Submitting Manuscripts Adam Leventhal For USC CTSI Why do you - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Submitting Manuscripts

Adam Leventhal For USC CTSI

Why do you publish?

• The critical role of publication for your career

– Metrics, such as impact factor and H-Index – Cohort comparisons of YOU to a group of your peers on publication numbers and citation count H-index – Importance of publishing in and… outside of your field

• Remember- this is the whole point of science

Papers Grants

Impact Factors & Journal Selection

• The Im

Impact Factor is calculated by dividing the number of citations in the year by the total number of articles published in the two previous years. An Impact Factor of 1.0 means that, on average, the articles published one or two year ago have been cited one time.

• Consider the audience
• Network journals

– JAMA network – Lancet network – Nature publishing group – BMJ has a network

• Society-related journals reach

– Prevention Science – SPR – Nic Tob Res – SRNT – AJPH – APHA

3

Remember

• Almost any paper can be published

somewhere

• You can’t “take back” publications
• Aim high (generally)—the better the journal,

the quicker the rejection

• Cynically, you need to consider the impact

factor of the journals where you publish

• Quality and quantity of papers both matter

Distinctions across Meta Fields

• Medical, clinical, public health

– JAMA network word limit 3000 (NEJM 2700) – Brief report (RL) <600 words

• Basic science, biological / biomedical

– Nature: 3000 words minus methods – RL: 1200 words

• Social behavioral sciences / behavioral health

– J Abn Psych: 9000 words, 5000 for brief report

• Topic/Disease-specific journals that cut across

disciplines

What Diff Types of Journals Want

Va Value Int Intro Re Resu sults Di Discussion Basic Sciences Innovation! Theory Rigor Short ”Here we show…” Brief Figures are the bomb! Short-ish Medical/ clinical/ public health Big Samples Definitive Results Hot/timely Topics Very short (300 words) No lit review Tables and text are duplicative Tables/Figures special Don’t summarize Bring in lit review Social Behavioral Sciences Methods! Theory Connection literature Long.. 2-4 pages Lit review Tables/figures Don’t duplicate text Can be brief Can summarize results

What Diff Types of Journals Want

Va Value Int Intro Re Resu sults Di Discussion Basic Sciences Innovation! Theory Rigor Short ”Here we show…” Brief Figures are the bomb! Short-ish Medical/ clinical/ public health Big Samples Definitive Results Hot/timely Topics Very short (300 words) No lit review Tables and text are duplicative Tables/Figures special Don’t summarize Bring in lit review Social Behavioral Sciences Methods! Theory Connection literature Long.. 2-4 pages Lit review Tables/figures Don’t duplicate text Can be brief Can summarize results

What Diff Types of Journals Want

Va Value Int Intro Re Resu sults Di Discussion Basic Sciences Innovation! Theory Rigor Short ”Here we show…” Brief Figures are the bomb! Short-ish Medical/ clinical/ public health Big Samples Definitive Results Hot/timely Topics Very short No lit review Tables and text are duplicative Tables/Figures special Don’t summarize Bring in lit review Social Behavioral Sciences Methods! Theory Connection literature Long.. 2-4 pages Lit review Tables/figures Don’t duplicate text Can be brief Can summarize results

What Diff Types of Journals Want

Va Value Int Intro Re Resu sults Di Discussion Basic Sciences Innovation! Theory Rigor Short ”Here we show…” Brief Figures are the bomb! Short-ish Medical/ clinical/ public health Big Samples Definitive Results Hot/timely Topics Very short (300 words) No lit review Tables and text are duplicative Tables/Figures special Don’t summarize Bring in lit review Social Behavioral Sciences Methods! Theory Connection literature Long.. 2-4 pages Lit review Tables/figures Don’t duplicate text Can be brief Can summarize results

