How to Write a Scientific Manuscript with a Urology Attending
DO'S
- Work on it! If you do not have time, are disinterested, or get confused about what to do next, please TELL the attending. Do not let the project die of neglect.
- Read other manuscripts that are somewhat similar to your project so you can get an idea of what it is supposed to look like and how the components of the paper should be divided. Papers written by major U.S. institutions published in prominent journals are generally better examples.
- Pages of your draft should be numbered and lines at least double-spaced so the attending will have plenty of room to add that dreaded red ink.
- If exchanging drafts via email, underline, bold, or otherwise to delineate the changes from prior drafts.
- Divide manuscript into appropriate segments, each on a separate page.
- Title page: including title, authors, name of institution, key words (a few words that someone could type on MEDLINE and have your manuscript come up, e.g., prostate neoplasms, sonography, biopsy), running title (this is a short version of the title that the journal will place on the top of each page), and address for correspondence and reprints (this is usually the attending).
- Abstract: not more than one page, concise, divided into Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.
- Introduction: brief background information about your subject and research. Sometimes it is easier to write this section after you have figured out how you are going to present your results section.
- Methods: Everything that sets up your study. Includes things like patient age, study inclusion criteria, cell culture methods, how study groups were divided and the characteristics of each group, description of any special equipment or procedure utilized, what statistical tests you used to analyze the data.
- Results: What are your findings (including statistical analysis)
- Discussion: What do your findings mean - - how do they relate to other things published on your topic?
- References: BE SURE to check the "Information for Authors" for the journal in which you hope to publish the manuscript. Follow the format for references EXACTLY. Double-check spelling of authors names, page numbers, and whether the appropriate citation number is in the text. References should be in the CORRECT ORDER as cited in the text. It is tedious but very important. Chores like this separate the academicians from the HMO docs!
DON'TS
- Do not give the attending a sloppy, disorganized draft that you have not checked for spelling and grammar and that you have not made sure all the references are cited appropriately. The manuscript should look ready to submit. A sloppy, error-filled draft implies that you have no respect for the attending's time or the project and makes you appear unprofessional (and somewhat illiterate).
- Do not make changes to the manuscript while you are waiting to get a draft back from the attending - - it is too confusing to have several different versions passing hands at once and very frustrating for the same mistakes to keep coming up in subsequent revisions due to this confusion.
- Do not ignore the changes recommended by the attending. You should incorporate the corrections carefully, being sure not to overlook some of the smaller corrections. If you do not agree, explain your point of view (you could be right!).
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this text are those of Dr. Martha Terris and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Stanford Department of Urology or other urology attendings at Stanford or other institutions.
