 The clinical research in India in the field of cardiac
surgery is modest, hence resulting in a limited number of
publications, although a large volume of cardiac surgical
work is done
 A large proportion of Indian research often goes unnoticed
in the International arena due to lack of publication in
visible, popular and prestigious journals
 We need to focus on outcome analyses and publications in
our practice to make our experience known to the world
Introduction
Perfecting the art of writing scientific papers

2000 2004 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012
On-Pump 16682 18881 38052 46868 43941
Off-Pump 25682 26874 36055 43289 48274
Total CABG 25000 30000 42364 45753 74107 90157 91942
Total OHS 42000 50000 68982 73400 99063 119917 131000
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
2000 2004 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012
On-Pump 16682 18881 38052 46868 43941
Off-Pump 25682 26874 36055 43289 48274
Total CABG 25000 30000 42364 45753 74107 90157 91942
Total OHS 42000 50000 68982 73400 99063 119917 131000
On-Pump Off-Pump Total CABG Total OHS
CABG trends in India

0
50
100
150
200
250
ATS JTCVS EJTCVS Asian
Annals
IJTCVS Interactive
198
79
113
173
155
80
233
82 76
233
217
47
30
6
24 27 32
4
26
18
9
19
28
2
Cardiothoracic (Original articles) Cardiothoracic (Other articles)
Coronary Surgery (Original articles) Coronary Surgery (other articles)
Indian Cardiothoracic Publication output during
1966-2013

What is “Research”?
Defined as “studious inquiry or examination
aimed at the discovery and interpretation of
facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the
light of new facts, or practical application of
such new or revised theories or laws”

6
What is publication?
It is the dissemination of your
findings to the scientific
community
Scientific publications are
subject to peer review

Why Write?
 Advance professionally
 Qualify for grants
 Contribute to your institution
 Contribute to your field
 Improve practice
 Personal satisfaction &
development
 Lack of time
 Needs lot of efforts
 Unfamiliarity with the
process
 Bad experiences
(rejection & criticism)
Why not Write?

Why Publish?
 Publishing is one of the necessary steps
embedded in the scientific research
process
 “A paper is an organized description of
hypotheses, data and conclusions,
intended to instruct the reader
 If your research does not generate
papers, it might just as well not have
been done”

What to publish?
What to publish
• New and original results or methods
• Reviews or summaries of particular subject
• Manuscripts that advance the knowledge and
understanding in a certain scientific field
What NOT to publish
• Material of no scientific interest
• Out of date work
• Duplications of previously published work
• Incorrect/unacceptable conclusions

Characteristics of
good scientific writing
 Objective
 Simple
 Clear
 Serious
 Intellectual
 Impersonal
 Formal

How to write an effective research paper
 Getting ready with the data
 First draft
 Structure of a scientific paper
 Selecting a journal
 Submission
 Revision and galley proof

Full articles / Original articles
Letters / Rapid Communications/ Short communications
Review papers / perspectives:
 Evidence-based reviews often guide clinical decisions
 Systematic reviews summarize the literature on a topic
 Often invited
Research Study
 Report of original data
 Observational, Experimental
 Quantitative, Qualitative
Types of manuscripts

Key elements of an Article
Section Purpose
Title Clearly describes contents
Authors Ensures recognition for the writer(s)
Abstract Describes what was done
Key Words (some
journals)
Ensures the article is correctly identified in
abstracting and indexing services
Introduction Explains the problem
Methods Explains how the data were collected
Results Describes what was discovered
Discussion Discusses the implications of the findings
Acknowledgements
Ensures those who helped in the research are
recognized
References
Ensures previously published work is recognized
Appendices (some
journals)
Provides supplemental data for the expert reader

Title
 Describes the paper’s content clearly and precisely
including keywords
 Is the advertisement for the article
 Do not use abbreviations and jargon
 Search engines/indexing databases depend on the
accuracy of the title - since they use the keywords to
identify relevant articles

Authors Listing
 Only include those who have made an intellectual
contribution to the research
 OR those who will publicly defend the data and
conclusions, and who have approved the final version
 Order of the names of the authors can vary from
discipline to discipline
 In some fields, the corresponding author’s name
appears first

