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How to Write for and Get Published in Scientific Journals
Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Warren Raye, PhDSenior Life Sciences Editor Edanz GroupNovember 28, 2011
انتشار برای راهنماییشما مقاالت
A little about me…
Edanz Group | 2
Lecturer, researcher, teacher
Senior Life Sciences Editor
Author
Presentation
Section One: Scientific publishing
Section Two: Before you start…
Section Three: Structuring your manuscript
Section Four: Hints and tips
Edanz Group | 3
Why publish?
Publishing in English
The publishing timeline
Peer review
Edanz Group | 4
Section One Scientific publishing
Why publish?
Edanz Group | 5
Nature is complex
Edanz Group | 6
We use complex technologies and methods to understand it…
Why publish?
Edanz Group | 7
…and the science is often necessarily complex
Why publish?
Edanz Group | 8
Why publish? To exchange ideas globally!
داشتن کنید، مبادله جهانی صورت به را نظراتتان اینکه برایشفاف و واضح است مهمزبان
Edanz Group | 9
You have an obligation …پژوهش اید، نکرده چاپ را تحقیقات نتایج که زمانی تا
است نیافته پایان شما
The international language of science
Other scientists WANT to hear from Iranian researchers
Allows you to become an effective science communicator
Number of publications is linked to funding success and reputation
Edanz Group | 10
Why publish in English?
بین زبان انگلیسی، زبان . دانشاست المللی
Funding Bodies
ResearchersGrant Writing
Journal Publication
Publish or perish
Edanz Group | 11
یا کن چاپکن نابود
Increased competition
Edanz Group | 12
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 20080
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
Journal numbersJournal submissions
Year
%
Relative growth from 100% baseline in 1990
Submission to publication, 3–12
months
Publishing timeline
Edanz Group | 13
Manuscript submitted
Editor assigned rapid rejection OR peer review
Reviewers evaluate accept, reject OR
revise
Editor sources reviewers
Publication!Revise
manuscript
So that announcement of your findings comply with standards in quality and validity
So that your manuscript reflects research standards and is judged suitable
So that the research community can examine your work
So discoveries get correct accrediting
Why peer review?
Edanz Group | 14
Few papers are accepted without revision Rejection and revision are integral to the peer
review process
Peer review improves your manuscript
Edanz Group | 15
ارتقاء موجب ردیفان، هم و همتایان توسط داوریگردد می شما مقاله سطح
Acceptance
Minor revision
Major revision
Rejection
Read
Hot topics
What do journal editors want?
Select an appropriate journal
Ethical issues
Edanz Group | 16
Section Two Before you start …
Read
Know the background material
Read broadly
Determine the key papers in your field
What is the current state of understanding?
Identify gaps in the knowledge
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Reading helps your writing
Reading Both sides of the brain are essential and work in
harmony
Reading Writing
Logic Creativity
Similarly, reading and writing are connected
Edanz Group | 18
Reading improves your writing
Read as often as possible
Discuss with your colleagues
Assists you with journal selection
Provides ideas for your next
manuscript
یک تا کرد خواهد کمک شما به بودن خوب خواننده یکخوبشوید Bنویسندۀ
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CRITICAL
What is your hypothesis or research question?
THE AIM(S) OF YOUR STUDY
What methods are appropriate?
Do you have the relevant resources?
Identify your controls
Experimental design Get it right
Edanz Group | 20
Sample sizes (n) large enough?
Which statistical test(s)?
When in doubt – talk to a statistician! Does your study comply with ALL ethics
requirements?
Experimental design Get it right
Edanz Group | 21
Good quality science! Will stand up to peer review Original research that advances
the field in some way Interesting to the journal’s
readership Active research areas Clear and concise English
Edanz Group | 22
What do journal editors want?دانشبا دنبال به مجالت سردبیران
هستند کیفیتخوب
Edanz Group | 23
Journal Selection
What is the message?
Who will be interested?
How significant are your results?
Where have similar articles been published?