What Diff Types of Journals Want

Va Value Int Intro Re Resu sults Di Discussion Basic Sciences Innovation! Theory Rigor Short ”Here we show…” Brief Figures are the bomb! Short-ish Medical/ clinical/ public health Big Samples Definitive Results Hot/timely Topics Very short (300 words) No lit review Tables and text are duplicative Tables/Figures special Don’t summarize Where lit review happens Social Behavioral Sciences Methods! Theory Connection literature Long.. 2-4 pages Lit review Tables/figures Don’t duplicate text Can be brief Can summarize results

Considering the Audience

• Reviewer
• Editor
• Who the editor wants to disseminate the

article to (categorical/% or quant vars)

• 3 groups can be same or different
• Challenge if they are different

Big picture

• Selling your idea to the scientific community
• Reviewers

– Their aim: to ensure that only quality papers get published – Therefore, in your paper, you need to:

• Make an argument why your paper is worthy
• Expect the reviewers’ attacks and launch preemptive

counteroffensives

• Consider even issues you feel are not important

What reviewers & readers want to know when their read a manuscript

• What is the overall idea?
• Is this topic important?
• Is the study innovative?
• Will the results advance the literature?
• What exactly did the researchers do?
• Were the methods appropriate?

Sections of a Manuscript (in order*)

• Title Page (lists, title, authors, affiliation)
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Method
• Results
• Discussion
• References
• Appendix & Author Note
• Footnote(s) (Optional)
• Tables
• Figure Captions
• Figures

*Methods can be at end for some basic science

The meat

The meat of a manuscript

A Title

• It should be:

– brief (<15 words) – Describe the major variables studied in the hypothesis

• Can allude to the results of the study and/or the

study’s design, except for certain journals

• What are bad about these titles:

– “An Investigation of Depression” – “The Relationship between Paranoia on the Paranoid ideation Questionnaires and Lexical Processing on a Timed Reading Task among Individuals with Disorganized Schizophrenia Recruited from the State Psychiatric Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma”

• Good titles:

– “Experimentally-Induced Negative Mood Reduces Interpersonal Self Efficacy” – “The Association between Aggression and Academic Performance in Sixth- Grade Students”

Introduction

• In

Introduce the general research area (1-2 2 sent ent.)

– State the topic – Give reasons why studying this general topic is important

• How can research on this topic solve a real-world problem or

advance theory

• So

Social/be beh sc science: Review pa past studi dies on

• n that

pa particular topi

• pic (1-3

3 paragraphs hs)

– First: Review general findings in the area

• Integrate findings and identify general trends across studies

– Then: Hone in on studies that are directly relevant to your topic

Introduction

• Id

Identify the gap in the literature that the your study in intends to

• address (a 2-4

4 sent ent paragraph) h)

– Discuss what remains unclear – Note the importance of addressing that particular gap

• In

Introduce your study (a 2-5 5 sent ent paragraph) h)

– Note that the current study was conducted to address this gap in the literature – Briefly review the methods in one to two sentences – Explain what the hypothesis is

Method

• Tell the reader what you did
• Will have specialized subsections

– Participants/subjects – Measures (or materials) – Procedure – Design and Planned Analyses

Method

• Parti

rticipants ts (1 to to 2 Para ragra raphs)

– Discuss recruitment strategy and population – Note the criteria for inclusion (if any) – Present descriptive statistics of the sample’s basic characteristics (SBS only; goes in results in Med)

• Demographics (gender, race, age, marital status)
• Other characteristics
• This often goes in a Table if appropriate

– Indicate that informed consent was obtained & study approved by IRB

Method

• Me

Measu sures, 1 s, 1-3 3 sent

• ent. for ea

each h mea easur ure e des escribing ng

– The format that is used to collect the data – The structure of the measure – The construct (if appropriate) – The reliability and validity from past studies (if available/appropriate) – The scoring algorithm (if appropriate)

• Covariates (i.e., adjustment variables) get less

space

Method

• Pr

Proced edur ure

– State exactly what participants/subjects went through from beginning to end – Discuss specialized materials that were used (if any)

