WRITING your research magnum opus Alan N. Peiris
Description: WRITING your research magnum opus Alan N. Peiris MD(London), PHD, FRCP(LONDON), FACP, FACE Professor of medicine and vice chair for academic affairs TJ AND Margaret talkington endowed chair in endocrinology CO-DIRECTOR CLINICAL RESEARCH
Related Topics
Download Presentation
"WRITING your research magnum opus Alan N. Peiris" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this website for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Presentation Transcript
slide1. WRITING your research magnum opus Alan N. Peiris MD(London), PHD, FRCP(LONDON), FACP, FACE
Professor of medicine and vice chair for academic affairs
TJ AND Margaret talkington endowed chair in endocrinology
CO-DIRECTOR CLINICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, TTUHSC
Tom Tenner PhD
Associate dean for faculty affairs
Professor of pharmacology and Medical education
Assistant director, CLINICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, ttuhsc
With assistance from Joon (Simon) Choi- MS-2 ttuhsc<br>
slide2. A study of 7734 VA Physicians across 135 medical centers controlling for physician level and organizational level characteristics and looking at
-Job autonomy
-Skill development
-Opportunities
-work and family balance
-Performance feedback
Involvement with Research resulted in more favorable job characteristics and job satisfaction –leading to a more satisfied workforce
Acad. Med. 2011;86:938-45. Mohr DC et al<br>
slide3. Converting your DATA into a highly cited paper Intimidating Process for many, even experienced researchers
Many hurdles to overcome in the process of creating the final draft
the 1960 article “Immunoassay of endogenous plasma insulin in man” by Yalow and Berson holds a record as one of the most-cited articles ever published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (2,341 times at this writing).
Berson, Yalow, and the JCI: the agony and the ecstasy. Kahn CR and Roth J. J CLIN. INVEST. 2004 Oct 15; 114(8): 1051–1054.<br>
slide4. “it’s easier to embalm the dead than to write an article about it” How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing, paul Sylvia Published January 15th 2007 by American Psychological Assn<br>
slide5. The Chairman of the Physics Department, looking at this record, could only say 'That A- confirms that women do not do well at laboratory work'. “But I was no longer a stubborn, determined child, but rather a stubborn, determined graduate student. The hard work and subtle discrimination were of no moment”.
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow
Nobel Laureate in Physiology/Medicine 1977
for the development of radioimmunoassays of peptide hormones"<br>
slide6. ABSTRACT TO PAPER RATIO
A total of 623 abstracts were presented, from which 102 were subsequently published as a full paper.
-Overall publication rate was 16.4%, ranging from 3.4% (jurisprudence) to 28.8% (toxicology).
-The type of presentation (oral platform or poster) did not significantly affect the outcome of the abstract.
- A higher number of authors, foreign authors,
and international collaboration were found to be good predictive factors of publication.
From abstract to publication: the fate of research presented at an annual forensic meeting. Tambuscio s. J Forensic Sci 2010 Nov;55(6):1494-8<br>
slide7. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Maimonides<br>
slide8. Some Tips to get you started Insert writing times into schedule (outlook) – on a regular basis
START AN OUTLINE – initially a “vomitus”
EVOLVE THE OUTLINE
Convert outline into draft
Start writing under headings in template PROVIDED
Consider using speech recognition (dragon speech TM) to dictate paper<br>
slide9. A BRIEF OF LIST OF THINGS NOT TO DO DO NOT start sentences with numbers.
