ELSEVIER_How to write a scientific paper

HOWTOWRITEAWORLDCLASSPAPEROutline•Writingaqualitymanuscript•Preparations•Articleconstruction•Language•Technicaldetails•Revisionsandresponsetoreviewers•Ethicalissues•Conclusions:gettingacceptedCanIpublishthis?•Haveyoudonesomethingnewandinteresting?•Haveyoucheckedthelatestresultsinthefield?•Havethefindingsbeenverified?•Havetheappropriatecontrolsbeenperformed?•Doyourfindingstellanicestoryoristhestoryincomplete?•Istheworkdirectlyrelatedtoacurrenthottopic?•Haveyouprovidedsolutionstoanydifficultproblems?Ifallanswersare“yes”,thenstartpreparingyourmanuscript.Writingaqualitymanuscript•PreparationsWhattypeofmanuscript?Fullarticles/OriginalarticlesLetters/RapidCommunications/ShortCommunicationsReviewpapers/Perspectives•Self-evaluateyourwork:Isitsufficientforafullarticle?Orareyourresultssothrillingthattheyneedtoberevealedassoonaspossible?•Askyoursupervisorandcolleaguesforadviceonmanuscripttype.Sometimesoutsidersmayseethingsmoreclearlythanyou.Whoistheaudience?•Doyouwanttoreachspecialists,multidisciplinaryresearchers,orageneralaudience?Youwillneedtoadjustinformationandwritingstyleaccordingly•Journals,eveninsimilarsubjects,reachreaderswithdifferentbackgrounds•Eachjournalhasitsownstyle;readotherarticlestogetanideaofwhatisaccepted•Isthereadershipworldwideorlocal?Whichjournal?•Consider:–Aimsandscope(checkjournalwebsitesandrecentarticles)–Typesofarticles–Readership–Currenthottopics(gothroughrecentabstracts)–AskingcolleaguesforadviceSometimesitisnecessarytolowerone’ssightsorreturntothelab/clinictoobtainmoredataDONOTgamblebyscatteringyourmanuscripttomanyjournalsOnlysubmitonce!Internationalethicsstandardsprohibitmultiplesimultaneoussubmissions,andeditorsDOfindout!AlleditorshatewastingtimeonpoorlypreparedmanuscriptsItisasignofdisrespectConsultingtheGuideforAuthorswillsaveyourtimeandtheeditor’sFormat•Consultandapplythelistofguidelinesinthe“GuideforAuthors”•Ensurethatyouusethecorrect:–Layout–Sectionlengths(sticktowordlimits)–Nomenclature,abbreviationsandspelling(Britishvs.American)–Referenceformat–Number/typeoffiguresandtables–StatisticsWritingaqualitymanuscript•ArticleconstructionArticlestructure•Title•Authors•Abstract•Keywords•Maintext(IMRaD)–Introduction–Methods–Results–Discussion(Conclusion)•Acknowledgements•References•SupplementarymaterialNeedtobeaccurateandinformativeforeffectiveindexingandsearchingEachhasadistinctfunctionTitleAgoodtitleshouldcontainthefewestpossiblewordsthatadequatelydescribethecontentsofapaperDOConveymainfindingsofresearchBespecificBeconciseBecompleteAttractreadersDON’TUseunnecessaryjargonUseuncommonabbreviationsUseambiguoustermsUseunnecessarydetailFocusonpartofthecontentonlyRelationshipsbetweeninformationprocessing,depression,fatigueandcognitioninmultiplesclerosisSlowerprocessingiscorrelatedwithhigherlevelsofdepressedmood,fatigue,lowerverbalfluency,fewerwordsanddigitsrecalledandpoorerrecallofvisual-spatialinformationinMSpatientsTitleAuthorsandaffiliationsSurnames:Pérez-García/Pérez/GarcíaMiddleInitial:UseconsistentlyornotatallFirstNames:Dave/DavidAffiliation:FacultyofMedicine/FacultyofMedicalandHealthSciencesBeconsistentwithspelling,fullversusshortnames,fullversusshortaddressesAbstractTypes:Indicative(descriptive)abstractsoutlinethetopicscoveredinapieceofwritingsothereadercandecidewhetherornottoreadon.OftenusedinreviewarticlesandconferencereportsInformativeabstractssummarizethearticlebasedontheIMRaDstructure,butwithoutsectionheadingsStructuredabstractsfollowheadingsrequiredbythejournal.OftenusedinMedicaljournalsCheckcarefullywhichtypefitsthejournalofyourchoiceAbstractThequalityofanabstractwillstronglyinfluencetheeditor’sdecisionAgoodabstract:•Ispreciseandhonest•Canstandalone•Usesnotechnicaljargon•Isbriefandspecific•CitesnoreferencesUsetheabstractto“sell”yourarticleKeywordsKeywordsareimportantforindexing:theyenableyourmanuscripttobemoreeasilyidentifiedandcitedChecktheGuideforAuthorsforjournalrequirements•Keywordsshouldbespecific•AvoiduncommonabbreviationsandgeneraltermsKeywordsBadkeywords:Psychiatricdisorder,NRG1,LD,SNPs,Japaneselargesample,associationIntroductionProvidethenecessarybackgroundinformationtoputyourworkintocontextItshouldbeclearfromtheintroduction:•Whythecurrentworkwasperformed–aims–significance•Whathasbeendonebefore•Whatwasdone(inbriefterms)•Whatwasachieved(inbriefterms)IntroductionDO•ConsulttheGuideforAuthorsforwordlimit•“Setthescene”•Outline“theproblem”andhypotheses•Ensurethattheliteraturecitedisbalanced,uptodateandrelevant•Defineanynon-standardabbreviationsandjargonIntroductionDON’T•Writeanextensivereviewofthefield•Citedisproportionatelyyourownwork,workofcolleaguesorworkthatsupportsyourfindingswhileignoringcontradictorystudiesorworkbycompetitors•Describemethods,resultsorconclusionsotherthantooutlinewhatwasdoneandachievedinthefinalparagraph•Overusetermslike“novel”and“forthefirsttime”IntroductionRotenoneisanaturallyoccurringplantcompoundderivedfromtherootandbarkofsomeLuguminosaespecies…Administrationofrotenonehasbeenshowntoleadtobiochemical,anatomical,andbehavioralsymptomsresemblingParkinson’