Getting published

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Getting published

• John Hoey
• Editor, CMAJ

Copy at www.cmaj.ca/misc/slides
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The pleasures of editing
Dear Editor What are you smoking? Is our
Journal the garbage can of last resort? You
conspire to cover up government damage to health
care. Why do you do that? Money? After all the
CMA blather about excellence, how come you are
so sub-standard?
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The pleasures of editing
Hi, im doing this project in school about The E
Coli as an example of how water damages things
us. Can u send me info about E coli and what
it is and how it came into the waters and
stuff??? But not pages of stuff Just the
important points. Thanks, Vanessa Send to
fishy_000_at_.
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What is this talk about?

• What happens to paper at the journal office?
• Writing a paper
• Picking a journal(s)
• Writers block
• Writing it
• Language - how to write clearly
• Cover letter, responding to editors

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Picking a Journal

• Purpose for publishing
• informing others - public, researchers, your
  mother
• prestige - journal impact factor
• Free on line?(visibility)
• likelihood of acceptance

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Impact factors 2003general medical journals

• NEJM 31.7
• JAMA 16.8
• Lancet 15.4
• BMJ 7.6
• CMAJ 3.2

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Impact factors 2003other journals

• Am. J. Pub Health 3.3
• Medical Care 3.2
• Health Affairs 2.9
• Health Services Res. 2.3
• Nursing Research 1.3

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Pick 3 Journals

• Check references you are using
• where did the authors publish?
• Look for similar article
• Read it and others
• Know what Journal has recently published

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Writers Block - getting started

• Check references you are using
• where did the authors publish?
• Look for similar article
• Read it and others
• Know what Journal has recently published

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Writers Block - getting started

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Interpretation

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Results - Table 2

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Interpretation

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Writers Block - Introduction

• Focus on Problem
• Discernible point?
• Pertinent Literature
• An introduction, not a term paper
• Your research question/objectives
• Length? SHORT

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Writers Block - Methods

• Sampling
• Instruments
• Content
• Validation
• Analysis
• Write like telling a story
• Understand
• Ethical approval

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Writers Block - Results

• Tables (then text)
• Descriptive
• Main crude results
• Multivariate results
• Others
• Use graphs when possible
• Then write text - avoid duplication

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Writers Block - Interpretation

• Summary of main results We found..
• What your study adds
• Limitations
• Brief conclusion

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Writers Block - Abstract

• Introduction
• Discernible point
• Methods
• Sample
• What was measured
• Results
• Main crude results
• Multivariate results
• Use actual numbers
• Interpretation
• Main finding or conclusion

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Writers Block - Cover letter

• Be cheerful
• Discernible point
• ICMJE statement

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Cover LetterExamples

• Please find enclosed 3 copies of a manuscript
  entitled The manuscript conforms to the style
  detailed in the uniform requirements. All authors
  have read and agree with the papers content. The
  paper has not been previously published in whole
  or in part nor is it under consideration by
  another journal.

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Cover LetterBe positive

• I have enclosed my manuscript, Alzheimers
  Disease Update for consideration for
  publication.
• In the light of the announcement made late last
  year by the University of Manitoba, my manuscript
  may be obsolete.

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Responding to Editor

• Be polite
• If unclear, telephone or e-mail
• Treat all comments as serious
• Respond promptly -
• .within days

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Responding to an editor

• Comment
• On page 7 you should mention the important study
  by Groucho Marx.
• Response
• We are aware of the Marx paper. However, his
  paper addresses the rare disorder of confused
  identity with mirrors. Our paper does not discuss
  this condition. Thus we have not included a
  reference to the paper.

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Orwells 6 rules

• Never use a metaphor, simile or figure of speech
  which you are used to seeing in print.
• Never use a long word when a short one will do.
• If possible to cut out a word, always cut it out.

Orwell Politics and the English language - 1946
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Orwells 6 rules
Passive A retrospective cohort study was done.
Active We did a retrospective cohort study.

• Never use the passive where you can use the
  active.
• Never use a FOREIGN PHRASE, a scientific word or
  a JARGON word if you can think of an everyday
  English equivalent.
• Break any of these rules sooner than say anything
  outright barbarous.

We examined the records of all patients seen in
our clinic in 1998 and telephoned them in
January 2002 to determine their compliance.
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Readings
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CMAJ wants surgical papers
Thank You
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Paintings Catherine Hoey
http// individual. utoronto.ca/ jhoey/