Match your manuscript with the journal
Edanz Group | 24
Aims and scope
Publishing frequency
Impact factor
Target audience
Open access or subscriber
Prestige
Cost
Publication type
Edanz Group | 25
Factors to consider in journal selection
Which factor is most important to you?
DO NOT… Multiple submissions
Plagiarism
Improper author contribution
Data fabrication and falsification
Improper use of human subjects and animals
Publication ethics
Edanz Group | 26
کنید رفتار اخالقی غیر اگرشد خواهید گرفتار
Any questions?
Edanz Group | 27
Publication procedure?
Designing your study?
Selecting a journal?
Communicating with journals?
You are telling a story Beginning Middle End
Expanded IMRaD model Title Abstract Key words Introduction Methods Results Discussion References Acknowledgments
Section Three Structuring your manuscript
Edanz Group | 28
For maximum clarity and consistency, write your manuscript in this order: Methods Results Introduction Discussion Title Abstract
Write after selecting your target journal
Write during the research
The ‘write’ order
Edanz Group | 29
Write last
نهایی مقاله در که ترتیبی همان به ابتدا از را خود مقالهننویسید میشود ظاهر
Edanz Group | 30
The importance of your title
Physics Manuscript
World Class
Grabs the reader’s attention
Introduces your manuscript to an editor
A label for indexing
Convey the main topics of manuscript
Be specific and concise
AVOID jargon, abbreviations and acronyms
PoorLate Quaternary evolution of a loess landscape over glacial and interglacial cycles in a region of high tectonic vertical uplift and lateral strike-slip movement in the Charwell Basin located in the South Island of New Zealand
BetterLate Quaternary loess landscape evolution on an active tectonic margin, Charwell Basin, South Island, New Zealand
Edanz Group | 31
A good title
Shorter and easy to understand
Too long خیلی طوالنی
راحتی به و کوتاهترفهم قابل
The majority of people will only read this section
It must be able to ‘stand alone’
An accurate summary of your research and conclusions reached
Structured or unstructured?ALWAYS consult the Guide for Authors for specific
requirementsEdanz Group | 32
Abstract قابلیت هم تنهایی به که باشد ای گونه به باید مقاله خالصهباشد داشته را مقاله یک
بخشیک مهمترین مقاله خالصهباشد می مقاله
Be brief State the objectives and scope of the
study/investigation Describe the methods employed Summarize the results State the principal conclusions AVOID abbreviations unless necessary AVOID references
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A good Abstract should …
What question (problem) was studied?
The answer to this question is contained within your Introduction
Beginning Middle End
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Introduction Why?
قرار مطالعه مورد مشکلی چهاست؟ گرفته
Provide background information to put your work into context
DO NOT write a comprehensive literature review of the field
DO cite reviews that readers can refer to if they want more information
Edanz Group | 35
Introduction Beginning
What is the rationale/reason for your study?
Explain how you addressed the problem (1–2
sentences)
DO NOT state results from your study
Edanz Group | 36
Introduction Middle
Clearly state the aims of your study
State the methods you will use to carry out
your aims
Ask yourself: are the citations balanced,
current and relevant?
Edanz Group | 37
Introduction End
Clear subheadings
Describe methods in the past tense
New methods must be described in sufficient detail for another researcher to reproduce the experiment
Established methods can be referenced
Describe statistical tests usedEdanz Group | 38
Materials and methods How?
مورد را مشکل این چگونه شمااید؟ داده قرار مطالعه
Materials and methodsMaterials. Culture media were obtained from Life Technologies (Gaithersburg, MD). Okadaic acid was purchased from Alexis Company (Läufelfingen, Switzerland). Antibodies to MEK1/2 and phosphorylated MAPK were purchased from New England Biolabs (Beverley, MA).
Induction of cell death. Cell death was induced as described previously [15]. Briefly, cell death was induced by adding okadaic acid (0-300 nM, Alexis Co.) after washing slice cultures in serum-free medium.
