RESEARCH NOTES
HOW TO WRITE A JOURNAL ARTICLE?
When report on statistical analyses, state the statistical tests used, such as chi-square test, t-test, ANOVA or others. State the test statistic, degree of freedom, and use confidence intervals whenever possible instead of just p values to indicate precision. When presenting p value, some journals expect the exact figure to be quoted while others prefer nearer quotation such as p<0.05, or p<0.01, or p<0.001. This is usually provided in the “instruction to authors”.
For qualitative study, illustrative quotes and themes are described in this section.
Discussion. This usually begins with a summary of the main findings, followed by the meaning and implications of these for clinicians or policymakers. Comparison is made with existing literature. Explain exceptions and clarify unsettled points. State the strengths and limitations of the study and implications for future research or clinical practice. 2-3
Conclusion. State your conclusions with a summary of evidence for each one. Keep it concise.Acknowledgement. This normally includes all those who have helped with and contributed to the study apart from the authors of the paper. Funding body and ethics committee giving approval should be acknowledged. Declare if there are any competing interests.
References. Most journals would ask for references to be presented in Vancouver style.1 Again follow the “instructions to author” that will detail how the references should be written for each journal you are submitting.
Several drafts are usually written before a manuscript is submitted. It is important to check all parts of the results as well as references quoted. Use short words, sentences and paragraphs and avoid jargon. Always keep the readers in mind, and ask yourself if the paper is easily comprehensible, or if you have conveyed your main points across.
REFERENCES
- International committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication 2006. [HTML] [PDF]
- British Journal of General Practice. Writing papers for the BJGP. [HTML]
- Smith R. The inside view on writing for medical journals. [HTML]
Writing
“Avoid carrying unpublished knowledge to the grave.”
“The difficult is that the young write too much, the mature write too little. There is too much green fruit sent to market, and the fruit of too many of the fine trees is never plucked at all.”
William Osler (1849-1919)
Research and its misconduct
“The main emphasis in responding to the problem of misconduct should be on raising the overall level of scientific integrity rather than on investigating suspected cases—although there have to be good systems for investigating, judging, and reporting cases.”
Smith R. Research misconduct: the poisoning of the well. J R Soc Med. 2006;99:232-7.
“We need less research, better research, and research done for the right reasons.”
Altman DG. The scandal of poor medical research. BMJ. 1994;308:283-4
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