1. The formats of scientific articles
NECOBELAC Module
The formats of scientific articles
How to write a scientific paper
Paola De Castro
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

2. FIRST STEPS: basic questions
WHY shall I write an article? (select target)
WHICH information will I share? (select information)
WHERE shall I publish it? (select journal)
WHOM shall I write it with? (select co-authors)
WHAT are my resources? (budget and time)
HOW shall I write an article?
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

3. SELECTION Scientific content, authors, target… Publication types
Track the latest results
Publication types
BE FAMILIAR WITH RULES
Journals
(national, international, high IF, online, high rejection rate…)
Books or chapters therein
Technical reports, conference proceedings
Leaflets
Posters
Conference papers/communications, PPTs
Web “documents” (blogs, wikis, answers, etc.)
Basic editorial rules
and best practices
applying to all publications Specific rules
per publication type or discipline
Editorial style of the journal
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

4. Contributions within a journal
Editorials
Comments
Correspondence
Viewpoints
Original, research articles
Review articles
Case histories
Book reviews
REFER TO THE JOURNAL
Instructions to authors Table of contents
Published articles
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

5. Materiale didattico delle Lezioni di Paola De Castro "Il lavoro dell'editor"
28/03/2017
NECOBELAC
Topic maps
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012
Corso "Creare e gestire con successo una rivista online". CILEA, Roma giugno 2009.

6. WRITING A JOURNAL ARTICLE…
Materiale didattico delle Lezioni di Paola De Castro "Il lavoro dell'editor"
WRITING A JOURNAL ARTICLE…
28/03/2017
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Title
Abstract
Key words
Structure
Illustrations
References
ETHICAL ISSUES
Authorship
Conflicts of interest
Copyright
Privacy
ROLES
Be aware of the responsibilities of editors, authors, referees, editorial staff
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012
Corso "Creare e gestire con successo una rivista online". CILEA, Roma giugno 2009.

7. INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
Instructions to authors for over 6,000 journals in
the health and life sciences
INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
First and last step for article writing.
Submit to the right journal!

8. Authors’ guides within the journal What can I deposit in a repository?
Materiale didattico delle Lezioni di Paola De Castro "Il lavoro dell'editor"
28/03/2017
Authors’ guides
within the journal
What can I deposit in a repository?
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012
Corso "Creare e gestire con successo una rivista online". CILEA, Roma giugno 2009.

9. BASIC SOURCES NECOBELAC pre-course reading
“Vancouver style”
EASE guidelines for Authors
WHY?
Concise Complete
Easy
Last up-dating April 2010
in 19 languages
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

10. “ICMJE and Vancouver style”
In Vancouver
a SMALL GRUOP OF EDITORS (NEJM, BMJ, Ann Int Med, Lancet, etc.)
met in 1978
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF MEDICAL JOURNAL EDITORS (ICMJE)
Non è una associazione cui possono aderire liberamente i membri
Caso mai su invito
Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Medical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication
“Vancouver style”
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

11. What is the “Vancouver style”?
INITIALLY…
Guidelines on standard formats of manuscripts
and, in particular, bibliographic references
TODAY
“de facto” standard shared by the most prestigious medical journals (700)…
It includes both manuscript preparation, and ethical issues
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

12. Instructions for authors refer to the Uniform requirements (ICMJE) or “Vancouver style”
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

13. Contents of “Vancouver style”
Statement of Purpose
Ethical Considerations in the Conduct and Reporting of Research
Publishing and Editorial Issues related to Publication in Biomedical Journals
IV. Manuscript preparation and submission
FINALITÀ E OBIETTIVI
CONSIDERAZIONI ETICHE su come riferire i risultati di una ricerca (authorship, conflitti d’interesse, privacy, protezione di animali, ecc.)
PROBLEMATICHE EDITORIALI (obbligo di pubblicare risultati negativi, correzioni, copyright, editoria elettronica, pubblicità, rapporto con i media, ecc.)
PREPARAZIONE E PRESENTAZIONE DEL MANOSCRITTO (struttura, tabelle, figure, illustrazioni, riferimenti bibliografici, modalità di trasmissione del manoscritto, ecc.)
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

14. II. Ethical considerations
A. Authorship
B. Editorship
C. Peer-review
D. Conflict of interest
E. Privacy
F. Protection of Human Subjects and Animals in Research
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

