Transcript Ayub Medical College Abbottabad A Beautiful Medical Institution of Pakistan Keeping High Standards of Medical Education!

Ayub Medical College Abbottabad
A Beautiful Medical Institution of Pakistan
Keeping High Standards of Medical Education!
Writing a
Journal Article
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ayub
Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad
A Scientific Paper is written on a
specific template
Unlike an ordinary essay, it has a
definite structure
The authors have to follow a
specific pattern and sequence of
text divisions
Useful Tips

Select a journal which suits your publication
requirements the best
 A journal taking all topics may accept your article but it
will take longer to publish from the long queue
 A subject specific journal may go for a very strict review
but may publish earlier
 Have a look at the general lay out of an article in the
selected journal
 You will get idea what to include in your article
 You may keep within the requirements of that journal
 The more you write ‘like’ the published article, the more
you get ‘favour’ of the editorial staff
Divisions of a Scientific Paper
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
TITLE
STRUCTURED ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIAL AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
REFERENCES
Title
Should be
 SHORT
 DESCRIPTIVE
 COMPREHENSIVE
 EASY FOR CATALOGUING
Should NOT be
 VAGUE
 Toooooo ________ L E N G T H Y
 Containing ABBREVIVATIONS
Examples:

Evaluation of restoration of sensitivities of
resistant staphylococcus aureus isolates by
using cefuroxime and clavulanic acid in
combination
 Vascular endothelial growth factor and basic
fibroblast growth factor expression
positively correlates with angiogenesis and
peritumoural brain oedema in astrocytoma
 Mushroom poisoning in children: clinical
presentation and outcome
Names and Addresses of Authors
Muhammad Usman, Zia Salman Faruqui, Najam
ud Din, Khawaja Farhan Zahid*
Department of Radiology, *Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital
and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan
Junaid Sarfraz Khan, John SG Biggs*, Saima
Tabasum
Department of Examinations, *Adjunct Professor of Medical Education, University of
Health Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
Structured Abstract
 Background
Objective
 Design
 Setting
 Patients
and Methods
 Results
 Conclusions
 Keywords
 Abstract


should include
Purpose of the study
Basic procedures (selection of subjects,
observational and analytical methods)

Main findings (Data and its significance)

The principal conclusions
 3-10
Key words

Assist indexing and cross indexing

Should be taken from MeSH
Introduction
It Includes

Existing state of knowledge

Gaps in knowledge which research will fill

State what you Intend to do

Give pertinent references

Review the history of the subject

Identify all other gaps in knowledge

Include Methods, Results and Discussion
It does not
 State
purpose of the article
 Summarize the rationale for study or
observation
 Give Strictly pertinent reference
 Do not include data or conclusion
Methods
 What
Subjects, Patients, Animals, Specimens
or Techniques were used?
 Reason
for selecting the experimental design
of the study
 Statistical
 The
methods used for data analysis
section should be called ‘Material and
Methods’ only if inanimate specimens have
been used
 Describe
selection of the observational,
Experimental Subjects including
controls
 Experimental Method (Reference for
standard methods)
 Statistical Methods
 Ethics

Patient / Animals / Specimens

Number

How are they grouped (cases/controls)

Criteria of Inclusion/Exclusion

Informed consent obtained
Techniques
Give enough details for readers to
assess the validity of the results,
If
standard techniques is used, give
appropriate reference, any modifications
should be clearly explained
If
drug trial, clear description of trial
Statistics
 Clearly
mention the statistical methods
used for appropriate verification of
reported results.
 Consult a statistician before starting
the study
Results
Communication of facts, measurements,
and observations gathered by the
author
 Start
with the results that are easier to
interpret
 Results
should be set out in Tables and
Figures
 Do
not duplicate illustrations






Logical sequence
 Text
 Tables
 Illustrations
 Do not repeat in the text all the data in tables/
figures. Emphasize summarizing important
observations
Tables: Give Number to Tables
Figures: Legends
5 x 7 inch or 8 x 10 in glossy prints
(Black & White / Coloured)
Top of the picture marked on the back with Fig.
No. and Title
Discussion

What gaps in knowledge remain to be filled?

Main results should be summarized at the
beginning of discussion

Only mention previous results or comments
which illuminate or which are illuminated by
the present results.
 Final
paragraph in which the message
of the article is firmly stated
 Point
out where further gaps in
knowledge could usefully be filled
instead of ‘further research is needed’
 Intention
of author to explore the
‘Gaps’ further

Emphasize new and important aspects of the
study and conclusions that follow

Do not repeat the data

Include implications of the funding, their
limitations and implications for future
Research

Relate observations with other relevant
studies

Recommendations when appropriate may be
included
Acknowledgements

“We wish to thank” - all those who deserve
recognition for their contribution but who
have not made a significant intellectual
contribution and are therefore not included
as authors (Colleagues, Institutions,
Organizations providing financial help,
laboratory and secretarial staff)
References
1. Standard Journal Article
Morrow DA, Rifai N, Antman EM,
Weiner DL, McCabe CH, Cannon CP,
et al. C-reactive protein is a potent
predictor of mortality independently
and in combination with troponin T in
acute coronary syndromes. J Am Coll
Cardiol. 1998;31:1460–5.
Books and other Monographs

Phillips SJ, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and
stroke. In: Laragh JH, Bremier BM, editors.
Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis,
and management. 2nd ed. New York: Raven
Press; 1995. p.465-78.
Dissertation
 Kaplan
SJ. Post-hospital home
health care: the orderly's access and
utilization (dissertation). St. Louis
(MO): Washington Univ: 1995.
Unpublished Material
 Leshner
AL. Molecular mechanisms
of cocaine. N Engl J Med. In press.
Electronic Material
 Morse
SS. Factors in the emergence of
infectious disease. Emerg Inftect Dis
[serial online] 1995 Jan-Mar (cited 1996
Jun 5];1(1):[24 screens]. Available from
URL: http:/www.cdc.gov/ncdod/EID/eid.htm
Retrieved on March 22, 2009.
Use of ‘et al.’
 Write
names of first 6 authors
 If more than 6 authors, the rest be
replaced by ‘et al.’
 ‘et al.’ is NOT used if authors are up to
6 or less than 6.
Thank
You!