Abstract
 Highly condensed version of the
complete paper
 Structured: organized by
headings
 Unstructured: single paragraph
without headings
“The abstract is the ‘mirror’ of the full manuscript.”
— Vintzileos AM, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2010;202:344 e341-346
Tips
Use words that will
help in electronic
searching
Some authors write the
abstract first to help
organize
Always double-check
before submitting

The Making of a Manuscript
IMRaD Format
– Introduction
– Methods
– Results, (and)
– Discussion

Introduction
 Provide context and rationale
 Why is this study needed?
 What is the problem being
addressed?
 What is known already?
 What knowledge gaps exist?
 How will this contribute?
 Include statement of purpose
 Usually at end of section
 Hypothesis, if appropriate
“The Introduction should include a concise review of the
relevant literature...”
— Iverson C, American Medical Association. AMA manual of style: a guide for authors and
editors. 10th ed. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press; 2007
Tips
 Be concise, but do not
underestimate what has been
published already
 Keep focused – don’t digress
 Know your purpose and state
it clearly

Methods
 Study design
 Enrollment
 Variables
 Measurements, data sources
& collection
 Statistical analysis
“The methods section should be written as the recipe for a study’s design, so
that others can reproduce the research …”
— Garmel GM. Perm J. Spring 2010;14(1):32-40.
Tips
See if your journal’s
author instruction’s
include specific
reporting guidelines for
particular study designs

Results
 Participants
 Description of sample
 Primary outcomes
 Tables and figures
complement text
“You should not organize this section by the order in which you did
the work. Instead, make the narrative a logical progression.”
– John Fallon, Developmental Dynamics. 2010;239:723-726
Tips
 Include only findings that flow from
your Methods section
 Be sure data in tables and text match
 Remain objective - do not interpret or
comment on the findings

Discussion
 Summarize main findings
 Significance
 What new knowledge is
contributed?
 How does this compare with what
has gone before?
 Limitations
 Future research directions
 Conclusion
“This is the most difficult section to write as it requires the
author to interpret (but not over-interpret) his/her results …”
– Veness M. J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol. 2010;54:395-400
Tips
Read similar articles
in your target journal
for examples

Conclusions
 Do not extend your conclusions beyond what is
directly supported by your results - avoid undue
speculation
 Outline the next steps for further study

Citations & References
 Whenever you draw upon previously published work, you
must acknowledge the source
 Any information not from your experiment and not
‘common knowledge’ should be recognized by a citation
 How references are presented varies considerably - refer to
notes for authors for the specific journal
 Avoid references that are difficult to find
 Avoid listing related references that were not important to
the study

Style and Language
 Refer to the journal’s author guide for notes on style
 Some authors write their paper with a specific
journal in mind
 Others write the paper and then adapt it to fit the
style of a journal they subsequently choose
 Objective is to report your findings and conclusions
clearly and concisely as possible

Key Elements of Publishing
 Ethical Issues
 Style and language
 Structure of paper
 Components of paper
 Article submission / journal selection
 Publisher’s process/peer review

Publication Ethics
The deliberate and systematic consideration or moral
problems arising in connection with the publication of
scientific research
Scientific Misconduct
“Scientific misconduct means fabrication, falsification,
plagiarism, or other practices that seriously deviate from those
that are commonly accepted within the scientific community
for proposing, conducting or reporting research”

Why Ethical Issues are Important
 Ethical violations, especially less serious
infractions, are prevalent
 Rates of detection are low
 Ethical violations affect the quality and integrity of
science
 Compliance review and journal requirements are
increasing (e.g., human subjects committees, conflict
of interest statements)

Integrity in Research Publishing
 Intellectual honesty in reporting research
 Accuracy in representing contributions of other scientists
 Collegiality in scientific interactions, including
communications and sharing of information
 Transparency in conflicts of interest or potential conflicts
of interest
 Protection of human subjects in the conduct of research
 Humane care of animals in the conduct of research
 Adherence to the mutual authorship responsibilities
between investigators and their research teams
-Adapted from Institute of Medicine (2002)