• This section can include subsections

– Apparatus (typically for animal studies) – Computerized Task – Stimuli – Drugs/Medications – Intervention

• De

Design and Planed Da Data Analys yses

– Can provide information on variable operationalization or data reduction (SBS only) – Discuss the inferential statistical tests (and often descriptive stats) to be performed for each set of variables

Results

• SBS/basic: section should be br

brief & co conci cise (1-3 paragraphs)

• Med/PH/some-BS: longer. Walk the reader through.
• Re

Repor

• rt resu

sults s of

• f desc

scriptive st statist stics s for for re relevant variables*

– M(SDs), ranges, sometimes IQR – N (%)s

• Re

Repor

• rt the resu

sults s of

• f infe

ferential st statist stics s test sts

– Be consistent w/ Data Analysis section of Method – Avoid discussing the implications of the findings – You can include tables or figures that summarize findings

• SBS: Don’t present the same information in both text and table/figure;

pick one

Discussion

Explain:

• 1. What you found
• 2. Why you found that
• 3. Why people should care

Discussion

• SB

SBS: S: Bri riefl efly re review the main findings (1-2 2 sent. sent.)

– “the main finding was that ….” – or “consistent with hypotheses, this study found that…,” – Diff for med journals

• Co

Compare current study’s findings to previous studies on thi this s to topic (1-2 2 para ragra raphs) hs)

– Discuss past studies have found results similar to the current study – Discuss past studies with results that are inconsistent with the current study (if any)

• Reconcile this

– Note how the current study adds to the literature

• “the current study extends past findings by…”
• “to the author’s knowledge, this was the first study to…”

Discussion

• Wh

Why di did d you find d this?

– Alternative explanations – discuss why or why not they apply – The potential mechanisms underlying the association/effect identified

• **Difference between restating the findings and discussing

the findings

– “This study found that XXX” vs. “This study provides the first evidence that XXX” – ”This study found XXX. This means YYY” vs. “This study findings that XXXX means YYYYY”

Discussion

• Br

Briefly highlight the limitations (an and strengths) of

• f the st

study (1 (1 paragraph)

– Discuss <6 critical limitations

• Be very candid about your study’s limitations
• Avoid discussing minor limitations

– Discuss no more than 3 critical strengths (optional)

• No

Note t the s study dy’s i impl plications ( (1 pa paragr graph ph; 2 ; 2-4 4 sent sent.) .)***

– How it advances theory – How it has an applied/clinical implication – Future research endeavors (optional)

• Sometimes a 5th section called “Conclusions” 1-3

sentences where the abstract conclusion is restated sometimes verbatim

Abstract

• Extremely Important!!!
• Remember, when you are lit searching, you

rely on the abstract

• 150-350 words
• Structured vs. unstructured abstract.

Regardless, present it with structure.

• Tip: think about what this will read like

before you read write this after the entire manuscript is complete

Section of the Abstract

• Ind

Indicate ate the the gap ap in n the the literatur terature e that that the the pres esent ent stud tudy wi will ad address (1 sentence)

– “Little is known about whether…” – “Examining the influence of X on Y could clarify…”

• Sta

State te the the pri rimary ry ai aim/ m/hypothesis/objective (1 sentence)

– “The current study examined whether…” – “The present investigation tested the hypothesis that…”

• De

Describe be the the metho ethod of f the the stud study (1-4 sent.)

– Participants, design, measures, (analysis)

• Br

Briefly describe the primary findings (1-4 sentences)

– “Results showed that..” – If some findings didn’t pan out say it. X-Y was non-significant

• Ind

Indicate ate the the implicati ation n of the the pres esent ent stud tudy’s find nding ngs or r al allude to wh what at wi will be in the discussion (1-2 sentences)

– “These findings suggest that …” – Very conservative in medical journals – More bold in basic science