1. Scientific papers - getting published (or How to avoid getting kicked )

3. Overview and Goals How to avoid kicks –writing a decent paper
Paper the package
Important question new interesting important - all in the question
Talk about the packaging but if you are presenting a

4. Perfect grammar cannot compensate for poor reasoning.
Excellent reasoning cannot compensate for a boring question.
Cannot make a silk purse of a sows ear - this paper is about thepackaging
For heavens sake ask an important question
Like this picture my advice is dangerous and idiosyncratic

5. Writing a paper
Magic happens
Ok how does one write a paper

7. Sweat
Think
Organize
Practice

8. The magic of the pen lies in the concentration of your thoughts upon one object. Lewes, George Henry British Writer

9. TITLE Title - 3 routes Describe the Battle The effect of X on Y
Declare Victory
X increases Y
Declare you Won the War
X cures cancer

10. AUTHORSHIP
Authors ?
Substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, analysis or interpretation.
Draft paper or revise it for important intellectual content.
Read and approved final version.

11. AUTHORS - Make friends or enemies?
Does everyone qualify?
Have you left anyone out?
Order?
Seen it?
Never forge a signature
No ghosts or gifts

12. Abstract
Only thing most people read
Structured abstract
Data

13. Introduction Introduction Why did the study? Not a literature review
Have to sell the idea (why should I care?)
If haven’t hooked the reader you are lost
2 pages , an hypothesis , will the reader be interested if neagtive ?

14. METHODS
Methods
IRB and informed consent
How you did the study
How you analyzed the data

15. RESULTS
Results
What you found. Tell a story
Emphasize the positive
Don’t repeat data
Link to Tables and Figures

16. Discussion
So What ?
Tell a story, avoid bias - you’ve seen the same movie (the data)
Not a literature review (but think)
Avoid Industry style
The function of statistics is to tell you if findings are statistically significant

17. CONCLUSION Conclusion Based on your data Brief
How much speculation can you get away with ?

18. Primary source often but not always
References
Primary source often but not always
Reasonable number, avoid narcissism, Refman
Do you cite the journal submitting to? Style?
Tables
Self Standing. Careful with Abbreviations
Data in Tables and text must match
Reasonable number
Figures
Abbreviations
Quality
Measures of spread

19. Details Which Journal ? Aim high or low? Appropriate? Instructions
Cover Letter
responsibilities of the author
Not a book
Don’t bug the Editor too much
Success = 1. new 2. interesting,
3. important and 4. valid

20. Kisses of Death Trivial question (Interesting)
“We thus confirmed …” (New)
No story (Interesting)
Story and data do not match

21. Kisses of Death
Reader can’t understand what you did (New, Interesting)
Fails the “So what test” (can’t understand why you did it) (Important)
Invalid – Design, Analysis (Valid)
Salami publication

22. Kisses of Death
Make your paper as dense and intelligent (but unintelligible) as possible.
Use lots of abbreviations
“In vivo high-resolution CEMRI is capable of quantitatively measuring the dimensions of the intact FC and LR-NC. These new parameters may be useful to evaluate plaque vulnerability and provide continuous variables for characterizing the intact FC and LR-NC in progression and regression studies.” Circulation 2005:112:

23. Bad Form Sloppy Missing pages Illegible pages Wrong version Typos
Comments visible
Poor English etc

24. Very Bad Form Submitting to 2 journals at once Blindsided authors
Salami publication

25. GOING TO JAIL FORM
Duplicate
publication
Making up data

26. Telling a story In the beginning …… Imaginary Headings So what?
One sentence telegraphs the next
One paragraph telegraphs the next
Imaginary Headings
Revise, revise , revise
Proffread
“..… I hope to hear from you soon shorty.”
Start at the beginning and frame the problem well. If does not buy your intro youre gone.
So what after every sentence and para
I bought a dog and a cat. There have been many burglaries in my neighborhood. I work all day.
I bought a dog and a cat because dogs are good for guarding houses and there have been robberies in my neighborhood. I work all day so the dog will get lonely and the cat provide low maintenance company for it.
Frame problem well - if does not bu yintro youre gone. So what after every snetence. Telegraphing/leading the reader around a dark room. Use imaginary headings to organize paras. A painful process. Takes a lot of time. Many revisions. Don’t take revisions personally. Don’t take revisions back to your original as a sign that you were asked to dig a hole and fill it up

27. Resources
Essential of Writing Biomedical Research Papers 2nd ed Mimi Zeiger
Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals : Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication.

28. STOP SWEAT, THINK, ORGANIZE, PRACTICE It is all in the details
How to avoid kicks
SWEAT, THINK, ORGANIZE, PRACTICE
It is all in the details