THE TECHNICALITIES OF WRITING PAPERS Professor Roger Jones

THE TECHNICALITIES OF WRITING PAPERS Professor Roger Jones, Editor, British Journal of General Practice

Basic AIMRD structure • • • Abstract Introduction Methods Results Discussion

Preparatory work • • Choice of journal – pre-submission enquiry Careful reading of Instructions for Authors Word Count House style – abstract, section headings, references Figures and diagrams References ICMJE guidance COPE guidance

The title • House style • Important because of citation and archiving, as well as attracting readers • Clarity rather than levity in the main title • Clear indication of the methodology and setting in the sub-title • Running head • Key words

Authors • ICJME has authorship criteria • Essential to agree on authorship before putting pen to paper • Power relations can be problematic – departmental policy if appropriate, otherwise some structure for mediation • Gift authorship • Order of names • Contributorship should be clearly stated and may be printed

Abstract • Word count and structure specified by journal • May not exactly parallel the IMRD structure • Increasingly important as paper short/web long increases • Involved in some citation counts

Introduction • An arresting first sentence • Say enough to show that you know the field but don’t over-do it – 10 or so key references? • Tell the story which takes the reader to the need for this piece of research, and end the section by stating the research question

Methods • “What the abstract giveth, the methods taketh away” • Sufficient detail to allow replication • Reference, rather than describe in full, the measuring and analytic tools you will use • Pre-specification of end points and analysis (ITT, per protocol, grounded theory, thematic analysis, etc)

Results • Main findings • Detailed findings • Reporting guidance/frameworks eg CONSORT, STARD, PRISMA: the EQUATOR network (equator-network. org) • Figures and tables • Avoid duplication of text and tables • Additional on line material – data tables, questionnaires, interview schedules • Specific aspects of the presentation of quantitative and qualitative data – eg numerical/statistical precision, quotations in boxes

Discussion • • Structured Headline findings…. ”for the first time…. ” What’s new Comparison with other literature Strengths and weaknesses Implications for practice and research Conclusion if necessary

Tailenders • • • Acknowledgements Funding source Ethical permission Authorship/ contributorship Conflicts of/ competing interests References – convention, dois and papers – use web references sparingly and wiki not at all

New and contentious topics • Open access publishing: author/funder pays the article publishing fee • Predatory open access journals • Paper short/very short: web long, eg BMJ Picos, BJGP 2 -page summaries • Continuous online publication • Online only journals • Open data/ Fair data: prior publication • Dissemination – doesn’t stop at the paper