Author Priorities
for Journal
Selection
Key (Determining) factors
 Impact Factor
 Reputation
 Access to the target
audience
 Overall editorial
standard
 Publication speed
 International
coverage
 Open Access
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Indian Journal of Thoracic
and Cardiovascular Surgery
Asian Cardiovascular and
Thoracic Annals
Indian Heart Journal
Texas Heart Institute Journal
Journal of Thoracic and
Cardiovascular Surgery
European Journal of Cardio-
thoracic Surgery
Annals of Thoracic Surgery
Circulation
Lancet
NEJM
0.06
0.5
0.61
0.74
3.49
3.49
3.84
14.43
49.21
59.55
Impact Factor of National &
International Journals

Reader’s priorities
 Authoritative quality articles
 Ease of access
 Rapid delivery
 Convenient format
 Linking of information - clustering
 Low or no cost
 Up-to-date information
Authors are journal focused
Readers are article focused

The Journal Process
 Editor decides whether to send for review
 Peer reviewers assigned
 Decision
 Accept / Reject
 Revise & Resubmit
“Prospective authors should not be disheartened if a manuscript
is rejected or needs extensive rewriting; this is the rule rather
than the exception.”
— Resta RG. J Genet Couns. 2010;19:217-227

Overview of Peer Review Process
Paper Submitted
Initial Decision by Editor
Confirmation of Receipt
Rejection Decide to Review
Assign Reviewers
Reviewers Accept Invite
Reviews Completed
RejectAccept
Notification to Author
Revise
Paper sent to Publisher
AcceptRevise
Revision Received
Revision Checked

Responding to Reviewers
“Reviews may sometimes appear to be arbitrary, unfair, and
poorly performed. ... However, it is a reviewer’s job to be critical,
and there may be elements of truth in even the most negative
reviews.”
- Resta RG, et al. J Genet Couns. 2010;19:217-227
 Read carefully
 Take a deep breath
 Consult co-authors
 Prepare response table

 The subject matter is of insufficient interest to the
readership to a specific journal
 Lack of new information
 The results are trivial, predictable, or duplicative of
others
 Insufficient international importance or interest
 Scientific quality is substandard due to poor
experimental design and methodology
 Improper conclusion
 Suspected misconduct - fabrication and plagiarism
Immediate Rejection Criteria

What to do when a paper gets
rejected……
 Do not get discouraged. Read editorial comments and
find ways to improve the scientific quality of the
papers to make the study stronger and acceptable for
publication
 Do not just turn around and submit the paper to
another journal
 Rejected papers can be resubmitted if and only the
concerns of the reviewers are adequately addressed
and new results are included

Plagiarism
 Defined as using another source’s ideas, words,
drawings, data, figures, findings, conclusions or
other work, without reporting or by misreporting
the original source
 Derived from the Latin plagium meaning kidnapping
(American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd ed., 1992)

Author Responsibilities
– Preparation and Submission of Manuscripts
– Ensure work is new and original research
– All Authors listed are aware of submission and agree
with content and support submission
– Agree that the manuscript can be examined by
anonymous reviewers.
– Provide copies of related work submitted or published
elsewhere
– Obtain copyright permission if figures/tables need to
be reproduced
– Include proper affiliation

 The research being reported should have been conducted
in an ethical and responsible manner and should comply
with all relevant legislation
 Researchers should present their results clearly, honestly,
and without fabrication, falsification or inappropriate
data manipulation
 Researchers should strive to describe their methods
clearly and unambiguously so that their findings can be
confirmed by others
 Researchers should adhere to publication requirements
that submitted work is original, is not plagiarized, and has
not been published elsewhere
In summary one can make a successful
publication when

 Authors should take collective responsibility for
submitted and published work
 The authorship of research publications should
accurately reflect individuals’ contributions to the
work and its reporting
 Funding sources and relevant conflicts of interest
should be disclosed
In summary one can make a successful
publication when
“There is no way to get experience except through experience.”

Journal
Authors Reviewer
Scientific Publication is a Team Effort

Perfecting the Art of Scientific Papers - Star Hospitals

Perfecting the Art of Scientific Papers - Star Hospitals

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