How to Conduct Research and Write Scientific Papers

How to Conduct Research and Write Scientific Papers Chung S. Yang (杨中枢) Department of Chemical Biology and Center for Cancer Prevention Research Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey http: //pharmacy. rutgers. edu

How to Conduct Research and Write Scientific Papers 1. Form research ideas – reading papers in the field 2. Develop research plans – a hypothesis to test, feasibility 3. Conduct experiments, interpret results, draw conclusions 4. Write the paper – what is new and meaningful?

Research Ideas – Where Do They Come From? 1. Equipped with basic scientific knowledge, always be curious 2. Read the literature carefully to understand the key points 3. Illustrate your overview with diagrams; find knowledge gaps 4. Develop ideas to fill the gaps 5. Discuss with others to polish and improve your ideas

How to Read Scientific Papers 1. Conduct literature search to find key reviews and research papers 2. Read the key papers for general understanding and specific points – actively read, recollect and take notes in English 3. Read specific papers for methods, experimental conditions, etc. 4. Be critical about the data and some unjustified claims (especially in review articles) 5. Discuss the paper with others for better understanding – Journal Club works

Transform Ideas Into Research Plans 1. Develop clear and specific hypothesis 2. Design experiments to test the hypothesis – useful and feasible (not fashionable) experiments 3. Discuss with others, and seek collaborations if needed 4. Set a timeline for different parts of the study

Interpretation of Results 1. Be critical, with an open mind 2. Are your data reproducible and accurate? 3. Are your results consistent with your other observations and other peoples’ results? 4. Are your results consistent with your hypothesis? Have you made new discoveries? 5. Discuss with others

Writing Papers for Publication 1. What are your discoveries? Make an outline on key points 2. Introduction - concisely give the background and rationale of your study 3. Methods and Results - in past tense, active voice 4. Discussion - interpret (not repeat) your results; discuss importance, possible problems and future studies needed

Styles and Common Mistakes 1. Examples 2. Basic grammar, tenses, singular vs. plural 3. Do not be afraid to write short sentence or outline forms 4. Articles - a dog, the dog, dogs 5. Do not copy – perjury 6. Writing club or workshop

14 figures and 14 pages