Light and electron microscopy. Cultures were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde and 1% formaldehyde, treated with 1% OsO4 in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, dehydrated in a graded series of ethanol and propylene oxide, and flat-embedded in an epoxy resin (Durcupan ACM, Fluka, Neu-Ulm, Germany). Semi-thin sections were stained with toluidine blue, and ultra-thin sections were stained with 1% uranyl acetate for 20 min and 1% lead citrate for 2 min.
Statistics. For statistical analysis, 2-tailed Student’s t-test was used to assess the significance of mean differences. Differences were considered significant at a P-value of 0.05 or less.
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Materials described first Suppliers/locations given
Clear subheadingsReferences used to save space
Enough information to reproduce the experiment
Statistical test parameters provided
Materials and methods Example
Assemble your findings in a logical order to make a ‘story’ Beginning Middle End
Use subheadings
Use past tense to describe results
BUT refer to figures and tables in the present tense
Present the facts, DO NOT discuss your results
DO NOT duplicate data among figures, tables and text
Include results of statistical analyses in the text
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Results What? چه شما های یافتهاست؟ بوده
ResultsOkadaic induces death of dentate gyrus neurons selectively. Hippocampal slice cultures treated with OA (1–300 nM) showed selective cell death of neurons in the dentate gyrus, but neurons in the CA1–3 regions were largely unaffected. Cell death occurred in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Propidium iodide staining of treated slides indicated….
Electron microscopy revealed a number of ultrastructural changes in hippocampal pyramidal neurons, particularly those in the CA3 region, in slices treated with 300 nM OA for 24 h (Fig 3). These changes included slight nuclear aggregations (arrow in Fig 3A), accumulation of mitochondria around nuclei (arrowheads in Fig 3B) and an increased amount of endoplasmic reticulum (Fig 3C). As shown in Figure 4, the nuclei of pyramidal neurons in the CA1 and CA3 regions…
Involvement of MAPK signaling in the effect of OA. Compared with slices treated with medium only and treated slices at 0 h, slices treated with 300 nM OA showed increasing levels of phosphorylated MAPK at 4 h, 8 h, 16 h and 24 h, with no corresponding change in the levels of total MAPK. This increase was prevented in slices that were co-incubated with a protein kinase inhibitor. In addition, the levels of phosphorylated Tau were higher in OA-treated slices than in control slices…
Edanz Group | 41
Clear subheadings
Graphics used to save space
Clear comparisons made
Results What did you find?
Figures and tables are VERY EFFECTIVE
Keep it simple — use separate panels if necessary
AVOID duplication with the text
Label all parts of your figures
Include trend lines, scale bars and statistical significance
Legends must be able to ‘stand alone’Edanz Group | 42
Display items Tables and figures
ارتباط، برقراری در تصاویر و جداولهستند موثر بسیار
Edanz Group | 43
Display items Tables
Clear concise legend/caption
Data divided into categories for clarity
Abbreviations defined
)
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Display items Figures
Multiple panels: sets of related data are shown in a single figure
Complicated data separated into smaller and simpler components
Axes clearly labeled
Clear, ‘stand alone’ legend
What do these findings mean?
The answer to this question is in the Discussion
Beginning Middle End
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Discussion So what?
های یافته مفهوم و معنیچیست؟ شما
The most difficult section for most authors to write
Present principles, relationships and generalizations shown by the results.
Summarize and discuss your results – DO NOT just repeat them
Past tense to describe results
Present tense to describe their implicationsEdanz Group | 46
Discussion
Answer the research question
ALWAYS provide the major/main result first
Give your conclusions, based on the results
DO NOT overstate the importance of your
results
Edanz Group | 47
Discussion Beginning
فروتن باشید
Interpret the results One paragraph per idea What do your observations/results imply?
Are there results from any previous studies relevant to your work?
Compare your results with previously published work Same or different? Possible reasons why?
Edanz Group | 48
Discussion Middle
Present ambiguous results and discrepancies
with other studies objectively
Explain unexpected findings to the best of your
ability
Briefly describe limitations
If you don’t, the reviewers will!
