Writing Mentorship. Goals. Ideas and Getting Started! 1/21/14. Pamela Hallquist Viale Wendy H. Vogel

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1 Writing Mentorship Pamela Hallquist Viale Wendy H. Vogel Goals Get you motivated to stay motivated! Help you develop a process for successful writing Increase your enjoyment Decrease frustration Provide helpful resources Get you to PUBLICATION!! Ideas and Getting Started! What are your interests? Consider target journal and target audience Determine the objectives of paper When and where? Gather your references, key publications Develop outline Check author instructions from targeted journal Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66,

2 Targeting a Journal Acceptance rates and time to publication Impact factor Journal of Citation Reports jcr/ Browse journals by subject Type of publication What is your preferred audience? Has similar work been published? Where? Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 67, 3; Kapoor, S., et al. (2013). Ann Med Health Sci Res, 3, Outlining and Writing Create your storyline Single-word topics or one-liners q These become the lead sentences Create titles of tables/figures you might want to have Start with outline topics q Develop lead sentence Build paragraphs (6-8 sentences from lead sentence) Further develop paragraph Introduce/describe tables with 1-3 sentences Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66, 397. Title and Abstract Most important part of paper Scanned by editor, readers, reviewers, electronic databases Sometimes author instructions will have certain requirements Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66,

3 Abstract Clear, concise, should be able to stand alone Usually a strict word limit Use keywords from all sections of main text Cover the 4 W s o What is known and why is this manuscript needed? o What did you do? o What did you find? o What does it mean? Ask yourself, So what? Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66, 585. Introduction Will my introduction sell my paper? General context of topic Rationale for paper Purpose (Objective) Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66, 702. Body of Manuscript Clear, concise, objective Findings without interpretation Refer to tables/figures with highlights described in 1-3 sentences Anticipate questions your readers might have Use caution with strong words like prove Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66,

4 Avoiding Plagiarism Just because you wrote it doesn t mean you can quote it! Self-plagiarism Plagiarism check websites ($) (Free, max 1,500 words) (Free, max 25,000 characters) Conclusion/Discussion Summary What is the bottom line of your paper? Comparison to other studies/ findings Interpretation of findings Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66, Tables and Figures Present key findings easily, efficiently Supplemental information Readers will look at these to get an idea of what your manuscript is about Must be self-explanatory, stand alone Design carefully, easy to read/follow Should have clear relation with text and in chronological order Know journal specifications Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66,

5 References Used to back up important statements Use primary source of original data Only uses truly relevant references, select MOST relevant ones (more not always better) Use relevant references from your targeted journal Do it right the first time! Make sure you are 100% correct! DOI: Digital object identifiers Searchable through Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66, 702; Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66, References Don t cite widely established facts Know journal specifications Some journals limit number of references Choose the one with highest level of evidence Open-access available Most recent Published in targeted journal Check and double-check before submission Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 66, Submission Each journal has its own specific requirements Found in author instructions on journal s website Know early in your writing Cover letter Opportunity to sell your manuscript Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 67, 123; Chipperfield, L., et al. (2010). Curr Med Res Opin, 26,

6 Final Checklist Read it one last time from beginning to end Ensure you have met ALL journal specific requirements Check, check, and recheck references Think about potential reviewers Plan about an hour for online submission Monitor submission progress regularly Kotz, D., & Cals, J. (2013). J Clin Epidemiol, 67, 123. Resources Workshop reference list, handouts Directory of Open Access journals: PubMed: Articles by D. Kotz & J. Cals Table of elements of articles: Sullivan reference Template of cover letter: Chipperfield reference Hints on what reviewers will be looking for and how to review an article: Annesley reference Helpful Hints 6

7 Best Topics Best topic is the one that interests YOU Look at patients, cases, tumor boards, interesting radiological studies or laboratory findings and build from there Try to find an original slant to make the paper more appealing to your readership Enlist a co-author Steen, R. G. (2012). Indian J Endocrinol Metab, 16(6), doi: / Start Small Best beginning project Book chapter or newsletter? Query medical websites for writing projects Guest editorials Case study presentations (great example is JADPRO s Diagnostic Snapshot) Keep a camera with you at all times in your practice setting Find out your hospital s regulations regarding patient photos Use highest quality photograph you can obtain Write, write, write!! Writing for sponsored studies Fraught with danger Some journals won t accept papers where authors have received honoraria Ghost writers often write the entire paper but use the clinician s name as author Make sure you write the first draft if you decide to do this and acknowledge any editorial help! Freedman, R. (2010). Am J Psych, 5(8). Retrieved from 7

8 Reviewer Input Reviewers can be your best friend Pay attention to their input; they can help you salvage a manuscript and get it to publishing shape Join review boards once published Peer review is publication s gold standard Mayden, K. (2012). J Adv Pract Oncol, 3(2), Writing for JADPRO Query the editor or associate editors Familiarize yourself with the features q Reviews q Series reviews q Prescriber s Corner q Translating Research Into Practice q Practice Matters q Tools & Technology q Diagnostic Snapshot q Grand Rounds 8