15. II. Ethical considerations A. Authorship
Who can be defined as author in the by-line?
Authorship credit should be based on
Substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data
2) Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content
Final approval of the version to be published.
Nei Ringraziamenti possono essere citati tutti coloro che hanno dato un aiuto puramente tecnico, assistenza editoriale, capo dipartimento che ha dato supporto generale
Authors should meet conditions 1, 2, and 3.
Funding , data collection or supervision does not allow authorship
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

16. WHICH ORDER for authors?
II. Ethical considerations A. Authorship
WHICH ORDER for authors?
There must be agreement among authors
Alphabetic order
First, the project leader or person in charge of the Dpt
Last , the person in charge
Other order
Gli autori dovrebbero saper spiegare le ragioni della propria scelta (ordine degli autori nella byline)
Guest, ghost, gift authors
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

17. PubMED - Advanced search
allows search for last author

18. ALL names of the group members in the Footnote or Appendix
II. Considerazioni etiche. A. Authorship Examples of “Group Authorship”
Name, surname,
on behalf of the HPV
Pathogen-ISS Study
Group*
Indicate
ALL names of the group members
in the Footnote or Appendix
On behalf
of the...
Study group
CN Collective name in Pubmed
XXXX
Study group
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

19. Domino effect in error duplication
II. Ethical considerations. A. Authorship
Domino effect in error duplication
If group author is not clearly defined
wrong publication
wrong indexing
wrong citation
CREATE AWARENESS AMONG
authors
editors
indexers
Nella byline solo gli autori che soddisfano i criteri
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

20. II. Ethical considerations. A
II. Ethical considerations. A. Authorship Searching Group authors in PubMed
Insert CN (collective name)
In your query for group author
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

21. II. Ethical considerations B. Editorship
Editor (editor in chief)
Person responsible for its entire content
Editorial Freedom– The editor in chief has full authority of the editorial content
Editorial Board – Advisory Board
Collaborate with editors to establish and maintain
the journal editorial policy
Referees
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

22. II. Ethical considerations C. Peer Review
DEFINITION
Unbiased and independent assessment of manuscripts submitted to journals
by experts (peers) who are not part of the editorial staff
TYPES
Blinded
double blinded
open
VARIABLES
No. of referees
Times
Procedures (online)
“Extention” of the scientific proces
It applies to both traditional and OA journals
Peer review is widely debated topic, BUT there is no doubt that it helps
- editors deciding which manuscripts are suitable for the journals
improving the quality of reporting
Prolungamento del processo scientifico
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

23. Pre-publication history of an article in BMC Public Health
Submission
Review report
Re-submissions
Note on PRIVACY
Reviewers’ comments should not be published
without authors’, reviewers’ and editor’s consent
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

24. REVISION: different levels of responsibility
3. PEER REVIEW
after submission
1. AUTHORS’ REVISION before submission
read instructions to authors
read again after some time (one-two days)
use check lists
Minor revisions
Major revisions
Authors! Take it seriously! Be prepared to answer
all points raised by reviewers
2. INITIAL EDITORIAL REVIEW after submission (before peer review)
A paper may be rejected if
it is not compliant with journal scope and formats
it has poor English
4. TECHNICAL EDITING
after acceptance
Journal editorial staff
Revision improves quality and guarantees a learning opportunity
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

25. II. Ethical considerations D. Conflicts of interest
Conflicts of interests exist when
an author
his/her institution
an editor
a reviewer
members of the editorial staff
have financial or personal relations
that inappropriately influence
their actions and decisions (bias)
EXAMPLE of
“Disclosure of Conflicts”
These can have a negative influence on scientific judgement
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

26. Ethical considerations E. Privacy and confidentiality
It not only applies to
PATIENTS and study participants
Written informed consent
but also to AUTHORS, EDITORS and REVIEWERS
Dati personali non rilevanti dovrebbero essere omessi
Il consenso informato va previsto nelle istruzioni agli autori e se viene utilizzato va indicato all’articolo
This picture
would not be suitable
for publication
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

27. III. Publishing and Editorial issues
Obligation to publish negative studies
provided that they are statistically significant
Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern
Editors-authors and scientific fraud (COPE)
La Cochrane Library potrebbe essere interessata a pubblicarle dati inconclusive
The number of Retractions
is dramatically increasing
(PubMed)
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

