An Introduction toScientific Writing

Dr. Galib,Assistant Professor,

IPGT & RA, GAU, Jamnagar

Need of doing Research

Current times are of "Publish or Perish"

The career graph of an individual shows growth for those whohave publications in

GoodIndexedStandardPeer reviewedWell distributedRegularly publishedScientifically acclaimed journals.

None is born with it All have to learn and acquire It is dynamic skill and changes with time

(For Ex. Use of internet) One has to get trained and keep updated There are no short cuts. All have to go through therigors Journal space is limited and costly hence only goodquality contributions are accepted

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WRITING IS A LEARNT SKILL

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.. know your subject well

Before Starting

You

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.. know the pattern well .. give the a time it requires .. know what the science expect .. try hard enough .. give credits where due

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W's of writing:1. Who: Trained, scientific communicator

2. What: New material of utility, concern to fellow beings

3. When: ASAP after the research is completed. Do not hold it. It looses the charm of timeliness. If you do not publish fast, others will ! Then your work will have low value.

4. Where: Hard copy journals, E-Journals

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W's of writing:5. Why:

Writing is transmission of research findings, ideas, opinions.

Sharing of knowledge.

Getting known for your work.

Essential requirement of certain jobs & will be picked up for jobs preferably.

Publication gives you sense of attainment and Psychological reward. Build your CV.

Optimal utilization of free time.

Why a structure for writing?????

Why a structure for writing?????

For the uniformityTo avoid confusionTo reduce the verbosity / lengthTo clarify specifics

Poor writing results when You:

Don’t know your subject well Don’t give the manuscript a time it requires Don’t know the readers & what they expect from you Don’t know the language well Don’t write to express your ideas, but try to impress others Don’t try hard enough

Flow of manuscript Sections and Order References for validity

[References of last 5 yrs for scientific studies][References from web should be current]

Sentence Structure Grammar

The important issues are Style of Presentation Research

Idea

Essentials of writing:

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IntroductionMaterials & MethodsResultsAndDiscussion

.......... was introduced during 1972 by

American Naional Standards Institute

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ABSTRACT The Mini Version of the Paper

Structure should be

The Problem(Background) Purpose of Study Method Results Conclusions Contents should describe

Why the research was conducted How the research was conducted What the major results and conclusions are

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ABSTRACT Around 150- 250 words Well written Preferably be typed as single paragraph. Don’t cite references & Don’t use abbreviations. Emphasize new and important aspects of the study. Preferably it should be written in the past tense.

Abstract is the only part of a research paper that is displayed many times. Hence, should give a succinct summary of entire work

and its outcomes.

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Important words or short phrases that specifically describe your topic and closely related. Shouldn’t be long sentences. The terms people would enter to find. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus.

Key Words

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First, write one or two sentences about your topic. Next, underline all the specific words that describe your topic. Make a separate list of these specific words. Add to your list any other words that mean the same thing (synonyms) or are related terms. Think of more words or phrases that describe the larger topic, of which your topic is a part. Add those to the list.

Key WordsHow to list "good key words"?

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Writing Introduction

First section of the text proper.

Purpose: to provide sufficient background information to allow readers to understand and evaluate the result of the present study.

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Writing Introduction

X Be eager to reveal all in intro!X Confuse the readers with complex sentencesX Give results and conclusions in intro!X Write junk to fill the space.

Do NOT:

Try to impress the readers, else you may loose the game because many readers are

very sharp and knowledgeable to catch you on wrong foot.

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Writing a GOOD Introduction

Review the literature State clearly the question (Aims & Objectives) Be brief and convincing. Should state method of the study. Reason of selection of the problem. Do not keep the reader in suspense. Define abbreviations (if any) in Introduction.

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Materials & Methods

While going through this section, it becomes easy for others to understand and repeat the same if needed.

PURPOSE:To describe the design of the study with enough details.

MATERIALS:Exact technical specifications and details followed.In clinical study- criteria of selection, ‘informed consent’ statement.

METHODS:

This section answers the question: "How was the trial/study done"?

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Materials & Methods

Procedures adopted should be written with full details. If the method is new - provide all of the needed details. If the method is published - give literature reference. How is the trial/study is designed? Ethical aspects Randomization Blinding and Grouping Details of the trial drugs How were the data is handled Statistical methods

Ensure to write :

Materials and Methods should be written in PAST tense.

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RESULTS

Need to be clearly and simply stated Describe the findings in words in a logical sequence Build the interest of reader to read further Illustrations /graphs AUGMENT the written text. Illustrations /graphs should be self explanatory and able to stand alone Avoid abbreviations in illustrations/graphs What is shown in table should not duplicate in illustrations/ graphs

Results explain "What did you find" in the work.