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Discussion Middle
Reiterate your conclusions
Begin with a signal
In summary …
In conclusion …
Mention possible applications, implications and
speculation, if appropriate
Suggest future work, if necessaryEdanz Group | 50
Discussion End
ALWAYS format your references Formatting is required in text for citations and
for your references section Use reference management software
Edanz Group | 51
References
Any questions?
Edanz Group | 52
IMRaD?
Order of writing?
Figures and tables?
References?
Clear communication
Language
Cover letters
Responding to reviewer comments
Section Four Hints and tips
Edanz Group | 53
Information is easier to interpret and more uniform when placed where most readers expect to find it
Good writers are aware of these expectations
Readability
Expectations
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Readers expect verbs to closely follow subjects
Verb placement
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Subject
Verb
Sentence
.
Without the arrival of the verb, we do not know what the subject is doing or what the sentence is about
Readers expect verbs to closely follow subjectsSyntactic resolution
Edanz Group | 56
Subject
VerbSentence
.syntactic resolution
Readers can be confused if subject and verb are separated by too much content
Avoid reader confusion
Edanz Group | 57
The smallest of the URF's (URFA6L), a 207-nucleotide (nt) reading frame overlapping out of phase the [NH2]-terminal portion of the adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) subunit 6 gene, has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently discovered yeast H-ATPase subunit 8 gene.
Avoid reader confusion
Edanz Group | 58
The smallest of the URF's is URFA6L, a 207-nucleotide (nt) reading frame overlapping out of phase the [NH2]-terminal portion of the adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) subunit 6 gene; it has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently discovered yeast H-ATPase subunit 8 gene.
The smallest of the URF's (URFA6L) has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently discovered yeast H-ATPase subunit 8 gene; URFA6L is a 207-nucleotide (nt) reading frame overlapping out of phase the [NH2]-terminal portion of the adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) subunit 6 gene.
We identified the smallest of the URF's (URFA6L) as the animal equivalent of the recently discovered yeast H-ATPase subunit 8 gene. URFA6L is a … .
Active verbs
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Active verbs are clearer and add more interest than passive verbs
SubjectVerb
Active verbs:arrangeevaluategenerateinventmotivatepredictshow
Passive verbs:arebecoulddohasis would
SubjectVerb
Which voice? Active vs. passive
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Use the active voice unless your targetjournal states otherwise
Construct sentences where the subject “acts” or does something
We collected blood samples from 256 patients.We aspirated the supernatant from the centrifuge tubes.
Sentences written in the active voice are:SIMPLE, DIRECT, CLEAR, EASY TO READ
For better writing use active voice & verbs
Edanz Group | 61
Honey is made by bees.Bees make honey.
The students were taught by the professor.The professor taught the students.
My first visit to Iran will always be remembered by me.I shall always remember my first visit to Iran.
Confirmation of these reports cannot be obtained.These reports cannot be confirmed.
Passive verbs confuse readers
Stress position
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Readers put more stress on information at the
end of a sentence
Stress position
.
Subject
“Save the best until last”
Verb
Stress position
Edanz Group | 63
The dog sat when her mistress offered a treat.
The dog sat when a treat was offered by her
mistress.
When the mistress offered her a treat, the dog sat.
Information is easier to understand when it is
placed where most readers expect to find it
Topic position
Edanz Group | 64
Topic position
.Stress position
SubjectVerb
Readers expect a unit of discourse to be a story about whoever shows up first
Topic position
Edanz Group | 65
The beginning of the sentence acts to link what came before with what will came later providing both linkage and context
The family went into the courtyard to see the new puppy. The dog sat when her owner offered a treat. Everyone was so excited they broke into applause. However, as the courtyard was situated right next to my bedroom, the sound woke me from my sleep.