DO NOT USE “” AND ! (except WITH EXTREME CAUTION)
Do not Keep sentences longer than 12 words or use poor prose
Eg the patient was antibiosed with imipenem
DO NOT AVOID Paragraphs – DO NOT AVOID SCULPTING CONTENT Flow
DO NOT LIST ALL KNOWN family, RELATIVES AND FRIENDS AS CO-AUTHORS
DO NOT USE NON-STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS
DO NOT USE ANY Reference (CHOOSE original peer reviewed articles)
AVOID ethical issues • Authorship, ghostwriting • Redundant publication – Salami publication • Plagiarism • Data falsification – Image manipulation<br>
slide10. Basic template for research paper TITLE
AUTHOR & AFFILIATIONS
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Cover letter to editor<br>
slide11. TITLE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ARTICLE – MOST OFTEN READ
MUST STAND ALONE
NO ABBREVIATIONS
Succinct – less than 15 words
SPECIFY species EXAMINED IN STUDY
Type of study
IMPORTANT NOUNS FIRST<br>
slide12. Authorship, AFFILIATIONS and key words Use journal format eg use terminal degree
Justification of role – meaningful participation
first author and senior author
Author sequence meaningful
Ensure all authors are fully in the loop and approve final submission
Choose keywords after pubmed search - deliberative<br>
slide13. ABSTRACT the second most important part of a scientific article
after the title, the part most often read
after the title, MAYBE the only part read
readers WILL USE ABSTRACT (THE HOOK) when deciding whether to abandon your article or read it
this SHOULD BE WRITTEN LAST – SUMMARY OF ENTIRE ARTICLE
COMMONLY LIMITED TO 250 WORDS<br>
slide14. introduction Establish need and importance for commencing study (CPAP)
Does not have to be lengthy – 1-3 paragraphs (prefer 2)
Use Appropriate & balanced references
CONTEXTUAL statement~ RELEVANT BACKGROUND
PROBLEM STATEMENT~ THE ISSUE/S THAT INSPIRED THE RESEARCH – what was previously known versus unknown
ACTION STATEMENT~ THE RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS and how does this differ from prior studies – “filling the knowledge void”
PREDICTING STATEMENT~ what you think you will find<br>
slide15. Materials and Methods Enough detail so reader can reproduce your study– spECIFICS ARE THE KEY
Irb (written informed consent prior to commencing study) VERSUS QI project approval
animal studies approval
Sample size, DEMOGRAPHICS OF STUDY SAMPLE (Table 1) & participation rate
POSSIBLE EXCLUSION OF DATA – OUTLIERS, DISCUSS WITH BIOSTATISTICIAN AND PROCEED WITH CARE AND CAUTION
May need to submit raw data to public data bank (provide this information within manuscript as needed)
ASSAY AND equipment details – Resource utilization
intervention studies need to be registered at clinical trial.GOV – check and apply as indicated
Before first patient is enrolled
Statistics
Methods
Parametric versus non-pArametric
P value
P< 0.05<br>
slide16. results Write results section (PAST TENSE) before methods section ?
FOCUS ON MAIN FINDINGS – CONFIRM OR REJECT YOUR HYPOTHESIS
Guide the reader with Clarity and brevity – focus on link between introduction and results
Your text should summarize what the figures and tables show, not go through them data point by data point.
Interpretation limited to order of testing
Use Figures sparingly – brief legend, include sample size, high resolution, choice of colors, axis labels, unit, scale
Tables avoid duplication in text
Note statistical significance may not equate to biological significance and vice versa<br>
slide17. DISCUSSION Discuss results in relation to your hypothesis and the literature
FIRST PARAGRAPH – MAIN FINDINGS OF YOUR STUDY AND ITS UNIQUE FEATURES/HOW IT ADVANCES KNOWLEDGE
DISCUSSION OF LITERATURE RELEVANT TO YOUR FINDINGS – BROADER APPLICATIONS RELATING TO YOUR STUDY.
Discuss how your results related to your central hypothesis. If study is negative why this is important and its implications.
