发表英文医学论文技巧

1、making an english biomedical paper:why, what, and how 发表英文医学论文技巧发表英文医学论文技巧ruiwen zhang, md, phd, dabt 张瑞稳博士张瑞稳博士professor, pharmacology and toxicologydirector, cancer pharmacology laboratorysr. scientist, comprehensive cancer center, clinical nutrition research center, chemoprevention center, gene t

2、herapy center, center for aging, & center for aids research university of alabama school of medicne birmingham, al 35294, usa editor-in-chief editor-in-chief 美捷登主编美捷登主编naccomplish technically competent, thorough, and ethical researchnemploy objective scientific judgment and se

3、ek appropriate advice.npublish honest reports in a timely fashion.obligations of a scientistsession 1benefits of writingnto think more clearly.nto fulfill the responsibility to report and share information with the scientific community.nto produce a final product of a successful research project.nto

4、 achieve personal gain, establish oneself as an expert, and receive grants and promotions. publications are the currency of the world of science.session 1not peer-reviewedpeer-reviewedloriginal research paperslreviewslmeeting abstractslconference reportslgrant applicationslfellowship proposalslbooks

5、, chapterslbook reviewslteaching materialsltheses/dissertationsleditorial commentslletters to the editorlresearch reports (sometimes)lweb pageslcorrespondencelconfidential reportspublicnot publictypes of scientific writingsession 1definitioncompare-contrastenumeration/illustrationcause-effectmajor t

6、echniques in scientific writingsession 1nenglish: the universal language of science n- eugene garfield, 1987nreader-oriented - sharing information three things to avoidlaboratory jargoninvented wordsnon-standard abbreviationsnpurposeful - convey information, ideas, conceptsnprecise - choose words me

7、ant to be saidnaccurate - conformity, actual (true) state characteristics of scientific writing (1) session 1nclearreaches the audience with the same meaning it hadshould not be interpreted in more than one way - avoidwhen something is said for the first time, clarity is essential.nconciseexpresses,

8、 covers much in few wordsthe best english is that which gives the sense in the fewest short words. instructions to authors, journal of bacteriology.nsimple - easy to understand, not elaborate or artificial, not ornate, not complicatednillustrated - “a picture is worth a thousand words.” make use of

9、good figures and tablescharacteristics of scientific writing (2)session 1sins of languageexcessmaliceignorancedishonestyomissionmisunderstandingmisleadingharm session 1nfirst report of the data (original paper)noriginal research results (not me-too)nallow peers to repeat the reported experiments (no

10、t necessarily the results)npublish in a journal or other public source documentnavailable to the scientific communitynbe received and understoodcharacteristics of a valid manuscript (1)session 1ncharacteristic format - imrad(introduction, methods (& materials), results, and discussion)introduction:

11、what question was studied?methods: how was it studied?results: what were the findings?discussion: what do the findings mean?nthis logic helps the author organize and write the manuscript.traditional formatncancer research npnas usaalternative format: introduction, results, discussion, and methods (&

12、 materials)nembo jnoncogene letter format nnature nsciencecharacteristics of a valid manuscript (2)session 1hypothesisoverview: the research processsubmit the manuscriptprepare a final draftprepare a revised draftprepare a draftprepare an outlinerevise the hypothesiscompletion of experimentsand data

13、 analysisexperimental designsession 1overview: the publication processsubmit the manuscriptassignment and peer revieweditorial decisionrejectionrevisionacceptancepublicationrebuttalthe research processresubmissionre-reviewrejectionsession 1nis there a story to tell?nwhat was the rationale for the pr

14、oject?ndid i perform a thorough literature review?nwhat is the historical context of the work?ndid i have a clear hypothesis?ndid the experiments test that hypothesis?nis the experimental design defendable?ncan i justify what i did?ndid i use appropriate controls?nhow do my findings relate to the ex

15、isting knowledge?ten (10) key questions session 1nscientists - building a career (not just publish a paper)nintense competition for space in journalsnhigh cost of publication ( $300 per page)nrejection rates vary, e.g., jbc = 75%; nejm, science, nature = 90%)nperform laboratory work with a manuscrip

16、t in mind (design a paper)nscientific writing involves workwhy and how to publish (1)session 1nthe first publication on a specific topic has priority.nthe findings should be expressed as simply as possible.succinct, concise, “crisp,” and terse, i.e., brief and to the point.you are not writing a nove

17、l.nsentences should be stripped to their “bare bones.”nwriting requires:perseverance self disciplineorderly thinkingnwriting is best accomplished in a quiet place, in a straight-backed chair, and in good lighting. (once again, writing involves work; you need an excellent writing environment.)why and

18、 how to publish (2)session 1npresent substantial, fresh, relevant information (a manuscript is worthless if the authors have nothing worth reporting)nwrite what you knowngood writing comes from good thinkingnword power comes from intelligent readingwhy and how to publish (3)session 1reading thinking

19、writing nwrite too much and then make deletions.nbe brief. “brevity is the soul of wit.” shakespeare.ndo not publish several articles when one will sufficendo not publish similar articles with minor changes.nallow trainees to develop their own style, while maintaining quality control.nto learn what