Indicates to the reader the main idea of a paragraph
Provides the writer with a focus Should be the first sentence of a
paragraph Then discuss/explain the topic Summarize with a concluding sentence
Topic sentences Easier to read
Edanz Group | 66
Beginning Middle End
Topic sentences Example
Edanz Group | 67
IN HIS STUDIES OF THE CONDITIONED REFLEX, PAVLOV WORKED ALMOST ENTIRELY WITH DOGS AND WITH THE SALIVARY REFLEX. Implicit in all of his work is the notion that everything the dog learns from puppyhood on is a result of the association of certain events (which happen to occur at the same time) with the biologically adequate stimulus to some native response such as withdrawing, struggling, eating, sex behavior, or the like. What the dog can learn…Henry Garrett, “Great Experiments in Psychology”
Simple language works best
Makes YOUR science more relevant
Minimizes confusion – maximizes understanding
Science is often complex, using simple language will help more people understand your work!
Language Simple is best
Edanz Group | 68
Competition for publication space and for editors’ attention is very high
It may not be enough to send a cover letter to a journal editor like this:
Cover letters
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Dear Editor-in-Chief,
I am sending you our manuscript entitled “Techniques to detect circoviruses in Iranian bird species” by Raye et al. We would like to have the manuscript considered for publication in Virology Methods Online.
Please let me know of your decision at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely yours,
Warren Raye, PhD
Address to the editor personally
State your manuscript title and publication type
Give a brief background, rationale and description of your results
Explain the importance of your findings and why they would be of interest to the journal’s target audience
Provide corresponding author details
Your cover letter General rules
Edanz Group | 71
Dear Dr Lisberger,
Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled “Amyloid-like inclusions in the brains of Huntington’s disease patients”, by McGowan et al., which we would like to submit for publication as a Research Paper in Neuroscience.
Recent immunohistochemical studies have revealed the presence of neuronal inclusions containing an N-terminal portion of the mutant huntingtin protein and ubiquitin in the brain tissues of Huntington’s disease (HD) patients; however, the role of these inclusions in the disease process has remained unclear. One suspected disease-causing mechanism in Huntington’s disease and other polyglutamine disorders is the potential for the mutant protein to undergo a conformational change to a more stable anti-parallel β-sheet structure…
To confirm if the immunohistochemically observed huntingtin- and ubiquitin-containing inclusions display amyloid features, we performed Congo red staining and both polarizing and confocal microscopy on post-mortem human brain tissues obtained from five HD patients, two AD patients, and two normal controls. Congo red staining revealed a small number of amyloid-like inclusions showing green birefringence by polarized microscopy, in a variety of cortical regions.... ….detected inclusions observed in parallel sections, suggesting that only a relatively small proportion of inclusions in HD adopt an amyloid-like structure.
We believe our findings would appeal to a broad audience, such as the readership of Neuroscience. As a wide-reaching journal publishing original research on all aspects of neuroscience…
We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with submission to Neuroscience. We have read and have abided by the statement of ethical standards for manuscripts submitted to Neuroscience. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Please address all correspondence to….
Give the background to the research
What was done and what was found
Interest to journal’s readers
Conforms to journal requirements
Cover letters Example
Edanz Group | 72
Ac-cep-
tance Minor revision
Major revision
Re-jec-tion
Very few papers are immediately accepted without need for any revisions
Journal editor decision
Complete rejection
Acceptance
Major revisions
Minor revisions
Peer review
Edanz Group | 73
Reasons for rejection
Failure to state a hypothesis
Not answering the hypothesis
Contradictions within the manuscript
Superficial or rambling discussion
Inconsistent use of terms
Conclusion that is not supported by the data
Edanz Group | 74
Is the manuscript sufficiently novel?
Is the manuscript of broad enough interest?
What do peer reviewers look for?
Edanz Group | 75
NoveltySignificance
Aims and ScopeImpact Factor
Reviewers About the manuscript …
Edanz Group | 76
Are the rationale and objectives defined?
Is enough background given to understand the rationale?
Could a capable researcher reproduce the experiments?
Are the results clearly explained and in the best format?
Are the findings described in context?
Are the limitations discussed?
Are the conclusions supported?
Is the literature cited appropriate?
Are there contradictions within the manuscript?