Strengths and weaknesses of the study (also COMPARED TO OTHER STUDIES)
Meaning of the study: possible mechanisms and implications for clinicians or policymakers in terms of costs or outcomes
Unanswered questions and future research – VISIONARY STATEMENT
conclusion<br>
slide18. rEFERENCES More is not always better (SEARCH MEDLINE/PUBMED)
A Greater number ALLOWED for review ARTICLES compared to original papers
Use medline/PUBMED references
Format correctly for journal in question
CHOOSE ORIGINAL ARTICLES RATHER THAN REVIEWS – BE BALANCED
LOOK AT EDITORIAL BOARD AND IF APPROPRIATE AND RELEVANT CITE ACCORDINGLY<br>
slide19. acknowledgements This is the first thing I do in writing a paper!
Important to recognize people, institutes and resources that enabled your efforts
FUNDING SOURCES
individuals that may not HAVE merited co-authorship but did facilitate the research<br>
slide20. Cover letter to the editor Brief implications of your manuscript
Novel – Not published elsewhere or published in abstract form (provide specifics)
Exclusivity & Declare conflicts of interest
Recommend reviewers - ~ 5 (can also exclude 2 (?) reviewers -state why)
Look at editorial board
Do not suggest researchers that are at your institution, or company — even if they are at another campus. Recent (less than 3 years) coauthors, and collaborators are also not appropriate to suggest.<br>
slide21. The Project SUMMER STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECT - This paper has almost been completed
DATA gATHERED and provided by SIMON CHOI MS-2 ttuhsc
As a learning exercise we will have all of you sculpt the paper real time. Given time limitations aim for key building block statements. USE PUBMED/GOOGLE TO GATHER INFORMATION. You may ask for additional information.
A background paper on 2d:4d RATIO WAS DISTRIBUTED PRIOR TO CONFERENCE.<br>
slide22. Background: Fetal androgen exposure is inversely correlated with 2nd digit to 4th digit (2D:4D) hand ratio. A shorter 2D:4D ratio is regarded as more masculine
Hypothesis: Doctors that spend more time in the operating room will have shorter 2D:4D ratios
Project: Measure 2D:4D ratios in approximately 100 doctors –caliper method. Participants were categorized into operating room (OR) exposure versus non-operating room exposure and included residents and Faculty
Results: Male Physicians had shorter 2D:4D ratios than females
Operating room physicians had shorter 2D:4D ratios which approached significance. This was unaltered by adjusting for gender
Trainees that worked in the OR had significantly shorter 2D:4D ratios than non-OR specialties<br>
Professor of medicine and vice chair for academic affairs
TJ AND Margaret talkington endowed chair in endocrinology
CO-DIRECTOR CLINICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, TTUHSC
Tom Tenner PhD
Associate dean for faculty affairs
Professor of pharmacology and Medical education
Assistant director, CLINICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, ttuhsc
With assistance from Joon (Simon) Choi- MS-2 ttuhsc<br>
slide2. A study of 7734 VA Physicians across 135 medical centers controlling for physician level and organizational level characteristics and looking at
-Job autonomy
-Skill development
-Opportunities
-work and family balance
-Performance feedback
Involvement with Research resulted in more favorable job characteristics and job satisfaction –leading to a more satisfied workforce
Acad. Med. 2011;86:938-45. Mohr DC et al<br>
slide3. Converting your DATA into a highly cited paper Intimidating Process for many, even experienced researchers
Many hurdles to overcome in the process of creating the final draft
the 1960 article “Immunoassay of endogenous plasma insulin in man” by Yalow and Berson holds a record as one of the most-cited articles ever published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation (2,341 times at this writing).
Berson, Yalow, and the JCI: the agony and the ecstasy. Kahn CR and Roth J. J CLIN. INVEST. 2004 Oct 15; 114(8): 1051–1054.<br>
slide4. “it’s easier to embalm the dead than to write an article about it” How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing, paul Sylvia Published January 15th 2007 by American Psychological Assn<br>
slide5. The Chairman of the Physics Department, looking at this record, could only say 'That A- confirms that women do not do well at laboratory work'. “But I was no longer a stubborn, determined child, but rather a stubborn, determined graduate student. The hard work and subtle discrimination were of no moment”.