20、works: read morewrite morereview morenyour reputation can be affected by a poor publication.nif you have a reputation for scientific honesty and careful writing, editors and readers may give you the benefit of the doubt.session 1why and how to publish (4)steps in writing a manuscript (1)session 1q:

21、professional writing service? readingthinking writing revising steps in writing a manuscript (2)search and review the literature:nuse medline + other sourcesnsearch using all appropriate keywordsnsummarize relevant points of related articlesprepare an outlinenpreparation forces you to think and orga

22、nize.nall points should be supported by appropriate data.ngives a logical, step-by-step order in which the manuscript will be presented.ngaps can be filled in, and extraneous material can be eliminated.nwriting can be done with less interruption.session 1qensure that you are up-to-date on the litera

23、ture in the field qconfirm that the results are “real”- i.e., they cannot be explained by experimental error and have been repeated qcomplete the initial statistical analysesqselect a target journal qlook over the “instructions for authors”qdecide on the authors, and decide who will be the correspon

24、ding authorqverify the current institution and address for each of the authorsqdecide who will be responsible for the various parts of the manuscript: introduction:_methods/materials:_qresults:_discussion:_qfigures:_tables:_qreferences:_overall formatting:_qdiscuss who will be responsible for other

25、parts of the submission processqcover letter:_online/mail submission:_qrevisions:_letter for revision/rebuttal:_qdetermine who should be included in the acknowledgementsqselect a targeted date for submissionqselect major references to be citedqmake a list of the procedures and instruments used, alon

26、g with the conditions for each experimentqverify the details of the experiments (cell culture conditions, age of animals, duration of treatments, doses of agents used, etc.) qprepare the figures and tables for the major data that you will presentqprioritize the data (the most important? supporting d

27、ata? supplemental data (if applicable for the selected journal)?) session 1checklist for preparing an outlinesample outline nintroductionepidemiological studies show a correlation between isoflavone consumption and cancer.evidence supports the idea that genistein is the most important isoflavone in

28、the diet.genistein has an anticancer effect in animal models.nmain point: epidemiological studies show that diet, which can vary substantially from one country to another, is one of the major factors in cancer etiology and may account for up to 35% of the differences in cancer rates among different

29、countries.nthesis statement: genistein, a dietary component, has a novel mechanism of action, whereby it specifically down-regulates mdm2 at both transcriptional and post-translational levels. nmaterials and methods:plasmids and reagentscell lines and cell culturesreverse transcription-pcrassays for

30、 apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, and clonogenicityxenograft modelsnresults:genistein inhibits mdm2 expression in human cancer and primary cell lines, regardless of p53 status. (figures 1 and 2)mdm2 transcription is repressed by genistein. (figure 3)genistein promotes degradat

31、ion of the mdm2 protein, independent of p53. (figure 4)inhibitory effects of genistein on tyrosine kinases are not required for the down-regulation of mdm2. (figure 5)genistein has antitumor effects on apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, and cell proliferation, regardless of cellular p53 status. (fi

32、gure 6)in vitro antitumor activities of genistein are associated with its capacity to down-regulate mdm2. (figure 7)in vivo mdm2 inhibition by genistein shows dose-dependent antitumor activity and chemosensitization, independent of p53. (figure 7)ndiscussion:reason for interest in genistein.purpose

33、of study and summary of results.transcriptional activation of mdm2.nfat, a specific transcription factor.post-translational regulation of the mdm2 protein.lack of effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitors.importance of mdm2 expression in cancer.the antitumor effect of genistein and its effect on mdm2.nco

34、nclusion: importance of results in relation to cancer prevention and therapy.session 1steps in writing a manuscript (3)ngeneral approach to generating first draft: tables and figures resultsmethods introduction discussion abstracttitle references other partssession 1ngeneral approach to revising fir

35、st draft: read the first draft (from the beginning to the end read it again read literature again revise nintroduction, results and discussion nmethodsnabstract ntitleabstracttitle and other partsactual writing (turtle or rabbit writer?):steps in writing a manuscript (4)ngeneral approach to revising

36、 2nd and nth drafts: 2nd complete draft send to all authors nth draft semi-final version send to outside reader/consultant/editing service final version send to all authors session 1ngeneral approach to preparing the final version: reading, reading, reading checking, checking, checking submission pa

37、ckage ncover letternsuggested reviewers, if needednsubmissionnapprove submission nwaiting for the news actual writing (turtle or rabbit writer?):nhave a journal in mind as you design and perform your experiments.nbasis for selection of a target journal:who is the target audience?ngeneralnmultidiscip

38、linary nspecifichow important is the contribution? if it is “earth-shaking” and of interest in several scientific fields or if it is a major advance in a particular discipline, submit the manuscript to nature, science, cell, or pnas. session 1select an appropriate journal (1)target journal not sure?