Politely respond to ALL the reviewers’
comments in a response letter
Make it easy to see the changes
Refer to line and page numbers
Different color font
Highlight the text
Revision How to respond
Edanz Group | 77
Consider additional experiments if suggested
You can disagree with reviewers BUT provide
evidence in your rebuttal (cite references)
Comply with deadlines
Revision How to respond
Edanz Group | 78
صرف را وقتخود داوطلبانه صورت به مقاالت داوران که باشید داشته یاد بهباشید مودب بنابراین کنند می داوری
Edanz Group | 79
Post-referee revisions The responseDear Dr. _____________: [address the editor by name]Thank you for your consideration of our manuscript entitled _____________ [insert manuscript title here]. We have reviewed the comments of the reviewers and have thoroughly revised the manuscript. We found the comments helpful, and believe our revised manuscript represents a significant improvement over our initial submission.In response to the reviewers’ suggestions we have [summarize the key changes here]
Edanz Group | 80
Post-referee revisions Point-by-point[After the introduction to the response, address all reviewer points individually]Reviewer Comment: In your analysis of the data you have chosen to use a somewhat obscure fitting function (regression). In my opinion, a simple Gaussian function would have sufficed. Moreover, the results would be more instructive and easier to compare to previous results.
Response: We agree with the reviewer’s assessment of the analysis. Our tailored function makes it impossible to fully interpret the data in terms of the prevailing theories. In addition, in its current form it would be difficult to tell that this measurement constitutes a significant improvement over previously reported values. We have redone the analysis using a Gaussian fitting function.
Edanz Group | 81
Post-referee revisions Disagreement[Sometimes you will disagree with the reviewer. Keep your response polite and professional]
Reviewer Comment: In your analysis of the data you have chosen to use a somewhat obscure fitting function (regression). In my opinion, a simple Gaussian function would have sufficed. Moreover, the results would be more instructive and easier to compare to previous results.
Response: We agree with the reviewer that a simple Gaussian fit would facilitate comparison with the results of other studies. However, our tailored function allows for the analysis of the data in terms of the Smith model [Smith et al, 1998]. We have added two sentences to the paper (page 3 paragraph 2) to explain the use of this function and Smith’s model.
Minimizing errors
Edanz Group | 82
Google Scholar and Springer Exemplar to check for word usage
Purdue University Online Writing Lab Target journal’s Guide for Authors Track Changes and Comment functions Find (and replace) Word Count function Spell Check (be careful) Custom Dictionaries and Online Glossaries
را غلطها کنید جلوه ای حرفه اینکه منظور بهبرسانید حداقل به
Free resource
Edanz Group | 83
Appropriately designed study? Complied with ethics guidelines? Novel and interesting results? Correct statistical tests? Clear, concise, accurate writing? Importance of findings explained? Appropriate choice of journal? Followed the journal’s instructions?
Summary Checklist for acceptance
Edanz Group | 84
این تمام تان مقاله ارسال از قبلبپرسید خود از را سواالت
Take home message … Read! Read! Read!
ReadingReading Writing
Good readers make good writers!
Edanz Group | 85
Thank youGood luck!
Edanz Group | 86
آرزوی و تشکر باموفقیت
Any questions?
Edanz Group | 87
English editing for experts, by experts
Expert editors in all fields
Services to raise your chances of acceptance
Ensuring clear communication of your research
Rapid completion
Edanz Group | 88
Language Editing
Journal Selection
Expert Scientific Review
Abstract Writing
Cover Letter Writing
Point-by-Point Response Check
Services
89
Services for acceptance
Edanz Group | 89
Dr Andrew Gorman2001 – PhD Geophysics, University of British Columbia, CALecturer at the Geology Department, University of Otago
Dr Conan Fee 1989 – PhD Chemical & Process Engineering, University of Canterbury, NZDirector of Biomolecular Interactions Centre at the University of Canterbury; has published over 160 journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, and patents
Dr Natasha Lundin2007 – PhD Chemistry, University of Otago, NZCover article author in Angewandte Chemie
Dr Brett Kraabel1995 – PhD Physics, University of California Santa Barbara, USASpecialist in condensed matter physics, optics and materials science
Dr Stephen Cooke2006 – PhD Immunology, King’s College, UKWorked as a post-doctoral fellow for both the Arthritis and Rheumatism Council (ARC) and Cancer Research UK (CRUK)
Dr Kristen Demarest2000 – PhD Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY, USACurrently staff scientist at Scripps Research Institute
Dr Alison Sherwin1992 – PhD Biochemistry, University of Kent at Canterbury, UKHas edited over 3,000 manuscripts in the Health and Life Sciences for Japanese and Chinese authors
Expert editors in all scientific fields
Dr Jennifer Smith1999 – PhD Botany, University of Otago, NZExperienced peer reviewer for functional plant biology, and enzyme and microbial technology
Edanz Group | 90
Edanz Group | 92
Look for clues…
How?