Rosalyn Sussman Yalow
Nobel Laureate in Physiology/Medicine 1977
for the development of radioimmunoassays of peptide hormones"<br>
slide6. ABSTRACT TO PAPER RATIO
A total of 623 abstracts were presented, from which 102 were subsequently published as a full paper.
-Overall publication rate was 16.4%, ranging from 3.4% (jurisprudence) to 28.8% (toxicology).
-The type of presentation (oral platform or poster) did not significantly affect the outcome of the abstract.
- A higher number of authors, foreign authors,
and international collaboration were found to be good predictive factors of publication.
From abstract to publication: the fate of research presented at an annual forensic meeting. Tambuscio s. J Forensic Sci 2010 Nov;55(6):1494-8<br>
slide7. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Maimonides<br>
slide8. Some Tips to get you started Insert writing times into schedule (outlook) – on a regular basis
START AN OUTLINE – initially a “vomitus”
EVOLVE THE OUTLINE
Convert outline into draft
Start writing under headings in template PROVIDED
Consider using speech recognition (dragon speech TM) to dictate paper<br>
slide9. A BRIEF OF LIST OF THINGS NOT TO DO DO NOT start sentences with numbers.
DO NOT USE “” AND ! (except WITH EXTREME CAUTION)
Do not Keep sentences longer than 12 words or use poor prose
Eg the patient was antibiosed with imipenem
DO NOT AVOID Paragraphs – DO NOT AVOID SCULPTING CONTENT Flow
DO NOT LIST ALL KNOWN family, RELATIVES AND FRIENDS AS CO-AUTHORS
DO NOT USE NON-STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS
DO NOT USE ANY Reference (CHOOSE original peer reviewed articles)
AVOID ethical issues • Authorship, ghostwriting • Redundant publication – Salami publication • Plagiarism • Data falsification – Image manipulation<br>
slide10. Basic template for research paper TITLE
AUTHOR & AFFILIATIONS
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Cover letter to editor<br>
slide11. TITLE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ARTICLE – MOST OFTEN READ
MUST STAND ALONE
NO ABBREVIATIONS
Succinct – less than 15 words
SPECIFY species EXAMINED IN STUDY
Type of study
IMPORTANT NOUNS FIRST<br>
slide12. Authorship, AFFILIATIONS and key words Use journal format eg use terminal degree
Justification of role – meaningful participation
first author and senior author
Author sequence meaningful
Ensure all authors are fully in the loop and approve final submission
Choose keywords after pubmed search - deliberative<br>
slide13. ABSTRACT the second most important part of a scientific article
after the title, the part most often read
after the title, MAYBE the only part read
readers WILL USE ABSTRACT (THE HOOK) when deciding whether to abandon your article or read it
this SHOULD BE WRITTEN LAST – SUMMARY OF ENTIRE ARTICLE
COMMONLY LIMITED TO 250 WORDS<br>
slide14. introduction Establish need and importance for commencing study (CPAP)
Does not have to be lengthy – 1-3 paragraphs (prefer 2)
Use Appropriate & balanced references
CONTEXTUAL statement~ RELEVANT BACKGROUND
PROBLEM STATEMENT~ THE ISSUE/S THAT INSPIRED THE RESEARCH – what was previously known versus unknown
ACTION STATEMENT~ THE RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS and how does this differ from prior studies – “filling the knowledge void”
PREDICTING STATEMENT~ what you think you will find<br>
slide15. Materials and Methods Enough detail so reader can reproduce your study– spECIFICS ARE THE KEY
Irb (written informed consent prior to commencing study) VERSUS QI project approval
animal studies approval
Sample size, DEMOGRAPHICS OF STUDY SAMPLE (Table 1) & participation rate
POSSIBLE EXCLUSION OF DATA – OUTLIERS, DISCUSS WITH BIOSTATISTICIAN AND PROCEED WITH CARE AND CAUTION
May need to submit raw data to public data bank (provide this information within manuscript as needed)
ASSAY AND equipment details – Resource utilization
intervention studies need to be registered at clinical trial.GOV – check and apply as indicated
Before first patient is enrolled
Statistics
Methods
Parametric versus non-pArametric
P value
P< 0.05<br>
slide16. results Write results section (PAST TENSE) before methods section ?
