-upon goal

Reporting Guidelines CONSORT: randomized controlled trials STARD: diagnostic test studies STROBE: observational studies COREQ: qualitative research PRISMA: systematic reviews and meta- analyses SQUIRE: quality improvement …and 218 more!

Writing a Research Article: Advice to Beginners 1.Writing research papers does not come naturally to most of us. 2.A good research paper addresses a specific research question. 3.Generally, only one main research question should be addressed in a paper. 4.What is a good research question? 5.Once the research question is clearly defined, writing the paper becomes considerably easier. 6.In turn, each basic section addresses several topics, and may be divided into subsections. 7.The Methods section should provide the readers with sufficient detail about the study methods to be able to reproduce the study if so desired. 8.The Results section is typically fairly straightforward and factual. 9.The Discussion section allows the most freedom. 10.References should be used wisely. 11.Having the structure of the paper in place is a good start; however, there are many details that have to be attended to while writing.

Edit manuscripts to refine the argument

The Bible by a Scientist Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account. Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.

“Improvement in health care is based, to an important extent, on the viability of the biomedical research enterprise, whose success, in turn, depends on the availability of creative scientists and networks of institutions of excellence capable of producing research and teaching personnel of the highest quality possible.”

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Learning Communities How can the members of the group hold each other accountable to their writing goals?

March 7, 2011 Pet PeeveHow to avoid Colloquial language “kind of” “humongous” Condescending tone “of course” “obviously” Confusing pronouns “this” “these” Vague descriptors “numerous” “several” Overstatements “virtually all studies have shown” Self-aggrandizement “Interesting finding” “Exciting” Needlessly long words “Utilize” “Approximately” Overly precious words “Elucidate” “Explicate” Abbreviation overload and jargon