Controversies
Unexplained findings
Editorials, commentaries, letters to the editor
Hot topics
Edanz Group | 93
Hot topics
Edanz Group | 94
Literature searches
PubMed
Google Scholar
SpringerLink
Expand your reading
Similar and related fields
Hot topics
Edanz Group | 95
Talk to other scientists!
Local society meetings
National conferences
International congresses
These are the places where the very latest results are
presentedیافتن موجب پژوهشی جامعه در شدن درگیر
گردد می جدید های ایده
Edanz Group | 96
Display items Figures
Clear, ‘stand alone’ legends/captions
Maps with major features. Longitude and latitude are indicated. Scale bar and legend to symbols included
Axes clearly labeled
Sentence length Keep it short & simple
Edanz Group | 97
We examined numerous peer-reviewed journals
Easy to read articles had an average sentence length of around 17 words
Sentences that are 1520 words long are ideal
AVOID longer sentences, redundancies and repetition
One sentence: one idea
UK or US spelling?
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Check the journal’s Guide for Authors Generally, American journals require US spelling
and British journals require British spelling, but many accept either form as long as the spelling used is consistent
fibre or fibercentre or center
labelling or labelingcolour or color
British US
Comparisons
Edanz Group | 99
Frequently made in the results sections of papers
Use compared with, NOT compared to
The material from the river bank was compared with the landfill.
The material from the river bank was compared with that from the landfill.
Comparisons Example
Edanz Group | 100
Expression levels of p53 in smokers were compared with non-smokers.
Expression levels of p53 in smokers were compared with p53 levels in non-smokers.
Expression levels of p53 in smokers were compared with those in non-smokers.
Comparisons
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Relative terms, such as more, higher and greater, require a reference for comparison
Use than OR compared with
Reactions with the new machine were faster than those with the old machine.
Reactions with the new machine were faster. Faster than what?
Between or among?
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Use between for comparisons of two groups
Use among for comparisons of more than two groups
..significant differences were observed in the H
values among bio-, fully- and semi-synthetic…
…the only difference between the original
molecule and the new molecule is...
Colons and semi-colons
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The colon “:” is used to introduce a list or a clause that explains what precedes it
Semi-colons “;” are used to separate items in a list too long for commas or where commas could be ambiguous. Use ‘and’ before the last item in the list.
There are a number of journals that Springer publishes that will accept manuscripts associated with organic chemistry: Organic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters; Chemistry of Natural Compounds; the Journal of Molecular Modeling; and The Protein Journal.
Semi-colons
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Use a semi-colon to join two clauses with the aid of a transition
In previous sediments of all salinities, MeHg production was highest at previous sediment depths just below the oxic/anoxic transition; that is, depths where microbial sulfate reduction was present, but where sulfide, which inhibits methylation, was relatively low. Other transitions you can use: therefore,
because, and however
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Post-referee revisions Further explanation[Often, a review comment that is incorrect will still identify a part of the paper that needs more explanation]
Original: We then fit the data to a super-Gaussian. From this, we extracted the reaction time [Smith et al. 1998].
