Getting Published
Michael J. Leibowitz, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Medical Microbiology & Immunology
University of California-­Davis One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
Email: [email protected]
ASCB MAC Workshops 2015
How to you feel about writing?
Do you enjoy writing?
Are writers born or trained?
Were you taught to write complicated and interesting sentences?
Since I am a scientist, is writing important?
Why Publish?
Share knowledge
Claim priority
Professional advancement
Research funding
Steps in Getting Published
Do important work
– Significant contribution, tell a complete story
– What is significant changes with time
Write the paper well
– Presubmission inquiries and cover letters
Write strategically for editors and reviewers
– Manage expectations, anticipate reviewer requests
Make the editor your advocate
Understand the decision
First Things First
Usually we first do the research and then write (which often leads to going back to the lab!)
Alternative approach: Start by writing, do the research to get the data you need!
Deciding authorship first prevents problems later
Before You Write
Discuss authorship with contributors
– Authors
– Acknowledgements
Authorship
– Significant contribution to the design, execution, interpretation and presentation of the work
– Order of authors
First author……..PI
– Responsibility of authors, changing expectations
– Corresponding author
What’s New and Why Should I Care?
What question does your data answer? (What’s new?)
What it the bigger question that is behind the question that you directly answered? (Why should I care?)
Structure of a Science Paper
Title
Authors
Abstract
Introduction
Methods (or may be last)
Results, Figures, Tables
Discussion
Acknowledgement, References
Writing the Paper
Write daily (even if just in notebook)
Strategy for paper writing (my suggestion)
– Authors and Order
– Figures/Tables
– Methods
– Results
– Introduction, Discussion
– Acknowledgment, References
– Abstract and Title
Write for Your Reader
Expert in your field: data, methods, results
Non-­expert (other fields): introduction, results, discussion
Reader wants interesting content, not complex structure: Keep it simple!
Get to the point right away! Don’t make the reader hunt for your take-­home message.
You will not communicate unless you hold the reader’s interest!
How to Write about Science
Simple sentence:
– Subject (topic)—Verb (action)—Object (Stress)
– The topic is what the sentence is about! Whose story is it? – Keep subject close to verb;; object can then be long without being confusing.
– Object relates to next sentence and finishes with the Stress Position (conclusion and lead-­
in to the next sentence).
– Subject is “old,” Object is “new.”
Flow of Thought
Topic position (old information) connects to the previous sentence.
Stress position (new information) leads the reader to a conclusion and to the next sentence or thought.
Better writing is both easier to read and promotes better thinking!
Write to convey information, not to show you know the “secret handshake!”
Five Principles of Clear Writing
1. Sequence Old to New
2. Sequence Light to Heavy: Subject-­>Verb-­> Complex Information (Stress Position)
3. Use transitional words (but, however, therefore, etc.) to connect sentences
4. Use Echo words: same words for same concepts;; Consistency, not “creative writing”
5. Use strong verbs that express actions
http://www.northwestern.edu/climb/resources/written-­communication/5-­
principles-­readable-­sentences.html
Avoid Grammatical Complexity
Present tense only (except past tense for what has been done in past)
– No conditional, pluperfect or other tenses
– Use same words for same concept repeatedly
– Keep it simple, limit use of dependent clauses, technical jargon, long words, too many abbreviations
– Shorter words are better
Use the Active Voice
NO
YES
It can be shown that..
We see that…
28 tests were run
We ran 28 tests
These properties were thought desirable
We wanted to retain these properties
It might be thought that this would be an experimental error
You might think this would be an experimental error
Use Simple Direct Language
NO
YES
The object under study was The ball moved sideways
displaced horizontally
On an annual basis
Yearly
Endeavour to ascertain Find out
It could be considered that The garbage collector was the speed of storage really slow
reclamation left something to be desired
Figures and Tables
Title should tell the conclusion
Legends and captions should be detailed enough to understand
Check how they look in size to be printed
Avoid manipulating figures: Journals check this by computer, and reject if manipulated, report to institution and funding agency if misrepresentation suspected!
