1. Submitting  Medical Papers for Publication (How to avoid getting kicked in the stomach) and Reviewing Medical Papers (How to kick others in the stomach politely)         Views from the victim and the mugger  

2. Professor Michael Gelfand (1912 - 1985) University of Zimbabwe

3. KICK ME

4. Overview and Goals How to avoid kicks –writing a decent paper
How to respond when kicked
- responding to reviewers
How to kick others without being a bully
– reviewing

5. Defense Against the Dark Arts
Title - 3 routes
Describe the Battle
Declare Victory
Declare you Won the War
Authors ?
Does everyone qualify?
Have you left anyone out?
Order? Seen it? Never forge a signature

6. Defense Against the Dark Arts
Abstract
Only thing most people read
Data
Introduction
Why did the study? Not a literature review
Have to sell the idea (why should I care?)

7. Defense Against the Dark Arts
Methods
IRB and informed consent
How you did the study
How you analyzed the data
Results
What you found. Tell a story
Emphasize the positive
Don’t repeat data

8. Defense Against the Dark Arts
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
Conclusion
Based on your data
How much speculation can you get away with ?

9. Defense Against the Dark Arts
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

10. Defense Against the Dark Arts
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 = new, interesting, important and valid

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

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

13. Bad Form
Sloppy. Missing pages, illegible pages, wrong version, typos etc
Very Bad Form
Submitting to 2 journals at once,
blindsided authors
GOING TO JAIL FORM
Duplicate publication
Making up data

14. Telling a story In the beginning …… So what?
One sentence telegraphs the next
I bought a dog and a cat. There have been many burglaries in my neighborhood. I work all day
One paragraph telegraphs the next
Imaginary Headings
Proffread
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

15. Defense Against Dementors how to respond when attacked ? With grace
If rejected take your kicks (usually)
If revising do it point by point.
Do what they asked (usually)
Show you did what they asked.
Don’t whine, grovel or bite
Proffread

16. Responsibilities of a Reviewer
How to Kick Others in the Stomach and Have Them and You Feel Good About it. (With grace)
Responsibilities of a Reviewer
Conflict of interest
Confidentiality
Do it. Constructive
Comments to Editor
Novel? Important? Interesting? Journal suitability?
Valid?
Comments to Authors
Good Manners, this is not an attack
General
Blow by blow
How detailed ?

17. Bad Kicking Form Not doing the review Doing it late
No comments for author
Making it difficult with comments to the author for the editor to reject the paper
Getting personal
Handwritten review to authors
Playing God
Shooting from the hip
Not taking some responsibility for the quality

18. STOP

19. SUMMARY SWEAT, THINK, ORGANIZE, PRACTICE
How to avoid kicks –writing a decent paper
SWEAT, THINK, ORGANIZE, PRACTICE
How to respond when kicked - responding to reviewers
How to kick others without being a bully – reviewing others