Cách Viết Bài Báo Khoa Học (Scientific Paper Writing)

CÁCH VIẾT BÀI BÁO KHOA HỌC
(SCIENTIFIC PAPER WRITING)

Scientific Writing Workshop
HCM City, Vietnam, 26-27 Nov. 2011
Organised by the Univerity of Medicine & Pharmacy, HCMC.
Endorsed by the Asia-Pacific Association
of Medical Journal Editors (APAME)


CÁCH VIẾT BÀI BÁO KHOA HỌC
Scientific Writing Workshop
HCM City, Vietnam, 26-27 Nov. 2011
- Professor Datuk Dr. L.M. Looi
Professor of Pathology, University of Malaya, &
Editor-in-Chief, Malaysian Journal of Pathology
- Professor Wilfred CG Peh
Singapore Medical Journal, National University of Singapore
- Professor JF Lapeña Jr. M.A., M.D., F.P.C.S
Univerity of Phillipines Manila, The Health Sciences Center
- Professor Dr. John T. Arokiasamy
International Medical University, Malaysia
Editorial Advisor, Medical Journal of Malaysia

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WHY WRITE?
WHY PUBLISH?
Writing is a way of life in Science:
• Search for knowledge & understanding

• Ideas & hypothesis testing
• Factual observations
• Accurate records
• Challenge & Debate

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THE PURPOSE OF
PUBLICATION
• A scientific experiment is not
completed until results are published
• Inform peers of discoveries
• Allow other workers to verify findings
• Join the realm of scientists and
scholars

4


Wrong reasons for writing ?
• Publish or perish
• Ego-booster
• Padding CV

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How to write?
A good paper has content, structure

and style
Basic Structure : IMRAD
Introduction : Why did we start?
Method (Materials & Methods): What
did we do?
R esults : What did we find?
And
Discussion : What does it mean?
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How to write?
BASIC STRUCTURE
• Other components:
– title, title page
– abstract, keywords
– tables, graphs, figures
– acknowledgements
– appendices
– references

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Scientific Writing Style
• Factual, literal & unemotional
vs metaphorical & poetic
• Precise vs ambiguous
• Concise vs repetitive
• Formal vs conversational

8


TYPES OF PAPERS
Authors should:
– be clear about type of paper they are
planning to write
– construct manuscript
– according to guidelines for the
specific paper type

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American Journal of Roentgenology

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Title, Abstract, Keywords
The Title
- It should be short, clear, informative,
precise and specific.
- It should have maximum information with
minimum words
- It should attract readers with similar

interests to read the document
- The title is reviewed after the document
being prepared is completed


The Title
• “Gastrointestinal manifestations of Dengue
infection in adults”
• Psychological Distress, Quality of Life, and
Coping in Cancer Patients: A Prospective
Study
MJM Dec 2008


Title
• May describe the subject of the article:
“Pattern of lung cancer in Malaysia”
• May describe the focus in a field of study:
“The relationship of obesity and exercise in
Diabetes Mellitus”
• May describe the outcome of an experiment:
“Aflatoxin induces liver cancer in rats”


Title page
– Title
– Author(s) – initials and name(s); degree;
address
– Corresponding author with address

Abstract
•
•
•
•

This is most widely read
Sometimes referred to as the summary
Located at the beginning of the article
It must be easily understood to one who is
not reading the whole article
• Conveys scope of the study
• Provides as much information as possible in
a limited space


Uses of Abstract
• Helps decide if the paper is worth reading
• Helps readers keep up to date with new
developments
• Available in on-line databases


Writing the Abstract
• Structured vs Unstructured
• Structured Abstract outlines:
– Purpose (Aims os ojective)/Background
– Methods of the work

– Important findings (Results)
– Conclusion


UNSTRUCTURED ABSTRACT


STRUCTURED ABSTRACT


Writing the Abstract
•
•
•
•
•

Use simple language
Objective and factual
Avoid abbreviations, references
Maximum length is 250 words
Followed by 3 to 10 keywords



Keywords
• Inserted at the end of the abstract
• Helps compilation of index and cross
referencing
• Helps literature search

Keywords
•
•
•
•

Based on the focus of the study
Captures main topics of the article
3 to 10 words
Terms from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH
terms) list in Index Medicus are used