28. COPYRIGHT III. Editorial issues
Most scientific journals still ask for copyright transfer
OA journals follow a different policy
Authors should be able to negotiate their rights
Creative Commons Licenses
E importante che gli autori capiscano pienamente in cosa consiste questo trasferimento anche per eventuali riproduzioni di tabelle o figure da essi stessi già pubblicate ma che non possono ripubblicare senza avere il consenso della rivista.
Annali frase
“nel firmare il visto si stampi si intende che gli autori cedono all’ISS I diritti d’autore del lavoro in pubblicazione”
Copyright agreements strongly affects deposit in OA repositories
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

29. USEFUL TOOLS to manage copyright
SHERPA/ROMEO
publishers’ copyright policies & selfarchiving
SPARC Author Addendum
to secure your rights
Politiche editoriali di tutte le riviste.
Institutional Repositorial
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

30. STRUCTURE of a scientific article
IV. Manuscript preparation
STRUCTURE of a scientific article
abstract
title
ATTENTION!
Do not exceed the required number of words
introduction
materials and methods
results
discussion
conclusions
Citare C7: requirements and preferences for the first pages of journal articles
IMRaD ???????????????????????????????????????
plus
acknowledgements, if any references appendices, if any
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

31. Discussion and conclusions Material and methods
Materiale didattico delle Lezioni di Paola De Castro "Il lavoro dell'editor"
28/03/2017
THE IMRAD STRUCTURE
Introduction
Background information
State specific purpose of the study Limit references
Do not include data or conclusions
Results
Show results in logical order
Point out only relevant data
And
Discussion and conclusions
Stress only new aspects
Do not repeat what was written in the methods
Avoid conclusions which are not associated to reliable data
Material and methods
Describe (patients, animals, etc.)
Define material and equipment
Illustrate procedures
Compare with other methods
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012
Corso "Creare e gestire con successo una rivista online". CILEA, Roma giugno 2009.

32. Guidelines for the transparent reporting of health research
IV. Manuscript preparation
Guidelines for the transparent reporting of health research
It includes the major reporting guidelines for scientific research and guides for authors
Recentemente aggiornate
Randomized Clinical Trials
Contengono checklist
The Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association aderiscono a questo Consort
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

33. IV. MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION Abstract and key words
ALWAYS FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
ABSTRACT
Be carefully that it reflects the content of the article
Report background, basic procedures , main findings in logical way
TYPES: Descriptive, informative, structured, graphical
Gli abstracts vengono ripresi dalle basi di dati
KEY WORDS
Use MESH terms (MEdical Subject Headings)
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

34. MESH terms from the NLM MESH terms MEdical Subject Headings (NLM)
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

35. IV. Manuscript preparation Bibliographic references
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Include only essential references,
“in press “papers may be accepted, but avoid “personal communications
REFERENCE STYLE AND FORMAT
Authors should consult NLM Citing in medicine
References should be numbered consecutively in the text
Per come citare una “retracted publication” si rimanda al Pubmed.
Dà esempi “Retraction in”
Only some Journals check accuracy of the references
Authors are responsible for their correctness
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

36. NLM – Citing in Medicine
EXAMPLES for
Articles in journals
Books
Other published material
Unpublished material
Electronic material
Quali sono gli elementi identificativi
Quale ordine? Autore, titolo, ecc
Unpublished material = in press
Electronic material; unpublished material
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

37. Basic elements of citation
Author (personal or group)
Title of the cited document
Container (journal, book, etc.)
Year of publication
Other data publisher, city for books vol. and pages for journals
Elementi essenziali che vanno diversamente organizzati a seconda della tipologia dei documenti
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

38. Tables and figures WHEN AND HOW TO USE THEM? Tables  details
Graphs  trends
Include only necessary data
A figure is worth 1000 words
FOR ALL IMAGES
Comply with instructions to authors
Verify that they are mentioned in the text
Check consistency of data with text
Include them in separate files
Number them consecutively
Make captions self sufficient
Check copyright ….
Doppio spazio per le tabelle
Verificare la quALITà delle fotografie, soggetti umani, ecc
Units of measurement (IS)
Abbreviations and Symbols
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

39. The cover letter your chance to speak to the editor
Last, but not least…
The cover letter your chance to speak to the editor
BASIC INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED
Editor name(s) Originality of submission No competing financial interests Desired reviewers Corresponding author
Do not summarize the paper, but say why it is special for the journal
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012

40. Any Question? Thank you Paola De Castro Paola.decastro@iss.it
P. De Castro • The formats of scientific articles • NECOBELAC T1 Course. Dublin - May, 9, 2012