How to Publish a Research Paper.pptx

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10/24/14  

How  to  Write  &  Publish  a   Research  Paper   *  Perspectives  from  3  Editors  *  

                                           

Stuart  Weinstein  MD   Kristin  Sainani  PhD   Janna  Friedly  MD                                        

Introductions   •  Stuart  M.  Weinstein,  MD   –  Editor-­‐in-­‐Chief,  PM&R   –  Clinical  Professor,  University  of  Washington   –  No  other  disclosures  

•  Kristin  Sainani,  PhD   –  Biostatistics  Editor,  PM&R   –  Associate  Professor,  Stanford  University  

•  Janna  Friedly,  MD   –  Associate  Editor,  Archives  of  PM&R   –  Assistant  Professor,  University  of  Washington  

Primary  Article  Types             •  Original  research  –   clinically  focused   •  Reviews  –  narrative  and   analytical   •  Case  reports  

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The  Basics  Before  Submission   •  All  authors  proofread  the  paper  before  submitting   •  Proper  spelling/grammar/syntax       •  Professional  English  language  editing    (non  US)                                                                               •  Logical  flow  of  ideas   •  Avoid  colloquialisms   •  Limit  abbreviations  

Sloppiness  in  Writing  Style…   •  Implies  sloppiness  in  research  or  review   •  Means  that  editors  and  reviewers  cannot   appreciate  the  science   •  Suggests  that  all  authors  did  not  participate   •  Less  likely  to  be  accepted  

Common  Submission  Errors   •  Authors  don’t  follow  basic  instructions   •  Find  in  print  and  online:  www.pmrjournal.org   •  Cover  letter  –  use  the  right  journal  name  

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Common  Submission  Errors   •  Inadequate  disclosure       –   ICJME  “Disclosure  and  Potential  Conflict  of   Interest”   –  Authors  disclose,  reader  determines  conflict  

Common  Submission  Errors    

•  Abstracts  not  formatted  properly   –  Case  reports  –  narrative   –  Original  research  –  structured  

–  Reviews  –  narrative  or  structured  (analytical)  

•  References  not  formatted  properly  

Original  Research  -­‐  Introduction   •  Establish  the  research  area   •  Demonstrate  a  gap  in  knowledge   •  Fill  the  gap   –  Outline  the  purpose  or  nature  of  the  research   –  Describe  the  structure  of  the  paper   –  List  the  research  questions  or  hypothesis  at  end  

•  Limit  to  5  paragraphs  

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Methods  and  Results   •  Methodology   –  Use  flow  charts  –  CONSORT  diagrams   –  Document  that  research  followed  rules  of  IRB  

•  Results/Figures  and  Tables   –  Very  important  –  many  readers  start  here   –  Don’t  repeat  results  in  text  and  tables/figures  

 

Discussion/Conclusion   •  Introductory  paragraph  -­‐  simple  summary  of  main  results   •  Analyze  findings  –  succinctly;  one  paragraph  for  each  table   •  Comparison  to  existing  literature  -­‐  clinical,  scientific,  policy   •  Limitations  -­‐  in  the  study’s  methodology/analysis   •  Conclusion  -­‐  final  statement  and  implications  for  future    

References    

•  Proper  format  per  journal  (usually  AMA  style)   •  Sequential  not  alphabetical     •  Cite  all  references       •  Use  a  reference  manager  program   End  Note  -­‐    www.endnote.com   Mendeley  -­‐  www.mendeley.com   CiteULike  -­‐    www.citeulike.org   Zotero    -­‐  www.zotero.org  

       

 

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Defining  Studies   “Feasibility”   •  Can  the  study  be  done?   •  Identify  parameters  for  the  main  study-­‐                     willingness  of  participants  &  clinicians,  #s,  time   •  These  do  not  evaluate  the  outcome  of  interest   •  If  small  RCT,  do  not  have  to  be  randomized  

Defining  Studies   “Pilot”    

•  Mini  version  of  the  main  study   •  Determine  if  all  processes  run  smoothly-­‐             recruitment,  randomization,  treatment,  follow-­‐up   •  Assess  primary  outcome   •  First  phase  of  larger  study  

Defining  Studies   “Weak”     •  Weak  studies  should  not  be  labeled  pilot  studies   •  Small  #subjects  -­‐  underpowered   •  Methodological  flaws   •  No  significant  findings,  only  “trends”   •  Vague  intention  to  proceed  to  larger  study    

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Case  Reports   •  Must  present  unusual  diagnosis  or  treatment   •  Descriptive  only   •  No  statistical  analysis   •  Don’t  submit  a  Case  Report  like  an  H  &  P;             there  still  must  be  some  reasonable  Discussion   •  Maintain  high  quality  

Ethical  Concerns  

Ethical  Concerns  

Reporting  Research   •  Plagiarism/Self  plagiarism     •  Authorship   •  Ghost  authors   •  Duplicate  publication   •  Salami  science  

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Ethics  

Data  Concerns   •  Ignorance   –  Wrong  statistical  testing   –   Inappropriate  interpretation   •  Design  flaws   –  Hypothesis,  power  analysis,  control  groups   •  Misrepresentation   –  Selective  reporting,  non-­‐reproducibility   •  Fabrication/Manipulation  –  lying  about  data  

Ethical  Concerns   Taking  Action  

•  Editor  and  publisher   –  Crosscheck  TM   –  Reliance  on  peer  reviewers  

•  COPE  (Committee  on  Publication  Ethics)   •  How  to  respond  to  research/reporting  misconduct?   –  Journal  must  print  retraction   –  Sanctions  against  further  publication  in  that  journal   –  Reporting  misconduct  to  home  institution   –  Reporting  to  an  international  database  

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