Revised: We then fit the data to a super-Gaussian. We elected to use this function to facilitate analysis using the Smith model [Smith et al. 1998]. According to the Smith model, the reaction time is dependent on the intensity and width of the fitted peak. Using this model, we extracted the reaction time.
Appendix: useful set phrases Cover letters
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Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled (title) by (First Author) et al., which we would like to submit for publication as a (Publication Type) in (Journal name).
To our knowledge, this is the first report showing…
We believe our findings would appeal to the readership of (Journal name).
Please address all correspondence to:
We shall look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Appendix: statements Cover letters
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We confirm that this manuscript has not been
published elsewhere and is not under
consideration by another journal.
All authors have approved the manuscript and
agree with submission to (Journal Name).
ALL cover letters should contain these sentences:
Appendix: statements Cover letters
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We have read and have abided by the statement of ethical standards for manuscripts submitted to (Journal Name).
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
MOST medical research cover letters should contain these or similar sentences:
Or… briefly give information describing any conflicts …
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Appendix: useful set phrases Response letters
Please find enclosed our revised manuscript entitled (title) by (First Author) et al., which we would like to resubmit for publication as a (Publication Type) in (Journal name).
Your comments and those of the reviewers were very helpful.
In the following pages are our point-by-point responses to each of the comments of the reviewers.
Consult an expert! State the statistical tests used to analyze data Provide the name, version and maker of the
statistical package usede.g. SPSS 11.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA
Only use the word “significant” when describing statistically significant differences
Alternatives: notable, substantial, marked
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Appendix: statistics
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Appendix: statistics A few rules Precision
Life expectancy of 22.085 years 22 years Always give numerator and denominator
25% (740/2958) Avoid using percentages to summarize small
sample sizes Be very clear with percentages within subgroups
Of the 1000 patients, 800 (80%) were women; (31%) had a BMI of …Of the 1000 patients, 800 (80%) were women; of these, 250 (31%) had a BMI of…
Appendix: simple words
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Prefer Avoidmore additionalenough adequateclear apparenttry attemptshow demonstratetry endeavorvery exceedingly
Appendix: simple words
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Prefer Avoidsize magnitudeaim objectivetake part participatedone performedasked requestedlives resideskeep retain
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Prefer Avoidlater subsequentlyenough sufficientend terminateuse utilization
Appendix: simple words
Appendix: structured abstracts
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Follow the IMRaD format:Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion
CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) recommends structured abstracts for RCT papers (randomized controlled trials).
Why? Easy for authors to write Easy for readers to understand Good for computerized indexing
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Appendix: structured abstracts Example
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Here, we present…
Here, we show…
Here, we report…
In this work, we introduce…
Appendix: useful set phrases Abstract
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These results show…
To test whether (past tense), we performed …
To examine if XX (past tense), we YY (past
tense)
We used XX to YY. Using this approach, we
identified ZZ.
Appendix: useful set phrases Abstract
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We demonstrated previously…
Previous studies have shown that…
We have previously shown that…
The topic of XX has recently been reviewed1.
(insert reference)
To determine whether …
The purpose of this study was …
Appendix: useful set phrases Introduction
Therefore, we tested the hypothesis …
This report describes experiments designed to
determine whether …
Therefore, our first objective in these studies
was to determine whether …
In this study, we sought to extend our
observations and specifically test …Edanz Group | 120
Appendix: useful set phrases Introduction
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To test whether XX (past tense), we
performed…
To examine if XX (paste tense) we performed …
Appendix: useful set phrases Methods
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Among the cases we analyzed…
XX was/were observed….
The results are summarized in Table 1.
Figure 2a shows the effect of X on Y.
Group X showed higher/lower levels of Y than
the control group.
Appendix: useful set phrases Results
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In the current study, we have shown…
In summary…
To conclude…
In conclusion…
In demonstrating XX, our findings show
that/illustrate that…
Taken together these results suggest…
Appendix: useful set phrases Discussion
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The above data collectively show…
Our data supports the idea that XX
Our study supports the hypothesis that ZZ
Our study is limited by…
There were some limitations to the current
study.
Appendix: useful set phrases Discussion