39、 ask a trusted colleague!nwhat is the impact factor of the journal? calculation for journal impact factor: nexample: nature 2007 impact factor cites in 2007 to articles published in:2006 =25635 2005 =32644 sum: 58279 number of articles published in: 2006 =962 2005 =1065 sum: 2027 calculation: 58279

40、/2027=28.751 session 1select an appropriate journal (2)sci and impact factor myths of impact factors (ifs):ifs do not reflect the quality of individual papers.review journals generally have higher ifs.ifs are biased against specialty, clinical research or new fields of research.not all journals are

41、included in the index.ifs can be manipulated by editors/publishers.ifs fluctuate year to year for a given journal.journals originated from non-english country generally have lower ifsifs cannot be used to compare publications in different fields (subject category)simple math does not work here:if 10

42、 = if1 x10?if 5+ if5 =if10?if 10x 6= if60?if 5.614 is better than if 5.613?session 1select an appropriate journal (3)sci and impact factor nis it recognized by one or more of the major secondary services (chemical abstracts, biological abstracts, medline/pubmed)?medline (medical literature analysis

43、and retrieval system online) is an international literature database of life sciences and biomedical information. it covers the fields of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and health care and much of the literature in biology and biochemistry. (5000 serials)pubmed is a fre

44、e search engine offering access to the medline database of citations and abstracts of biomedical research articles. it also provides access to many pre-1966 publications.ca (chemical abstracts service), a division of the american chemical society, produces chemical abstracts, an index of the scienti

45、fic literature in chemistry and related fields. (9500 serials)biological abstracts directs users to information on life science topics, ranging from botany to microbiology to pharmacology. (3700 serials)session 1select an appropriate journal (4)major secondary servicesnwhat is the prestige of the jo

46、urnal?nis it a primary journal?nis it an open journal?nwhat is the circulation of the journal?nwhat is the review time for the journal?nwhat is the publication time for the journal?session 1select an appropriate journal (5)more than if most journals publish the dates of submission, review, and accep

47、tance. you need to check the publishing date: epub ahead of print; in press ms; open access; online only; pubmed submission; etc.nwho will be interested in reading the paper basic scientists, clinicians, or both?nwhom do you want to read the paper members of the funding committee, the promotion comm

48、ittee, or the competitors?nis the paper within the “scope” of the journal (in the “instructions for authors” ).nbe familiar with the journal, especially papers published in the last 6-12 monthssession 1select an appropriate journal (6)more than if still not sure: ask a trusted peer, and, if possible

49、, be acquainted with the editor.ncheck recent articles in various journals; examine their format and content.nexamine several articles in potential journals. how many figures and tables do they have? nread the “table of contents” of recent issues of potential journals.nconsider: am i qualified to wr

50、ite an article for this journal?nconsider: where were the papers you will cite as references published-were they published in a similar quality journal?nread the “instructions for authors” and examples of publications in these journals.session 1select an appropriate journal (7)knew what you wish for

51、 keep in mind: topic, contents, format, and style.nif you submit to a wrong journal:your manuscript may be returned to you without review.it may be reviewed inadequately.its publication may be unnecessarily delayed.your work may remain unknown because it is not read after publication.session 1select

52、 an appropriate journal (8)wrong journal or wrong paper? still not sure: ask the editor of the potential journal.do not overly depend on professional editing service”data preparation and evaluation (1)checklist for finalizing data for a manuscriptqmake sure your results have been repeated/confirmedq

53、select results that are representative of your repeats (for western blots, photographs, spectra, etc) or prepare averages and standard deviations for your data (clinical parameters, animal studies, etc.)qensure that your data are statistically significant, and that you indicate this in the text and

54、figures.qprepare an appropriate number of figures and/or tables (many journals have a limit of 6 figures)qconfirm that your figures and tables are supported by raw dataqmake sure that the raw data is retrievable (in laboratory records)qorganize data by importance (key data, supporting evidence, and/

55、or supplemental data)qdetermine they type of illustration that will best showcase the data (figure? table? photograph?)qgenerate figures of sufficient quality for your selected journal (journals frequently require figure quality of 600 dpi)qformat your illustrations according to the instructions for

56、 authors (font style and size) and, if possible, use a consistent size and style for each figure and tableqavoid redundancy between tables, figures and the text q the corresponding author needs to check the quality and accuracy of the data, and that the data is supported by raw dataqthe figures and

57、tables should indicate statistical significance (if applicable)qprepare supplemental illustrations (if applicable for your journal)qwrite figure and table legends (the legends should describe the figure and methods in sufficient detail so that the reader knows what the data indicate and how they wer

58、e obtained)qcheck all the materials and methods and/or key references session 1data preparation and evaluation (2)q: do i need all the data before beginning the writingqnoqbut you need qall key data qmost supporting dataqsome supplemental dataqyou need all the data before the completion of the first

59、 draft q you still can add data before final submission session 1you should evaluate your data periodically and prepare your outline and key data as soon as possible.data preparation and evaluation (3)q: who should evaluate and check the data?qall the authorsqkey persons qprimary authors qcorrespond

60、ing author(s)qtechnical staffqcollaboratorsqyou may ask trusted colleagues to evaluate the datasession 1hot topic: can you trust the internet to send your unpublished data?data preparation and evaluation (4)q: does the format of the data presentation matter?qyesq you can present your data in various