Materials & Methods
As complete as possible for someone who wants to repeat (but avoid duplicating what is already published)
Can cite published methods
– Indicate if modified
– Give some description so reader can generally understand what was done without reading other papers
Results
What was done and what you learned
Past Tense
Start each paragraph with the aim and primary result it contains
Indicate why move from one experiment to the next
Tell what each experiment shows but no speculation or broad generalization
“Herskowitz Rules:” Time spent on each result should be proportional to its importance.
Introduction
Identify the question being answered (may change during writing)
Present background relevant to this work (not review of the whole field)
Explain why this question is important
How was the question answered?
Present the answer! The reader will not proceed further if not there! You are not writing a mystery novel!
Discussion
Reiterate the answer to your question briefly, but do not repeat everything
What does this contribute to literature?
What are the limitations? What new questions does it pose? – Be careful;; reviewers might ask for answers!
Entitled to “one level of speculation,” but don’t build a house of cards!
References
Include references to
– reviews of general topic, but otherwise original reports – competitors – papers that disagree with your conclusions
– papers published while you did the work
Reviewers will check this, especially for their own papers
Cite critical papers;; their authors are likely to be your reviewers
Acknowledgment
Both in specific list, and in text of paper as appropriate
Many journals require contributions of each listed author to be listed
Some journals require signature from each author or cited collaborator (some even for authors of unpublished work cited or personal communications)
Title
Should state conclusion
– If you don’t have an informative title, the reader may think you discovered nothing interesting!
– Avoid over-­stating
– Be careful if claim “novelty”
Abstract
Most readers will only read this far!
Cover the whole paper briefly
– What was the question
– Why was this important
– How did you do the work (but don’t make abstract just about methods)
– Conclusion and significance
Editing
Get help from experts and non-­experts
Focus on the overall structure before grammar and spelling;; use spell-­check but watch out for scientific terms
Check ReferencesàText, TextàReferences
Likewise Methods< -­-­ >Results
How Can I Improve My Writing?
Write! Read!
Peer writing groups
– 3-­5 peers, best if not all in same field
– Meet ~monthly and review multiple items (best if similar sections of papers or grants)
– First, of the items, find what is best about one of them?
– Then, consider how can the others be changed to be that good
– Repeat the process
Submitting the Paper
High profile vs. specialty journal: How interesting is this to readers outside your field?
High profile: Send letter of inquiry before you write the paper to see if interested
All papers should include a cover letter
– What Q answered and why important
– Significance of results in and beyond field
– Special needs, like co-­submitted papers, exclusion or recommended reviewers
What to Expect from Reviews
3 Types:
– Accept. Very Rare.
– Could be acceptable if changes made. Most Common.
The details matter!
– Rejection
Don’t be discouraged
Do act on reviews before sending elsewhere
Don’t “rebut” the reviews, respond to them and be grateful for how they helped you!
Writing Resources
Rick McGee, CLIMB, Northwestern U.:
http://www.northwestern.edu/climb/resources/wri
tten-­communication/index.html
Follow links view short videos including 5-­
principles-­readable-­sentences and writing coherent paragraphs, etc:
http://www.northwestern.edu/climb/resources/wri
tten-­communication/5-­principles-­readable-­
sentences.html
http://www.northwestern.edu/climb/resources/wri
tten-­communication/Creating-­Coherent-­
Paragraphs.html
More Resources
Wells, W. A. Me write pretty one day: how to write a good scientific paper. J. Cell. Biol. 165:757-­758, 2004.
Neill, U. S. How to write a scientific masterpiece. J. Clin. Invest. 117:3599-­3602, 2007.
Strunk, W., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition. 1999.
Trimble, J. Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing, Second Edition. 1999.
Zeiger, M. Essentials of Writing Biomedical Research Papers, Second Edition. 2000.
Gopen, G.D., and Swan, J.A. The science of scientific writing. American Scientist 78: 550-­559 (1990)
A Great Resource & Fun Read
Pinker, S., The Sense of Style, the Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, Viking Penguin, NY, 2014.
– Great style manual that tells which rules are real and which are myths (you can split infinitives!), as well as what editors expect!
– How to write beautifully, beyond the minimal requirements.
– Very entertaining, occasional laugh out loud!
Quoted from Pinker (2014)
“Don’t say ain’t or your mother will faint.
Your father will fall in a bucket of paint.
Your sister will cry;; your brother will die.
Your dog will call the FBI.”