FOCUS ON MAIN FINDINGS – CONFIRM OR REJECT YOUR HYPOTHESIS
Guide the reader with Clarity and brevity – focus on link between introduction and results
Your text should summarize what the figures and tables show, not go through them data point by data point.
Interpretation limited to order of testing
Use Figures sparingly – brief legend, include sample size, high resolution, choice of colors, axis labels, unit, scale
Tables avoid duplication in text
Note statistical significance may not equate to biological significance and vice versa<br>
slide17. DISCUSSION Discuss results in relation to your hypothesis and the literature
FIRST PARAGRAPH – MAIN FINDINGS OF YOUR STUDY AND ITS UNIQUE FEATURES/HOW IT ADVANCES KNOWLEDGE
DISCUSSION OF LITERATURE RELEVANT TO YOUR FINDINGS – BROADER APPLICATIONS RELATING TO YOUR STUDY.
Discuss how your results related to your central hypothesis. If study is negative why this is important and its implications.
Strengths and weaknesses of the study (also COMPARED TO OTHER STUDIES)
Meaning of the study: possible mechanisms and implications for clinicians or policymakers in terms of costs or outcomes
Unanswered questions and future research – VISIONARY STATEMENT
conclusion<br>
slide18. rEFERENCES More is not always better (SEARCH MEDLINE/PUBMED)
A Greater number ALLOWED for review ARTICLES compared to original papers
Use medline/PUBMED references
Format correctly for journal in question
CHOOSE ORIGINAL ARTICLES RATHER THAN REVIEWS – BE BALANCED
LOOK AT EDITORIAL BOARD AND IF APPROPRIATE AND RELEVANT CITE ACCORDINGLY<br>
slide19. acknowledgements This is the first thing I do in writing a paper!
Important to recognize people, institutes and resources that enabled your efforts
FUNDING SOURCES
individuals that may not HAVE merited co-authorship but did facilitate the research<br>
slide20. Cover letter to the editor Brief implications of your manuscript
Novel – Not published elsewhere or published in abstract form (provide specifics)
Exclusivity & Declare conflicts of interest
Recommend reviewers - ~ 5 (can also exclude 2 (?) reviewers -state why)
Look at editorial board
Do not suggest researchers that are at your institution, or company — even if they are at another campus. Recent (less than 3 years) coauthors, and collaborators are also not appropriate to suggest.<br>
slide21. The Project SUMMER STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECT - This paper has almost been completed
DATA gATHERED and provided by SIMON CHOI MS-2 ttuhsc
As a learning exercise we will have all of you sculpt the paper real time. Given time limitations aim for key building block statements. USE PUBMED/GOOGLE TO GATHER INFORMATION. You may ask for additional information.
A background paper on 2d:4d RATIO WAS DISTRIBUTED PRIOR TO CONFERENCE.<br>
slide22. Background: Fetal androgen exposure is inversely correlated with 2nd digit to 4th digit (2D:4D) hand ratio. A shorter 2D:4D ratio is regarded as more masculine
Hypothesis: Doctors that spend more time in the operating room will have shorter 2D:4D ratios
Project: Measure 2D:4D ratios in approximately 100 doctors –caliper method. Participants were categorized into operating room (OR) exposure versus non-operating room exposure and included residents and Faculty
Results: Male Physicians had shorter 2D:4D ratios than females
Operating room physicians had shorter 2D:4D ratios which approached significance. This was unaltered by adjusting for gender
Trainees that worked in the OR had significantly shorter 2D:4D ratios than non-OR specialties<br>