Usually expected results are reported in manuscriptsOne must report UNEXPECTED FINDINGS & NEGATIVE FINDINGS.

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TABLES

Meant to present original and complete information. Used when there is a need to present numerical values or summarize / emphasize textual material.

A table should be • sufficiently clear • well-labeled • described by its legend • must be able to stand alone and be interpretable

All Tables should be referred in the text

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DISCUSSIONHARDEST SECTION TO WRITE. Many papers are rejected because of faulty discussion.

COMPONENTS: Highlight the specific aspects of the methods which are responsible in obtaining the unique findings. Describe the results in comarision to previous works of others with exact references. Never deny credits to others whose work is quoted. Point any exceptions or any lack of correlations and define unsettled points. Discuss the theoretical implications of your work as well as any possible practical applications. State your conclusion as clearly as possible. Do not repeat the results in discussion.

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References

It is always better to keep writing the full references in brackets where ever material is quoted while preparing the draft manuscript, which can be subsequently converted to the format of the publication.

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ReferencesPubmed StyleU A, R. K. Sesame Meal Administration Attenuates The High - Fat Diet Induced Lipid Peroxidation And Improve Antioxidant Status In Wistar Rat. AJPBR. 2011; 1(3): 273-280.

Web StyleU A, R. K. Sesame Meal Administration Attenuates The High - Fat Diet Induced Lipid Peroxidation And Improve Antioxidant Status In Wistar Rat. ww.scopemed.org/?mno=11437 [Access: February 29, 2012].

AMA (American Medical Assoc.) StyleU A, R. K. Sesame Meal Administration Attenuates The High - Fat Diet Induced Lipid Peroxidation And Improve Antioxidant Status In Wistar Rat. AJPBR. 2011; 1(3): 273-280.

Vancouver/ICMJE StyleU A, R. K. Sesame Meal Administration Attenuates The High - Fat Diet Induced Lipid Peroxidation And Improve Antioxidant Status In Wistar Rat. AJPBR. (2011), [cited February 29, 2012]; 1(3): 273-280.

Harvard StyleU, A. & R., K. (2011) Sesame Meal Administration Attenuates The High - Fat Diet Induced Lipid Peroxidation And Improve Antioxidant Status In Wistar Rat. AJPBR, 1 (3), 273-280.

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WRITING A TITLE

Title 1: Studies on Amavata

Title 2: On the addition to the method of Microscopic Reseach by a New way of producing color contrast between an object and its background or between difinite parts of the object itself

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WRITING A TITLE1Avoid too short or too long title.2Simple, Clear and should convey the essence.3Long titles contain ‘waste’ words.

Waste words appear right at the start of the title, e.g.-‘Studies on’, ‘Investigations on’, ‘ Observations on’, A, An, The.

3. Never use abbreviations, chemical formulae, jargons.

Title 1: Medhya effect of Brahmi in children

Title 2: Effect of Brahmi in Learning Disabilities of Children

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WHO WILL BE THE AUTHOR

1Whose name first ?2No rule.3Alphabetical Order ??

‘Laundry list approach’ is to be avoided

Who takes the responsibility for the research results being Reported

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WHO WILL BE THE AUTHOR

1One who takes intellectual responsibility for the research results being reported

2Each listed author should have made an important contribution to the study being reported.

3Collaborative research work -decide sequence of name before starting the study.

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WHO WILL BE THE AUTHOR

All those who contribute significantly on the scientific merit should get co-authorship.

It is always good to decide the authorship order at the protocol writing stage to save heart burn later.

Do not gift authorship to friends, colleagues or for getting authorship reciprocally.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Acknowledge any significant technical help that you received from any individual.

Acknowledge for outside financial assistance, such as grants, contracts or fellowships.

Be courteous.

Simple assistance could be noted.

Financial assistance is to be acknowledged.

Name and their contribution (after concent)

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Start Writing:

Learn well from peers. Proper planning & practice prevents poor performance Be prepared to accept early set backs Have the pleasure of seeing your name in print Decide the journal to which you need to contribute Read current copy or visit web site of the journal Read instructions to authors

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Start Writing:

Start writing. All can do it Write the first draft in IMRAD style Keep reviewing and correcting it Discuss it with co-authors Ask colleagues to correct it Keep modifying it Get internal peer review done Incorporate suggestions Contribute MS as desired by the journal Respond to the Editor's decision Follow the time lines of the journal Please get back if you have problems.

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For patient listening & co-operation