Publishing Without Perishing

What editors really want

Anthony Harries, The Union, Paris

Tony Reid, MSF Brussels
Golden Rules
 Choose your journal before you start
writing
 Print off the journal's guidelines
 Follow them!
Choosing a journal for publication
 Your audience
 Interests of the journal
 Listed on PubMed
 Impact factor
 Turn around time
 Open access vs closed journals
 Previous experience
 Ask a librarian or seasoned colleague
Check the journal
 Types of articles
 Original research
 Short Report
 Case report
 Opinion piece/editorial
 Letter to the editor
 Guidelines to structure the article
 Note to the editor re appropriateness of the
article
Structure
 Introduction
 Method
 Results
 Discussion = IMRAD
 (Conclusion)
Introduction
 Set the scene - What is the general problem?
 Specific question to be addressed
 What has been done before - the latest research
 Problems with previous research
 What is still unknown? Gaps?
 What’s new with my study?
 Conclude with aim / objectives – 1-2 sentences
Methods
 Design
 Setting – general and specific
 Sample population – inclusion/exclusion
 Variables – exposure and outcome, validity
 Data sources
 Data collection
 Analysis strategy – statistics tools, sample size
 Ethics approval
Results
 Just the facts, nothing but the facts
 Relevant results – relevant to the objectives
 Response rate
 Demographics
 Outcomes – numbers, %, P values, Confidence
Intervals
 Avoid duplication in text and tables
 Tables/figures should stand alone
 Statistics – only report planned outcomes
Discussion
 Summary of main findings of your study (avoid
repeating numbers and link to objectives)
 What is new? Why important?
 Strengths and limitations of the study
 Compare to previous literature
 Speculation where needed
 Implications – programmatic and policy
 Future research
Conclusion
 Keep it short and simple
 What did you show?
 Must be supported by your data
 Relate back to your objective(s)
Practical Tips: Division of the paper
 E.G., length of paper = 2500 words
 Intro and methods = 1250 words
 Results = 500 words
 Discussion / conclusion = 750 words

 Copy and paste objectives to Results and

follow the same order
Introduction and Methods and
Other things
 Take the Protocol and make it Paper_V1
 Shorten
 Change the tense – go from future to past
 Develop versions as you progress
 IMRAD – acknowledgements – references
– tables and figures
 Ancient Roman Proverb
“Scripta manent, verba volant”
“Spoken words fly away
Written words remain”

“If you do not write about it,

it did not happen”
Virginia Woolf
Writing for clarity
 “Scientific writing” vs communicating
 Jargon - minimise
 Simple/familiar words
 Concrete vs abstract words
 Keep sentences simple – 15-20 words
 Keep paragraphs short – 5-6 sentences
 Avoid unnecessary/meaningless words
- "It is the case that..."
- "It is well recognised..."
Writing
 Less is always more
 Avoid abstract nominalisations
- "facilitation", "collaboration", "consultation"
 Be careful with emphasis words – “really”“most”
 Check tense – past vs present
 Word – Tools – Spelling/Grammar - Readability